Criminal Minds: Evolution's Paget Brewster, AJ Cook, And More React To Cancellation

"Criminal Minds" has survived over 20 years, multiple stars leaving, and even a previous cancellation, but the franchise may finally end for good. On October 30, we learned that the revival series, "Criminal Minds: Evolution," has been canceled, ending the show with Season 5, or Season 20 if you combine the revival seasons with the original show. The crime drama's lead stars have had a variety of responses to the news.

Paget Brewster, who plays BAU section chief Emily Prentiss, posted a simple black-and-white photo of herself on Instagram with the overlaid text "free agent." For Halloween, A.J. Cook dressed up as a zombie, holding a headstone with the name of her character, Jennifer Jareau, on it. Cook captioned a post of this outfit, "Rest in peace JJ (for now)." R.J. Hatanaka, who joined the cast when it returned for "Criminal Minds: Evolution" in 2022, shared an image of the show's main cast, praising them as "just the finest group of people."

But Kirsten Vangsness, who has appeared in the most episodes out of anyone in the cast, had a longer reaction to the news, sharing a Deadline article about the cancellation. "It says right there, 'is ending for now,'" Vangsness said in her video while pointing to the article. She continued, "My boss, Erica Messer, says there's so many more stories to tell. So if we get to keep telling them somewhere, that would be amazing. I know all of us feel the same way." It's possible that the "Criminal Minds" series could live on in another spin-off.

The first time "Criminal Minds" was canceled, CBS gave the creative team one more season to wrap up storylines and give fans the ending they deserve. It's unclear whether Paramount+ gave the same heads-up for the "Criminal Minds: Evolution" team this time. Reportedly, production had already wrapped on Season 20 before the cancellation news was made public last week.

In a statement regarding the cancellation (via Deadline), "Criminal Minds" showrunner Erica Messer said she was "suddenly navigating the end of this chapter," which could imply she wasn't expecting the end when the final season was made. If given the green light by Paramount+, the team could reshoot some scenes between now and the release in 2027 to create a new ending. Messer added in her statement, "We're looking forward to sharing Season 20 with everyone, and celebrating the legacy of this special show we've all built together."

Paramount seems to be making big moves ahead of its merger with Warner Bros., but it would be strange for the company to give up on the "Criminal Minds" franchise. It's an undeniable hit with staying power. Even in its 19th season, the series re-entered Nielsen's rankings for the top 10 most-watched streaming series. But with fan faves like Matthew Gray Gubler already out the door, a cancellation could give fans and the show's cast and crew a chance to move on to something new.