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Is Criminal Minds coming back in 2022?

Criminal Minds vs. Criminal Minds: Evolution

Criminal Minds is not coming back in 2022, as it was cancelled without explanation as to why following its fifteenth and final season, which left room for speculation. 

The world of television is changing, and rapidly. CBS, which is a network that has numerous long-running shows on its roster, began to transition and ended some of its popular long-running shows towards the end of the 2010s.

This was a result of the network undergoing some internal changes. One of the shows to have gotten cancelled is the procedural crime drama series, Criminal Minds after 15 seasons and over 323 episodes.

Though it was initially meant to conclude with season 14, it received a 10-episode final season to properly conclude the series.

When was Criminal Minds cancelled?

CBS initially announced the end of Criminal Minds in January 2019. At the time, the network had indicated that the then upcoming fourteenth season would be the final season, and asked viewers to give the creators of the show time to work on the conclusive series finale.

However, after a 22-episode season, CBS confirmed a 10-episode season fifteen which would be the series final and would conclusively resolve all the major storylines and character arcs of the series. The fifteenth season then concluded in February 2020.

Is Criminal Minds coming back in 2022?

Criminal Minds is not coming back in 2022 with a new season of the popular procedural drama series. This is as the series was cancelled after 15 seasons in February 2020.

Moreover, following its cancellation, there has been no news on whether there are other networks or platforms like Hulu or Netflix that have picked it up to work on reviving the series.

While the show has been off air since 2020, there has been no clarity on why the series was cancelled in the first place.

The lack of reasoning behind the cancellation has only left room for speculation, as insiders and speculators look at the past scandals and drama the series has faced in the 16 years of its run to pinpoint why it was finally cancelled.

However, to date, neither CBS nor the show creators have confirmed any of the speculated reasons for the show’s end.

Ratings drop for latest Criminal Minds’ seasons

A major contributing factor to any television series getting cancelled is the numbers the show brings in for the network, or lack thereof.

The larger the viewership numbers and how consistent they are, especially for long-running shows like Criminal Minds, the more assured their continued run is guaranteed.

However, should there be a big drop in viewership numbers or too quick a drop in numbers, the greater the chances of a show being cancelled. Criminal Minds at its best made it as the eleventh most watched show on television.

By the end of its run, it was drawing viewership numbers of 8,22 million, just shy of the top 40 most watched shows on television.

The continual changing faces of Criminal Minds

Losing beloved characters which have been part of a long-standing show like Criminal Minds is not new to television dramas that have been there as long as the procedural crime drama has been on air for.

However, besides the amicable departure of actors like Shemar Moore, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Damon Gupton, and Rachel Nichols, there were also disgraceful exits. Like that of original lead, Thomas Gibson as Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner, who was fired in 2016.

Moreover, the firing of Paget Brewster and A.J. Cook, who were allegedly replaced by younger actors, only to be later rehired following the backlash the series received when the news broke.

Continually raising salaries of returning cast members

Long-standing shows like Criminal Minds also fall into the trap of continually raising salaries of long-standing cast members, despite dwindling in viewership numbers.

A dip in viewership numbers makes placing lucrative advertisements harder, which means a drop in the commercial viability of the show.

This means that the show starts to become more expensive to make than the revenue it brings in. As a result, in an effort to cut costs, you cancel the show in order to allow for a new, cheaper and possibly profitable show to air instead.

Conclusion

For any show to reach the 10-year mark airing on television is a milestone. Especially, a television drama which has spawned as many spinoff franchises like Criminal Minds has done throughout its 15-year run airing on CBS.

A drama series that for the longest time, was one of the most watched shows on television. However, in January 2019, the procedural crime drama initially confirmed that the fourteenth season was the final season of the show.

However, that was further stretched to include a 10-episode season 15, which would adequately conclude the series as it ended in February 2020.