Criminal Minds came to an end on CBS after 15 seasons back in 2020, and just a year passed before news broke that a revival featuring members of the original cast was in the works for the rebranded Paramount+. Paget Brewster, who played Emily Prentiss off and on over the original run of Criminal Minds, was one of those attached to the developing revival, but now she has some bad news for fans who were counting on seeing the BAU back in action. Still, fans don't have to despair yet.
Paget Brewster took to Twitter to drop the news that disappointed a lot of fans, who replied to her tweet. In response to a fan asking for any news on the Criminal Minds revival, Brewster wrote:
No, and sadly, we think it's dead. I'll let you know if there is any progress but it seems unlikely. Which is a bummer.
In her post, Paget Brewster didn't clarify who all the "we" was regarding those who think that the Criminal Minds revival is dead, but it's possible that she's speaking on behalf of other members of the original cast who had been attached to reprise their roles. It's unlikely that Brewster is speaking in any official capacity for anybody at Paramount+ or CBS Studios, as TVLine reports a Paramount+ spokesperson stating that the project is "still very much in development." So there's hope, even if there is some conflict between Brewster's comment and Paramount+'s statement!
Paget Brewster's previous most recent big update on the developing revival came back in April, when she was decidedly more optimistic about the series returning, saying that cast members who weren't already signed on to other shows – which presumably would mean no Shemar Moore, who is busy over on S.W.A.T. – were negotiating for the revival, and even excited about what Criminal Minds could do on a streaming platform vs. CBS. That's a sentiment more or less echoed by David Boreanaz after the news that his SEAL Team would swap from CBS to Paramount+, so the sudden pessimism from Brewster comes as something of a surprise.
Previous reports about the Criminal Minds revival indicated that it would mix some returning characters with some newcomers, which sounds similar to what the CSI: Vegas series is going to do when it hits the airwaves on CBS in the fall. A revival could theoretically still happen without all the legacy members of the cast who had been expected, which could include Paget Brewster. The revival developing in a different direction than expected could explain the comment that it's "dead," although only time will tell on that front.
The earlier descriptions of the revival indicated that it would be far less procedural than the original series, with the agents pursuing one single case from the beginning of the season to the end. Criminal Minds had featured ongoing mysteries with particularly gruesome serial killers over the years, but not on a week-to-week-to-week basis. The plans for the revival suggested something far more serialized, somewhat like how Law & Order: Organized Crime was a departure from previous Law & Order series.
So, is the Criminal Minds revival truly dead, as Paget Brewster indicates, or should fans take heart from the Paramount+ statement that the project is still developing? Criminal Minds has performed strongly streaming, and the original run of the series didn't end so long ago that it has become irrelevant, so I would say that fans shouldn't 100% give up hope just yet. Still, for now, it's probably best to look ahead to the 2021 fall TV lineup for the shows that are confirmed to return to television and streaming.
