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CBS Renewed ‘Criminal Minds’ And ‘Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders’?

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 08:00 PST, May 8, 2016

The last few months have centered around the worry that Criminal Minds would not be renewed. CBS finally has an announcement. Does it mean that both Minds and its spinoff, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, will be renewed?

Season 11 of Minds wrapped up this week with a cliffhanger. The showrunners definitely expected a renewal to come, and so did many fans. With ratings still being high, why wouldn’t the show be renewed? The problems were that CBS and ABC needed to sort out a new licensing deal, and Shemar Moore’s exit put the show at risk. With the show being the only veteran one not to get a renewal — despite Michael Weatherly’s upcoming exit, NCIS got a two-season renewal deal — fans were getting extra anxious that they would have to say goodbye to the crime drama.

There were also rumors that a renewal for the parent show wouldn’t be announced until spinoff Beyond Borders had more of a run. The network may have wanted to announce renewals for both at the same time but wanted to wait for a look at the ratings for the spinoff.

CBS reported that Criminal Minds is definitely getting a Season 12. On top of that, it announced the season would be a full one, indicating that there are no plans to say goodbye anytime soon. If the show was really at risk, the network would have announced a shortened season to just wrap up the cliffhanger that was left for Season 11.

It turns out that the licensing deal was the one thing that was holding CBS back. This was something the Inquisitr had previously reported was a potential problem. While CBS pays for the production, ABC is the network to benefit from it the most. With that in mind, it would make sense for CBS to put pressure on its partner network to make it the more beneficial for it. After all, Minds is the second-highest rated show on CBS!

That licensing deal was worked out, and ABC agreed to offer a reduced fee for the next year. This could set off some alarm bells for a potential Season 13. The two networks will be back in talks, and it could lead to more questions over whether the show can continue. That is a whole 12 months away, though. Right now, fans just want to celebrate that they will see Hotch, Reid, JJ, Garcia, and others back on the screens.

There is no news over who will take over Moore’s place. Nobody could ever replace Derek Morgan, but the team will surely need another member to their team. That’s especially the case now that there has been a massive prison break pulling the BAU team back into unsubs that they have dealt with in the past.

What about Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders? CBS has yet to announce whether the spinoff starring Gary Sinise will be renewed for another year. The ratings are not as good as the network would have hoped, but they are on the rise. The show also only debuted in the spring, so it is possible that an announcement for that renewal or cancellation will come much later.

There are also questions regarding other TV shows on the network. So far, CSI: Cyber and The Odd Couple have not yet been confirmed. Rush Hour, Supergirl, and Limitless are also on the rocks, as no news has been shared about them. Cyber may get a shortened Season 3, mainly due to international help. If just the U.S. ratings are taking into account, it is likely to be cancelled.

For now, Criminal Minds fans can rejoice that their show is coming back to screens to clean up that cliffhanger.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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