Why Criminal Minds ended only to be brought back two years later on Paramount+

The Criminal Minds franchise has found its second wind on Paramount+ with Criminal Minds: Evolution continuing to be successful on the platform. The revival series was renewed for a third season ahead of its season 2 premiere proving the darker, grittier, and more expletive filled show has found a winning formula despite breaking away from a typical procedural structure.

Fans of the flagship drama's fifteen season run on CBS had no doubt that the transition to streaming would work, however, it should be noted that the circumstances around Criminal Minds ending and then being brought back only two years later are unique.

Though there was never a definitive reason given for why the network decided to final season one of its most popular, long running programs in 2020, it was believed it had to do with the ratings. They'd slipped sharply after a time slot change as well cast exits that shifted the dynamics on the series.

As showrunner Erica Messer made clear to Deadline, the decision didn't come down to the creative team wanting to wrap the procedural: "None of us wanted it to end creatively. We felt there were plenty more stories to tell. The cast was in such a groove and everybody loved being here."

Usually, once a show has ended, a revival takes years if not decades to be conceived and launched but, for Criminal Minds, it took only a year for development on a continuation show to be greenlit. However, for what Paramount Global was trying to do at the time, it made sense. For as much as Paramount+ has become a staple of our streaming lives, the platform isn't actually that old and is the rebranded version of its predecessor CBS All Access.

The streamer needed wins. That's why CBS moved both Evil and SEAL Team to Paramount+ instead of canceling them when they needed to balance their roster. Criminal Minds had been a hit for the network and it happened to be a part of the genre the platform was looking to capitalize on. Julie McNamara, then EVP Development and programming at the streamer had stated that they were looking to appeal to the "culture's ever-growing obsession" with crime procedurals, according to Deadline.

It helped that Criminal Minds was a success on air, online, in syndication, and internationally thanks to reruns airing on cable and its availability on Netflix at the time. It's likely the thinking was that if it could do well on one streamer, it could do well on CBS' own streaming platform.

Here's what Nicole Clemens, then President, Paramount+ Original Scripted Series, had to say about the revival back in 2022:

"For 15 seasons, Criminal Minds was at the forefront of cutting-edge scripted drama as it explored the psychology behind crime – thrillingly. The series never stopped evolving during its run, and we are beyond excited to bring it back into a new era with new stories for a new generation of viewers at Paramount+. Erica, the whole cast and creative team are building a season full of new twists that we are sure will electrify audiences."

It's possible that if Paramount+ had had its legs under it when a decision needed to be made on whether to end Criminal Minds or continue to air the procedural, the series would have transitioned to streaming instead of drawing to a close with season 15.

I say this because even now there's still confusion on whether we should be referring to Criminal Minds: Evolution's seasons as offshoots of the flagship so its inaugural run would be season 16 and its currently streaming installment would be season 17. Or if they should be treated as their own thing and be referred to as season 1 and 2.

Personally, I'm counting the revival's seasons on their own but regardless it does seem like this universe is primed to continue on and Paramount+ is invested in its future. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more news and coverage.