Criminal Minds revival confirmed with fan favourites in the cast as Joe Mantegna shares first photo on set-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Joe Mantegna (front) will return as (David Rossi in the Criminal Minds revival (Picture: Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images)

It’s official – Criminal Minds is getting a revival after its 15th and final season aired in 2020.

The hugely popular long-running drama – which follows officers in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) as they explore the behaviour of criminals – has been the subject of plenty of chatter regarding potential new series, and now it’s been confirmed by Paramount+.

Fan favourites Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia), Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez), A.J. Cook (JJ Jareau), Aisha Tyler (Tara Lewis) and Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss) will be back alongside longtime showrunner Erica Messer for a 10-episode run.

The team will reunite to investigate a single case over the series.

Nicole Clemens – president of Paramount+ Original Scripted Series – said in a statement: ‘For 15 seasons, Criminal Minds was at the forefront of cutting-edge scripted drama as it explored the psychology behind crime – thrillingly.

‘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+.

The show ended in 2020 after 15 seasons (Picture: CBS)

‘Erica, the whole cast and creative team are building a season full of new twists that we are sure will electrify audiences.’

Meanwhile, Mantega got fans excited earlier this year as he shared a photo of himself on a set which – while still in an early stage of being built – looked like the old BAU offices.

He teased: ‘Three guesses where I was today? #criminalminds’.

Deadline had previously reported the actors’ agreements for the show are ‘multi-year’ and ‘not fully exclusive’, meaning they can take other roles as long as production doesn’t interfere.

The revival was first announced early in 2021, only for progress to stall with the cast fearing there wouldn’t be a comeback after all.

Responding to a fan on Twitter, Brewster said last summer: ‘Sadly, we think it’s dead. I’ll let you know if there is any progress, but it seems unlikely. Which is a bummer.’

However, in February Tanya Gills – chief of programming for ViacomCBS – revealed the show was ‘still very much in development’ and the series was ‘alive and well’.

Responding to the news, Brewster tweeted: ‘When being wrong feels so right… I LOVE IT!’

Criminal Minds is available on CBS in the US and via STAR on Disney+ for UK viewers.

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