Criminal Minds is officially returning for a 16th season. Paramount+ is reviving the long-running drama with original series stars Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez, and Paget Brewster set to return.
Erica Messer, writer, executive producer, and showrunner during the show’s original run, returns in all three capacities for season 16. Writer Breen Frazier, writer Chris Barbour, director Glenn Kershaw, and Mark Gordon also serve as executive producers.
“For 15 seasons, Criminal Minds was at the forefront of cutting-edge scripted drama as it explored the psychology behind crime – thrillingly,” stated Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. “The series never stopped evolving during its run, and we are beyond excited to bring it back into a new era with new stories for a new generation of viewers at Paramount+. Erica, the whole cast and creative team are building a season full of new twists that we are sure will electrify audiences.”
The new episodes are produced by ABC Signature and CBS Studios and will air exclusively on Paramount+.
The revival announcement included the following description of the new season:
“CBS’ original Criminal Minds series, which ran from 2005-2020, followed an elite team of FBI profilers who analyzed the country’s most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they struck again.
And now, the BAU is back! In the all-new Criminal Minds episodes exclusively available on Paramount+, the FBI’s elite team of criminal profilers come up against their greatest threat yet, an UnSub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. Now, as the world opens back up, the network goes operational, and our team must hunt them down, one murder at a time.”
