Did Shemar Moore Leave ‘Criminal Minds’ Right Before The Show’s Downward Spiral? Here’s Something To Think About
Shemar Moore shocked millions of prime-time television viewers on Wednesday night when it was revealed that he’d be leaving the long-running CBS hit procedural drama Criminal Minds after 11 successful seasons. Prior to the premiere of the latest Criminal Minds episode, Shemar Moore took to Facebook to let the world know he’d be giving them his heart. The cryptic statement immediately raised speculation about whether he’d be leaving the show or if tragedy would strike for the ever-attractive, charismatic Derek Morgan.
The emotional episode titled, “A Beautiful Disaster,” left fans on the edge of the seats for the entire hour while others were left in tears when Derek Morgan walked out of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). For those who missed the latest episode of Criminal Minds on March 23, the episode began with Shemar Moore (Morgan) and his new pregnant wife Dr. Savannah Hayes, portrayed by Rochelle Aytes, standing outside Bethesda General Hospital where he’d come to pick her up from work.
Unfortunately, their greeting was cut short when Savannah was shot by a sniper who had come to avenge the death of his son previously arrested by Morgan. The episode was filled with a number of emotional highs and lows, along with suspenseful possibilities of love and loss. Both Derek and Savannah nearly lost their lives, and because of the tumultuous experience, Derek opted to choose his family over work and ultimately resigned from the BAU.
Shemar Moore left Criminal Minds as a true hero, but of course his show-stopping performance still wasn’t enough for fans because they wanted answers. Almost immediately after the show, Shemar Moore sparked a media firestorm as many social media users wondered why he made the seemingly abrupt decision to leave Criminal Minds after such a long time.
An exclusive interview detailing Shemar Moore’s departure from Criminal Minds was released after the episode aired. Criminal Minds producer Erika Messer has also admitted that Shemar Moore’s decision to leave the show came as quite a surprise, but has ensured fans there will be no replacement for Derek Morgan. She also admitted that the production team is still in the process of planning the next season of the show.
“There is no replacing Derek Morgan by any means. We’ll need to see who might come play for a while. It’s hard to be the new kid and we’ve seen it a lot. We’ve seen a few characters come and go. It’s a hard gig. I think Aisha’s done an amazing job this season. So it’s a conversation that we have not really pursued any further. Now that everyone knows, we can sort of all be on the same page and settle in to that for a minute before we figure out what we’re doing for Season 12 — fingers crossed since we still don’t have a pickup for that.”
Although Shemar Moore’s desire to want to try new things is justifiable after 11 seasons, many fans are still wondering what that means for the future of the show. In addition to the slight uncertainties, there’s also something else to think about. According to TV Line, the CBS network has announced the 11 shows that will be renewed for the 2016-2017 television season and Criminal Minds wasn’t included in the lineup.
So far, CBS has renewed Blue Bloods, Elementary, Hawaii Five-0, Madam Secretary, Mom, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion, 2 Broke Girls, Survivor and The Amazing Race. Criminal Minds is one of three shows the network has yet to decide on when it comes to renewing for another season. The delayed decision leads many to wonder whether or not Shemar Moore left the show simply because of the possibility of it being canceled soon. Many fans refuse to even think of how the show will be without Derek Morgan and maybe they won’t have to if CBS decides not to renew.
Could Criminal Minds survive without Shemar Moore’s ever-popular character Derek Morgan? Do you think the show will be renewed for a twelfth season? Share your thoughts.
[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]
