Who takes over when Hotch leaves?
Hotch is the team leader from the first episode until his exit from the show in season 12, except for a temporary period where Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) takes over. Prentiss becomes the Unit Chief after Hotch, though she is briefly replaced by Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook).
She unofficially rejoined in Season Twelve to assist the manhunts of several escaped serial killers, then officially took up the Unit Chief position after Hotch resigned due to his son being stalked by one of the BAU's targets.
After that, I didn't think I would get to work in television again." Immediately after Gideon's departure, Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) is appointed unit chief.
In the episode "I Love You, Tommy Brown" (season 7), Kevin proposes to Penelope, but she turns him down, saying that "things are going too fast", and ultimately the couple break up. Mateo Cruz (Esai Morales; Seasons 9–10) takes over from the late Erin Strauss as the new BAU section chief in season 9.
Opening up to Deadline (opens in new tab), the show's executive producer Erica Messer said that schedule-wise it was very difficult for Matthew to come back as Spencer Reid in Criminal Minds: Evolution. “He's been doing other projects and a lot of those were lining up during our window.
After leading the team for over a decade, Hotch is phased out of the series entirely at the beginning of season 12. While Thomas Gibson's last Criminal Minds episode was season 12, episode 2, Aaron Hotchner wasn't officially written out until episode 6 of the same season.
Although Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) and Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) never got together on Criminal Minds, executive producer Erica Messer planned their final scene for fans who always hoped they would.
In the season seven finale, Prentiss receives an offer to run Interpol's London office. While still pondering her decision on the offer, Prentiss decides to leave the BAU.
Alex Blake replaces SSA Emily Prentiss. She is introduced in season eight. Her appointment at the BAU was met with some mixed reactions as the team was close to Prentiss.
Hotchner personally requests Prentiss as his successor, and she accepts the position despite her doubt over her ability to handle it. He makes one final appearance in the series finale during a flashback to season 1.
Why was JJ removed from Criminal Minds?
Jareau was written out of the show after Cook was let go at the beginning of season six, for financial reasons relating to the premiere of the spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.
SES Mateo "Matt" Cruz is the new BAU Section Chief, the direct superior to SSA Aaron Hotchner, and later SSA Emily Prentiss. He is the replacement of deceased Section Chief Erin Strauss and a recurring character on Criminal Minds.

Of course the most prolific killer of the entire series had to make the list. Frank Breitkopf killed more than 175 people. He was never actually caught by the BAU, choosing to kill himself and the love of his life by jumping in front of oncoming train instead of letting Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) take him in.
- 8/13 8. Jason Gideon.
- 7/13 7. Luke Alvez.
- 6/13 6. Emily Prentiss.
- 5/13 5. Aaron Hotchner.
- 4/13 4. Penelope Garcia.
- 3/13 3. Jennifer Jareau.
- 2/13 2. Spencer Reid.
- 1/13 1. David Rossi.
Foyet is also the first villain to escape the BAU more than once, after he tortured Hotchner and left him at the hospital in the season five episode "Nameless, Faceless" after shooting him in the season four finale.
On the series finale of “Criminal Minds,” which aired between 2005 and 2020 on CBS, the lead characters celebrated the departure of Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), who left the Behavioral Analysis Unit to explore less-murderous pastures.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Jackson County judge sentenced former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid to three years in prison Tuesday. Reid pleaded guilty in September to driving while intoxicated and seriously injuring then-5-year-old Ariel Young.
When Hotch and JJ told the team they'd faked Prentiss's death in "Proof", Reid became very upset with JJ. He told her he felt betrayed because he "came to her house for ten weeks, crying" and she didn't say anything. He also mentions that he considered taking Dilaudid again after Prentiss "died".
In "Elliott's Pond", it is revealed that Jack was being actively stalked by an unsub that his father captured but later escaped from prison. As a result, both him and Hotch had to go into witness protection, and Hotch officially resigned from his position in the BAU, not wanting to further endanger his son.
