Criminal Minds cast shares reactions to the show's cancellation

The cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution is reacting to the show's abrupt cancellation. Per TVLine, several stars took to Instagram to share their thoughts.

Paget Brewster, who plays Emily Prentiss, posted a photo with the text "free agent." A.J. Cook dressed as a zombie for Halloween holding a headstone with her character JJ's name, captioning it "Rest in peace JJ (for now)."

Kirsten Vangsness, the cast member with the most episodes, pointed to a Deadline article in a video. "It says right there, 'is ending for now,'" she said. She added that showrunner Erica Messer believes there are more stories to tell and hopes they can continue telling them elsewhere.

Showrunner Erica Messer said in a statement to Deadline that she is "suddenly navigating the end of this chapter," suggesting the cancellation was unexpected. TVLine reports production on Season 20 had already wrapped before the news broke, leaving it unclear if the team will get to reshoot scenes for a new ending before the 2027 release.