This is a bittersweet moment for fans of the CBS drama Criminal Minds as the production has revealed that Criminal Minds Season 15 is confirmed, but it will be the last instalment of the show.
CBS announced in January this year that Criminal Minds Season 15 will be its farewell season. With over a decade and a half’s worth of runtime, the long-running show will surely be missed by fans. The show aired its pilot on September 22, 2005, and ran for 14 seasons before being axed.
Showrunners reveal fears
For the showrunners, it was a moment full of mixed emotions. Eric Messer said,
“It’s really bittersweet, but I’m so, so grateful to CBS for giving us this heads-up.”
She also added that being shut down without any information was her biggest fear, and thanked CBS for giving them prior notice.
She said,
“I think one of my biggest fears was always, ‘Oh man, what if we don’t know’ and then they just don’t bring back the show? But they respect this series and the cast and the crew and the fans enough to end this properly.”
Speculations suggest that the channel may have dropped Criminal Minds over falling audience numbers. Over the last 14 seasons, the writers have come up with new storylines but everything has become too predictable now, and there is no “wow” moment.
Criminal Minds Season 15: What’s on the horizon
The last season is expected to be released in fall this year. It will have a total of 10 episodes. A time skip is expected this season. Showrunners said that the new season will pick up 6 months after the events of the last season.
The characters are expected to focus inwards in this instalment, on their “emotional journey” – as Messer called it.
Criminal Minds Season 15 is now in production.