Criminal Minds: Evolution to End With Season 20

Criminal Minds: Evolution will conclude with its upcoming 20th season, bringing the crime drama’s run across CBS and Paramount+ to an end. The final season is scheduled to premiere in 2027. The franchise began on CBS in 2005 and returned as Evolution on Paramount+ in 2022 after its original run ended in 2020.

Production on Season 20 wrapped earlier this fall. The decision to end the series was described as sudden by longtime showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer, who said she was grateful to the cast, crew and fans. She also said the team looked forward to sharing the final season and celebrating the show’s legacy.

Kirsten Vangsness, who plays Penelope Garcia, said she learned of the news about 90 minutes before it became public. She described the ending as bittersweet and said she hoped the characters’ stories could continue somewhere else. A.J. Cook and Aisha Tyler shared a cast photo posted by RJ Hatanaka, with Cook expressing affection for her castmates and Tyler calling them family.

The final season will feature Joe Mantegna, Cook, Vangsness, Tyler, Hatanaka, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. The series follows FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit profilers investigating dangerous criminals. The franchise also produced the spinoffs Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.