'Criminal Minds' Cast to Direct Handful of Season 14 Episodes

Criminal Minds returns for its fourteenth season in October and its cast will be more involved behind the camera than ever before, with the actors set to direct one-third of the season's upcoming episodes.

Series star A.J. Cook will make her directing debut, and co-stars Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, Aisha Tyler and Adam Rodriguez will also step into the director's chair for an episode.

The slot will mark Gubler's 12th time directing an episode, Mantegna's ninth, and the second outing for Tyler and Rodriguez.

"It's a huge family affair, for sure," showrunner Erica Messer told TVLine of the drama's upcoming season, which is set at 15 episodes.

That's down from previous season orders of around 22 episodes, though 15 episodes certainly provide enough time to tell a dramatic story.

"There's always a chance there's more," Messer said. "But at this point, we're going with the 15 order, and I'm planning for that in terms of storytelling."

In addition to the actors behind the lens, star Kirsten Vangsness will "most likely" team up with Messer to write an episode, which would be her fifth.

Season 13 ended on a cliffhanger when Reid (Gubler) discovered the mole inside the FBI who had been derailing the team's investigation was Special Agent Mary Meadows (Karen David), who Reid ended up holding at gunpoint. At the same time, it was revealed that Garcia (Vangsness) had been taken hostage by the cult Meadows was involved with, leaving Reid too late as Meadows issued him an ultimatum to help her cult or risk Garcia's death.

"They feel like two incredibly important pieces to our team, who won't be available if they're held captive. They won't be available to help us solve the case, which is crazy," Messer told TV Guide. "The challenges we're coming up with now are, 'Gosh, if we have two of our MVPs sitting on the sidelines here, what can we do? What clues do they possibly leave behind for us to help find where they're being held or how we help to solve this case without them?' It's one of the first times, I think, we've ever been without, truly, truly without the help of both of them."

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Messer hinted that both characters will come out of the showdown alive.

"There are many different ways to go, but, obviously, we want our wonderful heroes to be in the 300th episode," she said. "It would probably be a matter of our team trying to solve one of the biggest cases they've ever seen without two of the most important players on their team."

Criminal Minds returns on Wednesday, Oct. 3 on CBS with its 300th episode.

Photo Credit: CBS