CBS' long-running procedural dramas are some of the best places on TV for "will they? / won't they?" romantic entanglements, because those relationships can keep fans looped in for literally longer than many other series' entire runs. For instance, some Criminal Minds viewers have been waiting to see Matthew Grey Gubler's Spencer Reid lovingly hook up with A.J. Cook's Jennifer "J.J." Jareau since Season 1. Intriguingly, the Season 14 finale seemed to imply that something might happen in the final batch of episodes.
The Criminal Minds cast has been largely quiet so far about what fans can expect to see in the fifteenth and final season fo the CBS crime drama. Now that the episodes are all filmed and the stars know what's coming, though, the promotional campaign is starting to move forward. And both A.J. Cook and Matthew Grey Gubler are confirming that something is coming with J.J. and Reid's arc.
Cook: Well, I can tell you we will find out what happens now that [J.J.] has expressed her true feelings for Dr. Reid. Gubler: Don't you mean 'Jeid?' That's what the internet is calling us.
Given J.J.'s pressure-provoked admission to Reid at Rossi's wedding, and the lingering nature of how things ended, it's easy to assume that the final season would automatically give fans a quick and magically satisfying resolution. But let's not forget that there are some obstacles in the way that will need to get addressed in the final season.
For one, J.J. is married, and Will was at Rossi and Krystall's wedding. Awkward on all fronts and backs. So something would need to happen in order for that marriage to get halved with severity, and in a way that wouldn't leave J.J. with diminished emotions in the aftermath. Not the smoothest and easiest storyline to bring into things.
As well, Criminal Minds is bringing in Rachael Leigh Cook to play Max, the new love interest of one Spencer Reid. How that relationship starts up is anyone's guess for now, but the fact that it exists obviously stands in the way of J.J. and Reid enjoying a bliss-filled future together. Maybe Max and Will end up falling in love and running away together, leaving the other two potential lovebirds to spark things up in earnest.
Matthew Grey Gubler's bemused response above shouldn't escape anyone, either. He's deflecting more than answering anything or commenting on the new season, which likely means something fan-positive is going to happen. At least that's what the optimist in me thinks. (The pessimist assumes all the characters die in the premiere.)
Criminal Minds: Why Each Of The Major Cast Members Left
Criminal Minds is set to cap things off with a ten-episode Season 15, starting off with a two-part premiere. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time for showrunner Erica Messer and her creative team to wrap up the show's loose ends while also dealing with the final big bad Unsub, who goes by Chameleon (Michael Mosely). Fans are no doubt hoping to see some familiar faces return, too, like a certain star of S.W.A.T., Shemar Moore.
CBS has yet to lock down an exact premiere date for Criminal Minds, because it isn't airing until the midseason entries start up in 2020. But you can catch Shemar Moore's S.W.A.T. taking over Criminal Minds' former slot on Wednesday nights. Stay tuned for all the news that'll surely start coming out about the final season in the coming months.
