Criminal Minds Producer Reveals Why They Brought Back Shemar Moore For The Finale

05/12/2017 10:53 am EDT

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE SEASON 12 FINALE OF CRIMINAL MINDS! ONLY LOOK IF YOU WANT TO KNOW!

After being gone for so long, Derek Morgan finally returned home. The fan-favorite character, played by Shemar Moore, appeared in the season 12 finale of Criminal Minds on Wednesday night.

While it was nice to see Morgan back with the team, it's not something to get used to. This appearance was a one-time thing.

During an interview with EW, Executive Producer Erica Messer revealed why they chose to bring Moore back for this specific episode.

"Shemar's appearance was a sort of a dual purpose," she said. "Fans have been missing him, obviously. And we had such a big story line with Dr. Reid all year that would have been great to have him a part of. "

Many fans were hoping to see Derek Morgan once more, as the other characters were involved in a devastating car accident at the season's end. Audiences were waiting to see Morgan come to the rescue, but that was never the plan.

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"He got cast in this S.W.A.T. pilot, and we knew if it went to series – and all signs point to yes – we would never to get to use him again. So it felt like now or never."

Derek Morgan won't be back, but the rest of the team is in a bind heading into season 13. No one knows if Mr. Scratch was the cause of the accident, of if there will be any survivors.

"We haven't done a cliffhanger in so long," admits Messer. "We had so many curve balls in season 12, this seemed very fitting because it's something you don't see coming."

Criminal Minds was already renewed for a 13th season, which is set to debut in the fall, and take the series to a whopping 299 episodes.

[H/T CBS]

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