'Criminal Minds' Revival in the Works at Paramount+ After 15-Season Run

Just one year after the Criminal Minds series finale, the procedural show is making a comeback. Paramount+ is reportedly considering a revival of the show, which ran for 15 seasons on CBS. ViacomCBS confirmed the news at its streaming event this week, announcing it's working to expand the Criminal Minds franchise over the course of a two-year plan. However, the reboot will look a little different to die-hard fans; the new series will be serialized, with the Behavioral Analysis Unit focusing on a single case over the course of 10 episodes.

The original series focused on the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit members, who analyze a suspect's behavior to help local law enforcement solve crimes. Like many long-running crime dramas, Criminal Minds had a rotating cast, with only Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, and Kristen Vangsness appearing in all 15 seasons.

Longtime Criminal Minds showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer is reportedly involved in the revival, reports Variety. The cast for the new series could be a mix of familiar faces with new characters, similar to what CBS is looking to do with its CSI revival. That project will bring back William Petersen and Jorja Fox to join a new crime scene investigators in Las Vegas.

Criminal Minds launched on CBS in September 2005 and finished with its series finale in February 2020. Jeff Davis created the show. While the main show was a ratings hit for most of its run, the show struggled to inspire hit spin-offs, unlike other CBS crime franchises like NCIS and CSI. Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders were both short-lived shows.

The show's cast in the final season featured Gubler, Cook, Aisha Tyler, Daniel Henney, Adam Rodriguez, Joe Mantegna and Paget Brewster. Other stars who appeared on the show include Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini, Shemar Moore, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Criminal Minds was famous for its sometimes shocking murders, testing the limits of a typical network crime drama. It also featured surprising guest turns from actors looking to play evil characters.

CBS All Access will be rebranded as Paramount+ on March 4. The streaming platform features shows from CBS, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, and movies from the Paramount library. It will also be home to a revival of The Real World, a possible Frasier revival, and an iCarly revival. A Yellowstone prequel series, Y: 1883, was also announced. You can subscribe to Paramount+ with a free trial here.

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