Criminal minds ends its run (for now) on two incarnations on two platforms. The upcoming 20th season of Criminal Minds: Evolution will be the last in the series on Paramount+.
I heard the decision was made recently, making it the first official cancellation from Paramount+’s new management team under Skydance Direct to Consumer Co-President and Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys. According to sources, this call was made on the recommendation of the previous Paramount+ regime, which in March had given Criminal Minds: Evolution an early renewal of season 20 before the start of season 19.
The series continues to do well and is currently in the Top 10 on Paramount+. The decision may therefore be linked to how performance is measured in relation to cost or to the nature of Criminal Minds: Evolution as a streaming-style series. This is the last of its kind on Paramount+ following previous Paramount+ continuations of hit shows on the network, including SEAL Team, Frasier And NCIS: Tony and Ziva.
Former Paramount+ head of original products Jane Wiseman, who left last week following the merger, said in August that she and her team were “big fans” of Criminal Minds: Evolution and that she was open to more series in that mold. The streamer obviously has a full list of broadcast series from CBS that it receives the next day.
Skydance’s new sibling, HBO Max, has established a template for series like The Pitt which borrows the larger broadcast controls (15 episodes per season), procedural elements and annual cadence, but retains the premium in content streaming.
Season 20 of Criminal Minds: Evolutionpremiering in 2027, wrapped production earlier this fall, so it won’t give fans a proper ending. Long lasting Criminal minds Executive producer/showrunner Erica Messer said the cancellation decision was sudden and likely unexpected.
“It is difficult to put into words what Criminal minds has meant to all of us who have been fortunate enough to be part of this extraordinary journey, first on CBS for 15 seasons, then on Paramount+ for five,” she said. “As I suddenly come to the end of this chapter, I am filled with gratitude for our remarkable cast, writers, directors and crew who have poured their hearts into this series, and for the incredible fans around the world whose unwavering loyalty has kept Criminal minds it lasts two decades. We can’t wait to share Season 20 with everyone and celebrate the legacy of this special show that we all built together.
Criminal minds cheated death once with Evolution on Paramount+ following the cancellation of the original series by CBS.
Even though its combined run remains at 20 seasons, the series is still tied for fifth longest-running drama series behind Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order, NCIS And Grey’s Anatomy. Remarkably, all of the top 4 are still on the air.
Criminal Minds: Evolution stars Joe Mantegna, AJ Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler and RJ Hatanaka, with Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster.
Messer serves as executive producer with Breen Frazier, Chris Barbour, Glenn Kershaw, Stacey Hardt and Mark Gordon also executive producing. The series is produced by 20th Television and CBS Studios.
Check out the behind-the-scenes and first photos from season 20 above and below:
From left: Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness and Paget Brewster in season 20 of “Criminal Minds: Evolution”
Michael Becker/Paramount+
AJ Cook, left, and Adam Rodriguez in season 20 of “Criminal Minds: Evolution”
Michael Becker/Paramount+
From left to right: Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, Aisha Tyler, AJ Cook and Adam Rodriguez in season 20 of “Criminal Minds: Evolution”
Michael Becker/Paramount+
From left: Kirsten Vangsness, Joe Mantegna, AJ Cook, RJ Hatanaka, Adam Rodriguez, Aisha Tyler and Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss in Season 20 of ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’
Michael Becker/Paramount+
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