‘Criminal Minds’ Spoilers, Winter Return Date Scoop: What’s Coming Up In The Season 12 Fall Finale?

The Season 12 Criminal Minds fall finale airs Wednesday night on CBS and fans are anxious for spoilers. There is a new profiler about to join the Behavioral Analysis Unit, and the current team members are a bit on edge in anticipation of the addition. What else can viewers expect from “Scarecrow” airing on December 7 and when will the show’s winter premiere air?

According to TVLine, new series regular Damon Gupton will first appear in the Season 12, Episode 8 show set to air Wednesday night. This fall finale will introduce Stephen Walker, a new profiler whom Prentiss had met during a previous case. Criminal Minds spoilers detail that Prentiss will not disclose much to the rest of the BAU crew ahead of time regarding Walker, and this leaves everybody to do some speculating on their own.

Viewers may recognize actor Damon Gupton from some of his previous roles that include playing Dr. Gregg Edwards on Bates Motel, Detective Cal Brown on The Player, and the role of Detective Calvin Walker on Empire. Gupton’s IMDb page notes numerous other roles including stints on The Divide, Suits, Rake, Prime Suspect, and Deadline.

As fans know, over the past year or so, Criminal Minds lost both Thomas Gibson in the role of Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner and Shemar Moore in the role of Derek Morgan. Paget Brewster has returned as Emily Prentiss and actor Adam Rodriguez has joined the BAU in the role of Luke Alvez. With the addition of Gupton’s Walker, the BAU should be running at full speed once again.

Criminal Minds spoilers indicate that the Season 12 fall finale titled “Scarecrow” features a case in Yakima, Washington where the remains of a dozen people have been found buried along a creek bed. The BAU crew heads to Washington to investigate and discuss their theories about the new team member as they work. There are concerns for some about whether the new profiler will fit in well with the rest of the crew and viewers will be anxious to see the same.

Viewers are still quite vocal about missing Gibson’s Hotch this season, as his departure was sudden and quite controversial. Some people say they’ve boycotted the series, and the site TV Series Finale notes that the ratings have been slightly down this year versus last year. However, the series remains a solid performer for CBS and Criminal Minds spoilers tease that the back half of Season 12 will have a number of juicy storylines.

When does Criminal Minds return in 2017? Luckily, it doesn’t sound as if the winter hiatus will be terribly long in this case. It looks as if the Season 12, Episode 9 show, seemingly titled “Profiling 202,” airs on Wednesday, January 4. Spoilers regarding that episode have not yet emerged, but additional information should come out soon.

Do you think that this new BAU member could bring the cohesiveness that the BAU needs to function well and get everything back on track again? Criminal Minds spoilers suggest that the case featured in “Scarecrow” has some juicy and unique details incorporated that will keep the team guessing and it should set the stage well for the addition of Stephen Walker to the crew.

Will fans start tuning back into the series as the BAU team retunes and moves forward despite the loss of Moore and Gibson? The series has lost other stars over the many years it has been airing, but these two departures hit viewers particularly hard. Tune into the Season 12 fall finale of Criminal Minds airing on Wednesday, December 7 on CBS and then hang tight through the winter hiatus and check out the return of the series on Wednesday, January 4.

[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]