In August 2016, Thomas Gibson was involved in an on-set altercation with Virgil Williams, a writer-producer of Criminal Minds, while Gibson was directing an episode of the show. He apparently kicked Williams and was initially suspended for two episodes.
Does Hotch return season 15?
Thomas Gibson, who played Aaron Hotchner, would not be returning for the final season. Messer revealed that Shemar Moore, who played Derek Morgan, would also not be returning for the final season.
Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin of 'He & She' Have One of the Longest Marriages In Hollywood. This is what true love looks like.
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Lilliana Reid.
Main Character | |
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First Appearance | The Fisher King, part 1 |
Dr. Savannah Hayes is the girlfriend (and eventual wife) of former SSA Derek Morgan and a recurring character on Criminal Minds.
Outside the house, John says to Emily, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, in Italy," implying that he was the father of the child she aborted when they were teenagers.
While financial reasons were the biggest factor in the decision to not pick up Cook's contract, some speculated that she had chosen to leave for the standard "creative differences" that are often cited when an actor and show part ways. Others viewed her dismissal alongside Brewster's reduction as a sexist decision.
The actress, who is reprising her role as Emily Prentiss on Paramount+'s Criminal Minds revival, actually let her natural hair grow out many years ago, revealing in 2018 that she actually wore a wig when playing the FBI agent in later seasons.
After being refused the provision to audition for a pilot season, and with the final year up on her contract, Brewster decided to quit Criminal Minds with the Season 7 finale. Onscreen, Prentiss was offered a position with Interpol in London, making her departure from the BAU official.
Jordan Todd is a recurring character who appeared briefly in Season Four of Criminal Minds as a temporary replacement for Jennifer Jareau.
Erica Messer wants to set the record straight: JJ and Cruz are not having an affair on Criminal Minds. "I'll say it again: They did not and are not having an affair," the showrunner tells TVGuide.com.
Why did Morgan leave BAU?
On the procedural, Derek Morgan left the BAU for the same reason Moore left the show, to care for his family.
Thomas Gibson is Fired
After Mandy Patinkin's departure, Gideon was replaced as the BAU's team leader by Thomas Gibson's character Aaron Hotchner. Gibson's stoic presence on camera was not mirrored by his real-life interactions with the production team. On two occasions, the actor even became violent.
Likewise, we learn a great deal about JJ over the years, especially her relationship with Will LaMontagne (Josh Stewart), whom she meets in Season 2 and eventually marries. The couple seems to have an idyllic relationship, with Will even offering to retire from law enforcement and become a stay-at-home dad.
NIKKI and Brie Bella's brother JJ and his wife Lauren Garcia have divorced as the former couple has asked for "privacy and respect." Lauren, 34, announced her separation from JJ, 35, on Instagram.
More Stories By Nellie. EXCLUSIVE: JJ fans can rejoice. After a week of negotiations, A.J. Cook just closed a two-year deal to return to CBS' drama Criminal Minds as a regular. She will guest star in the series' sixth season finale on May 18 before re-joining the show full-time in the fall.
- 5/10 David Rossi Had Decades Of Experience.
- 4/10 Spencer Reid's Intelligence Was Invaluable.
- 3/10 Emily Prentiss Was Not Underestimated For Long.
- 2/10 Jason Gideon Left Too Soon.
- 1/10 Aaron Hotchner Led The Team From The First Season.
Being the BAU chief not only called for his expertise as a profiler, but also his ability to deal with paperwork and bureaucracy, and at his age, Rossi was not interested in doing any of that.
She turns in her badge and gun, saying she is not admitting guilt; she then says that she would not have done anything differently if she could go back to that night. Greenaway leaves the FBI, facing no legal consequences for the shooting, and is eventually replaced by Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster).
Type of Villain
Frank Breitkopf is a psychopathic serial killer and a major antagonist in the crime-drama TV series Criminal Minds.
