“Criminal Minds: Evolution” is coming to an end after 20 seasons, but this abrupt ending apparently came as a surprise to the cast.
The long-running crime drama, which debuted on CBS in 2005 and moved to Paramount+ in 2022, will air its final episodes in 2027, the streaming service announced Friday.
The final season will bring back familiar faces Joe Mantegna, AJ Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, RJ Hatanaka, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster.
Vangsness, who played fan-favorite technical analyst Penelope Garcia throughout the show’s 20-season run, spoke to the news hours after the series hit the internet.
“I guess social media is kind of like having your own press conference. It happened. It gets canceled but then it says it’s over ‘for now’,” he said in an Instagram video with the cancellation report visible behind him.
“You know the part in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ where Charlie gets the chocolate and it’s kind of bittersweet. He said, ‘Thank you so much for the chocolate. Look how much time has passed.’ [20 seasons]This will never happen,’” he continued, reflecting on his mixed feelings about the news.
Responding to fans on Instagram, Vangsness revealed that she learned of the news just 90 minutes before it was made public.
The actor also made it clear in his video that he is not yet ready to say goodbye to the series.
“But I love my job, and my boss, Erica Messer, says there are so many more stories to tell. So it would be great if we could keep telling them in one place. I know we all feel the same way.”
“It’s all good. Aren’t we all in a cycle of death and rebirth? Yeah, maybe this could go somewhere else? What an adventure,” he added.
Hatanaka, who plays FBI agent Tyler Green, shared a group photo of the cast on Instagram, captioning the photo: “Best group of people” and adding a heart emoji.
Dr. Tyler, who plays Tara Lewis, reposted Hatanaka’s photo and added, “Family for life.” He later shared an article ranking the most streamed shows of 2026, placing “Criminal Minds” at No. 11 after the series was watched for 13.15 billion minutes.
Cook, who has played Jennifer “JJ” Jareau since the show’s first season, reposted Hatanaka’s photo with the caption, “These people own my heart forever and always,” alongside heart and broken heart emojis.
“Criminal Minds” premiered on CBS in September 2005, following FBI profilers in the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they investigate criminals by examining their psychology.
After ending its original run in early 2020, the series returned to Paramount+ in November 2022 as “Criminal Minds: Evolution.”
The series also spawned two short-lived spinoffs: “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” in 2011, starring Forest Whitaker, and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” which ran from 2016 to 2017, led by Gary Sinise.
The news comes after Brewster criticized ScreenRant critic Shealynn Scott for her negative review of the series earlier this year, accusing her of potentially putting 350 people’s jobs at risk and telling her to “do something better than what you’re doing right now.”