‘Criminal Minds’ revival reportedly coming to Paramount+

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CBS is getting ready to go “wheels up” on a revival of its hit crime drama “Criminal Minds,” reports Variety.

The original iteration of the show ran for 15 seasons and 324 episodes on CBS from 2005 to 2020 and was a ratings powerhouse for the network ā€” but this time around the show is planned for Paramount+, the ViacomCBS streamer set to replace CBS All Access.

Being billed as a “revival” and not a “reboot,” the project is still in the early stages of development.

Initial reports indicate the plan is for a mix of old and new characters to be featured on the show, which is set inside a fictionalized version of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and centers around criminal profiling.

It’s not immediately clear which cast members will return, though there are plenty to pick from, though some are more popular with die hard fans than others.

“Criminal Minds” is notable in that it had several significant cast changes throughout its run, including losing its lead, Mandy Patinkin, after just two seasons. Two other cast members, A.J. Cook and Padget Brewster, left and then returned to the show, while Jeanne Tripplehorn and Jennifer Love Hewitt had short runs on the show.

The show attracted significant attention when OG Thomas Gibson, who played the BAU unit chief, was fired after an on set altercation in 2006. His character was written out of the show, though was still alive as of the finale. Original cast member Shemar Moore also departed the show after Season 11, but returns for guest appearances.

In the end, only Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness would remain fixtures of the show the entire run, though Gubler was absent (but still credited) from multiple episodes in later seasons and Vangsness was not initially billed as a regular cast member and was not in a few early episodes.

Gubler would be the only actor to appear in the opening credits of every episode ā€” but ultimately no single actor would have a speaking appearance in every episode.

The show was also the target of sexual misconduct and hostile work environment accusations, including against its longtime director of photography Greg St. Johns, who would eventually leave the series late in its run.

The potential revival will be produced by CBS Television Studios and ABC Studios, who also produced the original series when its run ended.

Variety reported that Erica Messer, who was showrunner for much of the series’ run, will return in that role.

Earlier seasons of “Criminal Minds” run on WE TV and Sundance as of 2021. Netflix features the first 10 seasons and other networks and streamers have various deals in different countries.

CBS does not hold the exclusive streaming rights for the show and later seasons appear on Hulu and CBS All Access.