Hotchner reveals in the first season that Gideon insists on introducing him as Dr. Reid because Gideon fears that, because of his age, Reid will not be taken seriously as an FBI agent.
Who is the most liked character in Criminal Minds?
Penelope Garcia was without a doubt the heart and soul of Criminal Minds for fifteen seasons.
The FBI establishes the Behavioral Science Unit. The agents Patrick Mullany and Howard Teten form the unit, which was originally made of 10 agents, in response to the rising wave of sexual assault and homicide during the early 1970s.
Spencer Reid, the smartest person in the BAU, has always been one of Criminal Minds' most adored characters. But fans don't know everything about him.
She first appeared in the pilot episode of Criminal Minds, "Extreme Aggressor." She divorced Hotch and took Jack with her during the third season and continued appearing throughout the series, until her death at the hands of George Foyet in the Season Five episode of the series, "100".
Serial killer Peter Lewis, better known as Mr. Scratch (Bodhi Elfman), started stalking Hotch's son Jack. The Criminal Minds villain first appeared in season 10 and remained at large as of season 12. The assignment cover was to hide the stalking investigation.
Hotch's Wife Is Killed In Criminal Minds Season 5 By The Reaper.
In January, CBS announced the show would be concluding with season 15. It's a wrap on Criminal Minds for Joe Mantegna. The actor, 71, revealed on Twitter Monday that he filmed his final scene as FBI special agent David Rossi after 12 years on the CBS series.
In "Elliott's Pond", it is revealed that Jack was being actively stalked by an unsub that his father captured but later escaped from prison. As a result, both him and Hotch had to go into witness protection, and Hotch officially resigned from his position in the BAU, not wanting to further endanger his son.
Plenty of actors departed Criminal Minds in its 15-season run, but Gibson's leave sparked the most controversy. Hotch was written off the CBS procedural because Gibson was fired following reports of an altercation on set.
Why did Penelope leave the BAU?
DEADLINE: Why did Penelope, played by Kirsten Vangsness, originally leave the unit? MESSER: She left in the finale on CBS. The last scene was her turning the lights out in the high-tech room, leaving the team. She decided to leave because she felt like there was other good in the world that she could be doing.
One person who did end up leaving the BAU in the Criminal Minds finale was Penelope Garcia. After years of struggling with the dark and sad nature of many cases, Penelope finally decided to find another job. She said she received around 100 offers but chose to go work for a non-profit.
Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid | |
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Criminal Minds character | |
Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid | |
First appearance | "Extreme Aggressor" 1x01, September 22, 2005 |
Last appearance | "And in the End" 15x10, February 19, 2020 |
'Criminal Minds' on Paramount+
As Deadline announced in early February, Matthew isn't slated to make a grand return, leaving Spencer in the dust ... for now. That said, just because he isn't in the first two episodes, it doesn't mean his presence won't be felt in the reboot.
Morgan specialized in explosives, fixations, and obsessive behaviors. He officially resigned from the BAU in Season Eleven in order to be with his new family. His position was taken over by Luke Alvez in Season Twelve.
Hotch empties a clip into the hidden figure, who turns out to be Foyet wearing a bulletproof vest. Foyet falls to the floor and the two men engage in a brutal hand-to-hand fight. Hotch beats Foyet to death, even after Foyet surrenders.
Unlike some other shocking Criminal Minds character exits, there was no behind-the-scenes drama involved with why Morgan left Criminal Minds, with the actor simply deciding that after eleven seasons it was time to leave. He felt he'd explored every facet of Morgan as a character, and he wanted to pursue other projects.
Gibson's sudden exit from Criminal Minds didn't offer fans much closure. His character, Hotch, joined the Witness Protection Program to protect himself and his son from a serial killer known as Mr. Scratch.
Why Did He Leave the Long-Running Series? After his pregnant wife was shot on a former episode, though she and their baby survive, Agent Morgan saw the need to leave to take care of his family. On the procedural, Moore left the show for the same reason Morgan did, to care for his family.