‘Criminal Minds’: Six Main Cast Members Eyeing Returns for Paramount+ Revival

Most of the main Criminal Minds cast from its 15th and final season is expected to come back for the Paramount+ revival, including Joe Mantegna and Paget Brewster. However, Matthew Gray Gubler, one of the few actors to star in all 15 seasons of Criminal Minds, is not expected to be back. The casting news comes just a few days after Paramount+ executives assured fans they are still developing the revival.

The six cast members who are ready to return are Mantegna, Brewster, A.J. Cook, Adam Rodriguez, Kristen Vangsness, and Aisha Tyler, reports Deadline. Their deals have not been finalized, as the show’s lead producer, ABC Signature, is still in talks with showrunner Erica Messer. The two sides are “getting closer,” but are still not there. Once they do, the six actors are reportedly ready to sign. One deal that is reportedly done is the licensing agreement between Paramount+ and the two studios behind the show, ABC Signature and CBS Studios. Messer has an overall deal with ABC Signature.

Mantegna, Vangsness, Rodriguez, Cook, Tyler and Brewster are “in sync” and ready to sign once Messer has signed on, reports Deadline. They all starred in Cremains Minds Season 15, which aired on CBS back in 2020 and only ran 10 episodes, like the planned revival. The actors’ deals are reportedly multi-year, but they give them enough flexibility to work on other projects if they wish. Gubler isn’t interested in playing Spencer Reed again after doing so for 15 years, while Daniel Henney is busy working on The Wheel of Time. Henney is reportedly open to making guest appearances if his obligations to the Amazon Prime Video series allow.

News of the planned revival leaked in February 2021, and Paramount+ confirmed a few days later that the streamer is interested in bringing the show back. In July 2021, Brewster told fans on Twitter the project was “dead,” but Paramount+ Original Scripted Series President Nicole Clemens told reporters on Feb. 1 that Criminal Minds is “alive and well.” One of the reasons why Brewster believed the show was dead last year is that talks with the cast really did stall, only to be revived in Fall 2021. In December, ABC Signature started talks with Messer, and that is sill ongoing.

Criminal Minds debuted on CBS in September 2005 and originally ended in February 2020 with its 15th season. The show was a massive hit for CBS, although two spin-off attempts – Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders – didn’t work out. The original series continues to have a massive fanbase thanks to its availability on streaming platforms. The first 12 seasons are still on Netflix, while all 15 seasons are on Paramount+.