More Watched ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 12 Than ‘Empire’ Season 3 This Week: ‘Criminal Minds’ Boycott May Be Coming To An End
The Criminal Minds Season 12 boycott may be coming to an end, as the ratings for the show are steadily increasing. The ratings were at their highest in two months this week, taking over Empire Season 3.
Need I say more…#NoHotchNoWatch #HotchIsOurHero pic.twitter.com/sRHdEEkLy7
— Mary Johnson (@star76114) December 8, 2016
Fans of Criminal Minds were left divided during the summer. Thomas Gibson was fired after an onset altercation, after initially being given a two week suspension. Fans were angry and upset about the decision, especially as it meant Gibson’s character Hotch wasn’t given a good exit story. Fans initially learned that Hotch had been sent on a temporary assignment, but it was later shared that he was in hiding after his son was targeted by Mr. Scratch.
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Many fans quickly took to social media after the storyline broke, saying that it wasn’t a realistic storyline. Hotch would have never turned his back on any of his team members, but now it looked like his team members had turned their back on him. This wasn’t realistic considering there have been times in the past where Hotch was personally targeted by an Unsub. His team had always been there to help him through it and catch the killer.
Criminal Minds Season 12 was hit by declining ratings from Episode 3, after Hotch had left. Fans tweeted about their #NoHotchNoWatch boycott, and there have been suggestions that the show will be cancelled after this year. Season 12 was already questionable as the show finished Season 11 without a renewal confirmation from CBS due to the licensing agreement with ABC.
I like this team.#NoHotchNowatch #WeSupportThomasGibson #ThankYouThomasGibson #FireVirgilWilliams pic.twitter.com/ee7Jv5Bw9N
— ?? Lee KyoungMin (@kyoungmin009) November 30, 2016
However, the ratings have now started to increase. Broadway World reported that the ratings for Criminal Minds Season 12 increased by four percent from the week before, which also saw an increase. More surprisingly, the ratings were 10 percent higher than Empire Season 3 this week and the ratings for Minds is the highest for the season since October 12, which was when Episode 3 aired.
There are possibilities that the boycott is coming to a close. Fans may be too invested in the rest of the team members and realize that nothing is going to change in the situation with Gibson. There are no inclinations that CBS or ABC are going to give up their stance on the incident. The Inquisitr previously reported that the show bosses had said that Gibson would definitely not return to Criminal Minds.
Another reason for the increase in views is that this week was the winter finale of the season. Fans tend to tune in more for premieres and finales. They want to see if the main storyline is going to be covered and what type of cliffhanger the show fans are left with in finales. They want to see how characters work together now, whether old or new.
Criminal Minds also had the introduction of a new series regular. Damon Gupton, best known for his role on Bates Motel, starred in his first episode of Minds as SSA Stephen Walker. Walker has been called in by new BAU chief Prentiss to help find Mr. Scratch. He is a member of Interpol and has special skills that can help the team.
Fans also learned that Dr. Spencer Reid is going to take a step back from the team. It’s unclear whether this means Matthew Grey Gubler is going to miss out on any of the episodes and how long this will go on for. Fans now worry that the show couldn’t continue without another core character. It’s bad enough that Derek Morgan left in Season 11, after Shemar Moore decided it was time to walk away from the show.
Did you watch this week’s episode of Criminal Minds Season 12? Are you part of the #NoHotchNoWatch boycott or have you decided to tune back into the show? Share your comments and reasons in the comment section below.
[Featured Image by Michael Kovak/Getty Images]
