Season 14 of Criminal Minds may have a reduced episode count (for now anyway), but that doesn't mean its cast will be working any less either in front of the camera or behind the scenes. In fact, some might be working more than they have in the past, with showrunner Erica Messer saying many from the show's cast are earning director credits in the upcoming season. Impressively enough, the cast's directorial contributions will account for one-third of Season 14's episode helmers.
Directing will be old hat and presumably a blast for some of the Criminal Minds cast. Stars like Matthew Gray Gubler and Joe Mantegna will direct their twelveth and ninth episodes, respectively. Aisha Tyler and Adam Rodriguez don't have quite as much experience as Gubler and Mantegna, and each will take directing on for a second time this season. Meanwhile, A.J. Cook will make her directing debut in Season 14, which showrunner Erica Messer told TVLine is a "huge family affair."
Other Criminal Minds cast members will also be getting in on behind-the-scenes work in other capacities, as Erica Messer confirmed star Kirsten Vangsness will more than likely write another episode in Season 14. Vangsness and Messer have co-written one episode a season ever since Season 10, and while the showrunner couldn't officially confirm that it will happen again in the new season, she would know better than most. Vangsness' name has not been listed in the writing credits for the first four episodes of the season, so if she does end up co-writing an episode, it will obviously be later in the season.
The slew of cast members pitching in to help out behind the scenes on Criminal Minds Season 14 is impressive, and it's possible everyone is going the extra mile in an attempt to get more episodes tacked onto the end of the season. It's definitely impressive that one-third of the upcoming episodes will be directed by various cast members, though fans might be even more impressed if the season gets the standard 20+ episode season, even if it means the cast's contribution statistic takes a bit of a hit. Erica Messer said Season 14 getting more than 15 episodes still isn't out of the question, but that she's only planning for 15 episodes in terms of the season's storytelling.
Criminal Minds will return to CBS for its Season 14 premiere, its 300th episode, on Wednesday, October 3, at 10:00 p.m. ET. For a breakdown of all the shows headed to television in the coming months, be sure to visit and bookmark our summer and fall premiere guides. For more on Criminal Minds, check out what Kirsten Vangsness thought of that crazy cliffhanger in Season 13.
