‘Criminal Minds’: Paget Brewster Reacts to Paramount+ Revival Becoming Official

Criminal Minds is officially coming back. Paramount+ has given the series a formal revival order with many original cast members expected to return. One of those familiar faces who will be returning is Paget Brewster, who played Emily Prentiss. On Twitter, Brewster expressed her excitement over the revival by sharing a throwback photo of the Criminal Minds cast.

Brewster shared a screenshot that featured the cast — herself, Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook, and Aisha Tyler — from earlier seasons. Alongside the image, Brewster wrote, “Guys! I think this is finally for real happening!” She then addressed the photo by writing that they look “younger” and “confused,” but that “great things come with age.” The actor ended her post by sharing a link to a write-up about the revival and added, “IT LIVES!”

All of the cast members referred to in Brewster’s post are set to return for the Criminal Minds revival. However, original cast member Matthew Gray Gubler, who played Spencer Reid, and Daniel Henney, who played Matt Simmons, will not be a part of the revival series. Deadline reported that the returning cast members agreements are multi-year and not fully exclusive, meaning that they are able to work on other shows on a recurring or series regular basis. A premiere date for the show’s return, which will consist of 10 episodes, has not yet been revealed. 

In February 2021, it was reported that Paramount+ was interested in reviving Criminal Minds. The series ran for 15 seasons on CBS, with its final episode airing in February 2020. However, Brewster herself later expressed that they thought that the revival was “dead” and not moving forward. Yet, Nicole Clemens, President of Paramount+ Original Scripted Series, said in February of 2022 that Criminal Minds was “alive and well” and would be coming to the streaming service. 

“For 15 seasons, Criminal Minds was at the forefront of cutting-edge scripted drama as it explored the psychology behind crime – thrillingly,” Clemens said in a statement Thursday. “The series never stopped evolving during its run, and we are beyond excited to bring it back into a new era with new stories for a new generation of viewers at Paramount+. Erica, the whole cast and creative team are building a season full of new twists that we are sure will electrify audiences.”