'Criminal Minds' Officially Cancelled After 20 Seasons

For a while now, Criminal Minds has almost felt as if it would run indefinitely. Originally created by Jeff Davis for CBS, the series grew into an overwhelming success among audiences, following the elite FBI profilers of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in their hunt for twisted serial killers by examining their behavior and retracing their steps. With its darker approach to crime and exploration of how pursuing dangerous unsubs and digging into their handiwork affects each member’s personal lives, it became a standout on television against other procedurals like Law & Order and NCIS. The series even cheated death once, moving to Paramount+ after 15 seasons and finding an even greater following there under the name Criminal Minds: Evolution. After over two decades across two separate names, though, the BAU is finally being shuttered.

Criminal Minds will end with its upcoming 20th season on Paramount+, its fifth under the Evolution title. The news comes as a slight shock, considering how popular the series still is on streaming and that Season 20 was ordered even before Season 19 aired. Per Deadline, the decision to end one of the longest-running procedural crime thrillers on television was made rather recently under the new leadership team run by Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer for Skydance Direct to Consumer Casey Bloys. However, Paramount+‘s previous team had reportedly already recommended the series be brought to a close. Either way, it’s the end of an era on television that began in 2005.

More factors may have been at play against the series than just performance. Paramount has moved away from most of its network television continuations lately. All of SEAL Team, Frasier, and NCIS: Tony & Ziva were cancelled in recent years, leaving Criminal Minds as the lone remnant left standing. It’s hard not to look at the recent merger with Warner Bros., however, and wonder how that, along with the personnel changes, ultimately affected its fate. Jane Wiseman, the former head of original at the platform, said back in August that she and her team were fans of the series, so if anything, it was in excellent standing with the old regime. Further driving home how sudden it was, Season 20 had already finished filming ahead of its arrival in 2027, meaning the next finale was not crafted as a potential goodbye for the BAU.

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What to Expect From ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 20

• Image via Paramount

• Image via Paramount+

• Image via Paramount

• Image via Paramount+

Image via Paramount

Image via Paramount+

Image via Paramount

Image via Paramount+

Season 19 of Criminal Minds ended on a note of finality for the former Sicarius killer, Elias Voit (Zach Gilford). Voit had been a key part of Evolution since it premiered, going from an overarching threat leading an army of killers to a broken man wracked with guilt when he finally forms a conscience. With the emergence of The Fan, an unsub inspired by his deeds, he helps the BAU understand his behavior and, ultimately, takes the fall after his daughter (Allison Nordahl) stabs the murderer to death to save him. Now, the team is about to move on to a new case without the shadow of Sicarius haunting them.

Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, RJ Hatanaka, Adam Rodriguez, and Paget Brewster all star in the series heading into its now-final season. Erica Messer will also be back as showrunner and executive producer. In a statement about the cancellation, she indicated at how sudden the move was for everyone involved and thanked the fans and everyone involved in helping keep the BAU’s office running for so long.

“It’s hard 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 and then on Paramount+ for five. While suddenly navigating the end of this chapter, I’m filled with gratitude for our remarkable cast, writers, directors and crew who have poured their hearts into this show, and for the incredible fans around the world whose unwavering loyalty has kept Criminal Minds going for two decades. We’re looking forward to sharing Season 20 with everyone, and celebrating the legacy of this special show we’ve all built together.”

“It’s hard 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 and then on Paramount+ for five. While suddenly navigating the end of this chapter, I’m filled with gratitude for our remarkable cast, writers, directors and crew who have poured their hearts into this show, and for the incredible fans around the world whose unwavering loyalty has kept Criminal Minds going for two decades. We’re looking forward to sharing Season 20 with everyone, and celebrating the legacy of this special show we’ve all built together.”

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 20 arrives sometime in 2027 on Paramount+. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the series’ final chapter.

Criminal Minds