Criminal Minds: Evolution is on Paramount+
Criminal Minds has been a mainstay on television screens since 2005 – so popular that when CBS canceled the show in 2020 the outrage saw it return two years later, now known as Criminal Minds: Evolution.
The series follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) to investigate crimes and find the unsub (unknown subject) of various cases across the United States.
There have been some major cast and character changes over the years, so let’s take a look back at the OG cast members, still beloved by fans now, and those who remain on screen solving the toughest cases imaginable….
1
Mandy Patinkin as Jason Gideon, season one – two
Homeland star Mandy was the lead in Criminal Minds for two seasons as FBI Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon, known as one of the FBI’s most profilers ever.
However Jason begins to feel burnt out, and when his girlfriend Sarah is murdered by serial killer Frank Breitkopf, the guilt begins to take over and Jason makes the decision to leave the unit. His final episode as a member of the unit saw him retreat to his cabin, where he writes a letter to colleague Dr Spencer Reid, leaving the envelope alongside his gun and FBI badge.
Jason was later killed off-screen in season by a suspect he had tracked down from one of his first cases.
Mandy’s decision to leave the show after two years in 2007 came as an abrupt surprise to fans and the show’s creators.
It took several years for Mandy to share his story, telling New York Magazine that the show “was very destructive” for his soul and personality. “The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do Criminal Minds in the first place,” the 71-year-old said.
“I thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year.”
2
Thomas Gibson as Aaron Hotchner, season one – 12
A former prosecutor, Hotch is the FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Chief of the BAU, in charge of the agents and the cases they handle. A stoic and often unemotional man, he is unable to balance work demands and his home life, and his wife divorced him in season three.
He gains custody of his son in season five, but left the BAU in season 2 with it later revealed he entered witness protection after his son is stalked by a serial killer.
However, the real reason Hotch was written out was due to on-set behavior by Thomas.
In 2010 the now-62-year-old was accused of pushing the assistant director on set and allowed to continue working on the show once he completed anger management classes. Yet, in 2016 during season 12, he was fired when he kicked a co-executive producer in the shin during a heated argument.
“There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement. I regret that it occurred,” Thomas said in a statement. “We all want to work together as a team to make the best show possible. We always have and we always will.”
“Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from Criminal Minds,” the two studios said in a joint statement. “Creative details for how the character’s exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date.”
3
Lola Glaudini as Elle Greenaway, season one – two
Elle was the BAU’s expert in sexual offense crimes but was shot at the end of season one and in season two it is revealed that although she is suffering from emotional trauma, she made the decision to return to work early.
However, in the middle of season two during a stake out, Elle murders a suspect in cold blood, and fixes the scene to look like a suicide.
Jason and Aaron both doubt the story, and she turns in her badge and gun to the pair, leaving the unit for good.
4
Shemar Moore as Derek Morgan, season one – 11
Shemar’s Derek Morgan is one of the show’s most popular characters, a confident and assured man who was a police officer in Chicago before applying for the FBI and BAU.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Derek has a close friendship with Spencer, whom he often considers his little brother, and even asking Spencer to be his son’s godfather.
Derek also has an intimate, but platonic, relationship with technical analyst Penelope Garcia. Their banter has often had fans calling on showrunners to turn their friendship into romance, but it never did .
Shemar, 54, left the series on good terms, having decided that after 11 years it was time for him to move on. The writers decided to have Derek leave BAU after his pregnant wife Savannah was shot, and he makes the call to say goodbye to the team, not wanting to ever put his family through the trauma again.
Shemar went on to star in S.W.A.T, also on CBS.
5
Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid, season one – 15
The baby of the BAU, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Dr Spencer Reid is a genius who graduated high school at the age of 12 and holds two bachelor’s degrees and three PHDs.
Canonically autistic, Spencer has an eidetic memory, and although his colleagues quip about his abilities, he is a respected member of their team.
Matthew, 44, has played Spencer since the beginning, and when the show ended in 2020 he was seen recovering in hospital after a fall. He made the decision not to return for the rebooted new seasons, a decision which devastated fans and his co-stars.
“It was actually really, really difficult for me, when I found out he wasn’t gonna be able to come back. I considered not [returning[,” AJ Cook, 45, told Buzzfeed.
“I kind of struggled with that at first. But when we started seeing the scripts, it’s just such a strong storyline that it made me feel a lot better when I saw where it was all going. But yeah, he’s so great and I definitely miss him. Hopefully, we will see him again soon. We’re definitely setting some things up.”