“Criminal Minds: Evolution” is ending after 20 seasons – but the abrupt ending apparently came as a surprise to the cast.
The long-running crime series, which debuted on CBS in 2005 before moving to Paramount+ in 2022, will air its final episodes in 2027, the streaming service announced Friday.
The final season will bring back familiar faces Joe Mantegna, AJ Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, RJ Hatanaka, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster.
Vangsness, who played fan-favorite tech analyst Penelope Garcia throughout the show’s 20 seasons, addressed the news hours after it aired online.
“Social media is kind of like doing your own press conference, I guess. It happened. It gets canceled, but then it says it ends ‘for now,'” she said in an Instagram video with the cancellation report visible behind her.
“You know the part in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ where Charlie gets the chocolate and it’s a little bittersweet. He says, ‘Thank you so much for the chocolate. Look how long it’s been (20 seasons), this never happens,” she continued, reflecting on her mixed feelings about the news.
Responding to fans on Instagram, Vangsness revealed that she learned of the news just 90 minutes before it was made public.
The actress also made it clear in her video that she isn’t ready to say goodbye to the show just yet.
“But I love my job and my boss Erica Messer says there are so many more stories to tell. So if we can continue to tell them somewhere, that would be amazing. I know we all feel the same.”
“It’s all good. Aren’t we all in a cycle of death and rebirth? Yes, so maybe it goes somewhere else? What an adventure,” she added.
Hatanaka, who plays FBI agent Tyler Green, shared a group photo of the cast on Instagram, captioning it, “Just the best group of people,” alongside a heart emoji.
Tyler, who plays Dr. Tara Lewis, reposted Hatanaka’s photo, adding, “A family for life.” She then shared an article ranking the most streamed titles of 2026, placing “Criminal Minds” at 11th after the show racked up 13.15 billion minutes watched.
Cook, who has played Jennifer “JJ” Jareau since the show’s first season, also reposted Hatanaka’s photo, writing, “These people own my heart forever and ever,” alongside heart and broken heart emojis.
“Criminal Minds” debuted on CBS in September 2005, following FBI profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they investigated criminals by examining their psychology.
After finishing its initial run in early 2020, the franchise returned to Paramount+ in November 2022 as “Criminal Minds: Evolution.”
The franchise also spawned two short-lived spin-offs: “Criminal Minds: Suspicious Behavior,” starring Forest Whitaker, in 2011, and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” directed by Gary Sinise, which ran from 2016 to 2017.
The news comes after Brewster slammed ScreenRant critic Shealynn Scott earlier this year for her negative review of the series, accusing her of potentially endangering the jobs of 350 people and telling her to “do something better than what you’re doing now.”
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