INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘Criminal Minds’ Gets Shemar Moore Replacement: ‘CSI: Miami’ Actor To Star

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 21:34 PST, Jun 8, 2016

Criminal Minds Season 12 was officially confirmed last month, and now it has a new actor joining the team. A certain CSI: Miami star will join the team to replace Shemar Moore’s Derek Morgan.

Adam Rodriguez was confirmed yesterday as the new actor. He is best known for his role of Eric Delko on the criminal drama show and has also been in Magic Mike and Jane the Virgin. He will come into Criminal Minds as part of the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force and then join the BAU as Morgan’s replacement. Very little else is known about his character, but showrunner Erica Messer says that he will have exciting storylines, according to Variety.

Criminal Minds Season 11 ended with a cliffhanger of sorts. While nobody’s fate was left unknown, there was a sense that they had accomplished their goal and saved Hotch from the conspiracy claims, only to find out that they hadn’t stopped the massive prison inmate breakout. This breakout affects three states, and it will be a big job to bring them all in.

Rodriguez’s new character will appear in the Minds premiere, which is likely to come in the fall of 2016. It is possible that he will come in as part of the Task Force to gather the criminals and put them back behind bars. After working with the BAU, he may be offered the chance to join the team, since they are looking for a replacement. The CSI: Miami actor will join as a series regular.

Glenn Gellar, president of CBS Entertainment, has said that he is excited for Rodriguez’s return to the network. The whole team is a big fan of the actor, and everyone looks forward to what he can bring to the show. There will also be many fans excited, since he was a firm favorite on CSI: Miami.

There have been numerous debates over who will replace Derek Morgan after Moore’s departure. He made a shock exit that had been planned for a year behind the scenes, when he decided to put his family first and retire from the dangerous line of work. Messer had previously said that nobody would be able to replace Derek Morgan, but somebody needs to make up the numbers in the team.

Some suggested that Aisha Tyler would replace the actor. She has already built up a connection with the fans, and there was never an official goodbye during Criminal Minds Season 11. There is still the possibility of her joining the team in another capacity.

It may have been a difficult for Tyler, who already has numerous commitments. She previously said that it was difficult to fit Minds into her scheduling, so doing it full-time may not have been an option for her.

Rodriguez is the opposite, with his schedule open to be a series regular on a TV show. He has also worked in this genre before, which helps him to settle into the team. It has been difficult for actors to join later into the series, with fans being extra critical of their abilities to gel with those they have gotten to know over the years. He just may have to deal with many people comparing him to Delko from Miami at first.

There is still no confirmation date for Criminal Minds Season 12 premiere. It is likely to be in fall 2016, and will definitely air on Wednesday nights at 9pm, as it did for Seasons 10 and 11. Rodriguez will appear in the first episode, but not as part of the team at first. He will then join to replace Moore’s Derek Morgan.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

Share this article: ‘Criminal Minds’ Gets Shemar Moore Replacement: ‘CSI: Miami’ Actor To Star
More from Inquisitr