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‘Criminal Minds’ Cancelled? No Season 12 Announcement Has Fans Worried

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 03:04 PST, Mar 29, 2016

The lack of a Season 12 announcement from CBS has Criminal Minds fans worried that their favorite show may be cancelled. This all comes on the heels of Shemar Moore leaving after 11 years on the drama.

CBS announced show renewals on Good Friday, March 25. Missing in action was Criminal Minds, a show that has done extremely well in the ratings. Fans started to worry, especially when they noticed that NCIS has been renewed. Both shows face uncertainties, as NCIS will lose Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, who has been on the show since its conception. Criminal Minds fans said goodbye to Derek Morgan, played by Moore, who has also been on the show since the beginning.

Design & Trend also says that there are other things that could see Criminal Minds cancelled rather than renewed for Season 12. One of those is that while CBS foots the costs (and it is not exactly a cheap show to make), ABC reaps the viewing benefits. The show is produced across two networks, and CBS may not want to continue doing something it sees no benefit from. This is especially a problem if fans leave the show because Moore’s character has been written out.

The next few episodes may be something CBS is waiting for before announcing the cancellation or renewal of Criminal Minds. Paget Brewster is returning as Agent Emily Prentiss. A former well-loved character, Prentiss left the team, and Brewster moved onto other things. While there was a gap that has never quite been filled, fans have moved on and still loved the direction of other characters. Bringing Prentiss back will give the characters a chance to talk about Morgan (and everything they loved) while reminding fans that the show can move on after a loveable character has gone.

Erica Messer decided that bringing back a former character would help to soften the blow of losing Morgan. The Inquisitr previously reported that Moore’s exit has been planned for the last year, and Messer has had time to really think about how to make this easier for the Criminal Minds fan base. While there was the shock factor, there was also a full storyline setting up his departure and a full storyline afterwards to say goodbye without him being there.

Brewster left the show back in Season 7, but she did return in Season 9 for the 200th episode. She is now returning to the show, although it is unclear exactly how long for right now. Brewster had previously left due to negative feelings about the network, but she has fond memories of the cast and crew, which helped her decide to come back.

Another theory as to why Criminal Minds Season 12 has not been picked up yet is that CBS is waiting to see how well Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders does. The spinoff has not been as well received as its parent show, but there are still hopes. It could be that an announcement for both will be made at the same time.

On March 25, CBS confirmed that as well as the NCIS franchise being renewed, Hawaii 5-0, 2 Broke Girls, Survivor, and The Amazing Race are all among shows that will be renewed. CSI: Cyber is still unknown as of yet and, like Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, has not done as well as previously hoped.

Only time will tell. CBS is still not finished announcing its 2016/2017 lineup. There is still a chance that Criminal Minds Season 12 will be picked up, because fans will remain loyal after the positive way Derek Morgan was taken out of the show. While it was a shock, the Criminal Minds writers and executive producer made sure he had a storyline with a bang.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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