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Criminal Minds: Evolution cast react to show's cancellation as they tease "stories left to tell"

The procedural's stars say goodbye on social media, but leave the door open for a return.

Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez and A.J. Cook as Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau in Criminal Minds: Evolution

Monty Brinton/Paramount+

Published: Tuesday, 3 November 2026 at 10:33 am

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The cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution have begun responding to news that the long-running procedural will end with its forthcoming 20th season, with several stars thanking colleagues and hinting that the team still has "so many more stories to tell".

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Paramount+ confirmed on Friday that the series would conclude after season 20, its fifth under the Evolution subtitle following the original 15 CBS seasons.

Kirsten Vangsness, who has played technical analyst Penelope Garcia since season one of Criminal Minds, addressed the decision in a video posted to Instagram, describing the moment as bittersweet. Pointing to reporting that the show was ending "for now", she said she would welcome the chance to continue the story elsewhere.

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"But I love my job and my boss Erica Messer says there's so many more stories to tell," Vangsness said. "So if we get to keep telling them somewhere that would be amazing. I know all of us feel the same way". She also revealed in the video's comments that the cast learned of the cancellation at the same time as fans.

AJ Cook, who has played special agent Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau since season one, also marked the news with a Halloween photo of herself holding a tombstone for her character, captioned "Rest in peace JJ (for now)." Resharing a cast image posted by co-star RJ Hatanaka, she added that the group "own my heart forever and always".

Hatanaka, who joined in season 16 as FBI agent Tyler Green, shared the photo with the caption: "Just the finest group of people". Paget Brewster, who has played Emily Prentiss since season two, posted a black-and-white selfie bearing the words "Free Agent", while Aisha Tyler, who has portrayed Dr Tara Lewis since season 11, reposted Hatanaka's image with the message "Family for life".

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Showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer said the decision meant "suddenly navigating the end of this chapter", while thanking the cast, crew and fans. Season 20 had already finished production when the cancellation was announced, raising the prospect that the episodes may not deliver a planned, definitive series finale.

Criminal Minds: Evolution follows an elite FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit as it hunts the country's most dangerous criminals. Joe Mantegna continues to star as special agent David Rossi, with Adam Rodriguez as special agent Luke Alvez. A release date for the final season has not yet been revealed, but it is expected to premiere some time in 2027.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Morgan Cormack, smiling against a lime green background

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.

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