INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘Criminal Minds’ Season 11 Finale Airs This Week: Any News On Season 12?

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 23:45 PST, May 3, 2016

The Criminal Minds Season 11 finale airs this week, and there are still questions surrounding Season 12. There is still no word on whether the show will be renewed or cancelled, and fans worry that a cliffhanger finale will happen in the hope that Season 12 will happen.

Criminal Minds is one of those shows that one network puts in the money and another network benefits from it financially. CBS is in charge of the filming and finances, but ABC benefits. While the show does well, a network cannot be expected to continue paying out for something it does not benefit from in the long term.

There is a new partnership agreement in the works between the two networks, as The Inquisitr has already reported. This will not finalize before the Criminal Minds Season 11 finale on Wednesday night, but it will come soon afterwards. There is hope that by the end of May there will be news whether the show will be renewed for another year or not.

Ratings are not a concern, and there are rumors that the veteran show will be renewed but the spinoff Beyond Borders starring Gary Sinise will be cancelled. Another rumor is that both will be cancelled, as CBS is uncertain on the future of Minds since Shemar Moore’s departure. If that really was the case, NCIS would not be renewed for two years, as that show is also going through a main lineup change with Michael Weatherly’s departure in two weeks time.

The main worry with Moore’s departure is that people would stop tuning in. He was an integral part of the team. However, his departure was handled well and he had a full storyline for fans to say goodbye to him. He also left to make a commitment to his wife and son, rather than being unceremoniously killed off. While he could never be replaced, there are plenty other characters for fans to connect to. Criminal Minds has also shown precedent to handle the loss of a main character. When Paget Brewster left, there was some uncertainty, but the show has weathered it.

According to Parent Herald, there is expected to be a cliffhanger at the end of Season 11. Executive Producer Erica Messer has confirmed that this is going to set up the next season. However, it will not be something like a major explosion with no idea who will live or die. The focus is just setting up a good storyline for Season 12.

The Season 11 finale of Criminal Minds airs on Wednesday night. Titled “The Storm,” it brings Mr. Scratch back and is mainly focused on Hotch. He will be accused of conspiracy and it will be up to the rest of the team to prove his innocence.

Fans have taken to Twitter to find out if Criminal Minds is cancelled or not. There are rumors of both, and people just do not know who to believe. The official news is that nobody has confirmed either yet, and it is not likely to happen before the finale.

There are others concerned that Beyond Borders will be cancelled. The show originally received a slow start but the ratings have since increased. There were some thoughts that CBS was waiting to announce the cancellation or renewal of both Minds shows to see how the spinoff would do first.

For now, the future of the show is still unknown. Talks between CBS and ABC continue, and only then will there be confirmation over whether Criminal Minds will be cancelled or renewed.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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