Criminal Minds is being revived for fledgling streaming service Paramount+, and several cast members have already been confirmed to return for the reboot. Criminal Minds ended after a highly successful 15-season run on CBS, with its series finale airing in 2020. Criminal Minds' hiatus was short-lived, however, as an announcement for a 10-episode revival series was released in February 2021.
Audiences have come to know and say goodbye to many key and favorite characters over 15 seasons of Criminal Minds. The question remaining then was who would return for Criminal Minds season 16. It has now been confirmed that six original Criminal Minds cast members are returning to the show. Alongside these six original cast members, Criminal Minds showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer will also be returning for the revival.
The six Criminal Minds cast members that are confirmed for the revival were a part of the last season of the show, meaning that it's likely Criminal Minds season 16 will pick up where the original series left off to some extent. Considerations will have to be made regarding the end of each character's arc, however, as some characters left the infamous BAU for personal and professional reasons. Regardless, these returning characters will provide the revival with a much-needed boost, after such a long period without any news. Here are the six original Criminal Minds cast members confirmed to be returning for the revival.
Joe Mantegna as David Rossi
Joe Mantegna has portrayed Senior Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi on Criminal Minds since season 3. During the original finale of Criminal Minds, Rossi was wrestling with the concept of his mortality after being shot by an UnSub near the end of season 15. He was also questioning whether or not to finally retire from the BAU but reversed his retirement plans because he realized how much the department meant to him. Rossi's return for Criminal Minds season 16 will be one of the easiest to explain, as it is canon that he was still leading the BAU team after the events of the series finale.
Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia
A main member of the Criminal Minds cast since season 1, Kirsten Vangsness' portrayal of Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds has proven to be the heart of the series. Garcia did decide to move on from the BAU at the end of Criminal Minds season 15, however, so her return in the revival will be slightly harder to explain than David Rossi's. Penelope left the BAU to take a job at a non-profit and protect her mental health. All ties with the BAU were not severed at the time, however, as she had just agreed to go on a date with former colleague Luke Alvez, so perhaps he will be the link that brings her back to the BAU.
Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez
Supervisory Special Agent Luke Alvez, as portrayed by Adam Rodriguez was introduced in season 12 to the Criminal Minds cast. He was originally introduced to the team to fill in the gap left by the departure of Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), and has since had plenty of intense character moments across the final three seasons of Criminal Minds, such as being kidnapped along with another colleague in season 15's fifth episode "Ghost." His romantic interest in Penelope Garcia and his continued work with the BAU after the original series finale will make it easy for his character to return for the revival.
A.J. Cook as Jennifer Jareau
A.J. Cook's Jennifer Jareau has perhaps undergone the most extensive character development of any of the characters on Criminal Minds. After several intense and haunting undercover assignments, starting a family with her husband, and three title changes, JJ's story in season 15 was no less impressive. She was recovering from being shot in season 15's premiere episode, trying to decide whether or not to take a job in New Orleans, as well as dealing with her unrequited feelings for colleague Spencer Reid. The original series finale, however, has Jareau confirming that she will stay at Quantico with the rest of the BAU, making her return for the revival just as straightforward as Rossi's and Alvez's.
Aisha Tyler as Tara Lewis
Aisha Tyler's character Dr. Tara Lewis will also be returning for the revival, after joining the BAU permanently from season 12 onwards. Her specialty as a forensic psychologist and research into serial killers could provide Criminals Minds' revival season with plenty of plot threads to be explored. Considering the series finale confirmed that she too would be staying on at the BAU alongside her other colleagues, Lewis' return for the reboot is a great and easy addition to the cast list.
Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss
As the current BAU Unit Chief on Criminal Minds, Paget Brewster's character Emily Prentiss is a must-have for the revival, and luckily, Brewster is confirmed to be returning to the Criminal Minds cast. Despite an abrupt hiatus from the show between season 7 and season 12, Emily Prentiss has had an impressive career trajectory and was able to keep her job as Unit Chief in the season 15 finale despite the mistakes that were made during the penultimate case concerning Everett Lynch. Prentiss was also shown to be house-hunting with new partner Andre Mendoza (Stephen Bishop), finally showcasing that Emily Prentiss was trying to balance her intense work life with her personal life. Due to her role as BAU Unit Chief, Paget Brewster will likely feature quite heavily in the Criminal Minds revival series.
Who Isn't Returning For The Criminal Minds Revival?
The most obvious absence when it comes to returning cast members is Matthew Gray Gubler, who portrayed Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds from the very beginning and was heavily involved with the show not just in front of the camera but behind it as well, having frequently directed episodes of Criminal Minds himself. Gubler has previously expressed that he was ready to move on from Criminal Minds after being a main character on the show for such a long period, but Dr. Reid's popularity has been paramount to Criminal Minds' success. Audiences will have to wait to find out whether Dr. Spencer Reid has decided to move on from the BAU forever, after a nearly fatal injury following an explosion at an UnSub's house.
Another notable absence from the Criminal Minds season 16 confirmed cast list is Daniel Henney, who played Supervisory Special Agent Matt Simmons since season 13 of Criminal Minds. Henney is now involved in Amazon's fantasy adaptation The Wheel of Time, which is currently in the process of filming season 2. Daniel Henney's return to Criminal Minds is likely dependent on his filming schedule or his contract with Amazon, but it is also possible that he simply wants to branch out from the Criminal Minds universe.
Criminal Minds' original run on TV consisted of a total of 324 episodes across 15 seasons and produced numerous spin-offs, including Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. The show's legacy is hard to ignore, but the spin-offs weren't as well received as the flagship show ever was (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior was canceled after one season and Beyond Borders was canceled after two seasons). Only time will tell whether the Criminal Minds reboot on Paramount+ will find the same success as the original show once did, but the six confirmed returning cast members are certain to give the revival show an additional boost of popularity.