There are several reasons why Criminal Minds has prevailed for so many years in the TV crime genre. This series follows the daily life of an FBI team that, for each of its cases, studies the psychological profile of the criminal involved in order to capture them. Throughout its 15 seasons, which aired from 2005 to 2020, the audience followed dozens of cases, and was able to analyze, along with the specialists, the behavior of the murderers and criminals, practically becoming a part of the team. Indeed, Criminal Minds' best episodes made you feel like you worked alongside the beloved agents. Moreover, since the first season, the team headed by Jeff Davis managed to find the rhythm of the series, differentiating it from other crime shows and presenting a cast of completely different characters who complement each another, ultimately providing each of them with their own complex personal story. Even when an actor would leave the cast, the departure of their character and the introduction of the new one was carried out as smoothly as possible. The audience grew so attached to this show that it was recently announced that a Criminal Minds reboot is in development.
As with any long-running TV show, there were a few scandals. Criminal Minds did not have that many, but one that echoed quite a lot at the time was a scandal with Thomas Gibson, the actor who portrayed Aaron Hotch, a main character in the series. This actor was fired in 2016 after hitting a producer in the middle of an altercation on the set. From that point on, Gibson's appearances in television and film productions almost completely ceased. Nevertheless, most of the cast continued to work on other projects following the series' ending. Here's a look at where the Criminal Minds cast is today.
Shemar Moore
The actor who embodied Derek Morgan, the agent who specialized in fixations and obsessive behaviors, is also a television presenter and model. He was part of the cast from seasons 1 to 11. According to CBR, Moore left because he felt he had fulfilled his character's cycle in the series. Even though his stint as a series regular ended in 2016, he reappeared in occasional episodes. After Criminal Minds, Moore starred in the TV series S.W.A.T, which premiered in 2017 and is now in its fifth season. Meanwhile, in 2020, he served as executive producer for the second season of the drama series American Soul. His most recent project was a role in the movie Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which will be released in theaters in April 2022.
Matthew Gray Gubler
Gubler was one of the few actors included in the cast from the very first episode to the last, in February 2020. He flawlessly brought to life Dr. Spencer Reid, the youngest member of the BAU. Reid was a mastermind with three PhDs, whose interventions were crucial in spotting major details that the rest of the BAU didn't notice. After wrapping up Criminal Minds, Gubler joined the cast of the films Horse Girl, in 2020, and King Knight, in 2021. He also participated in the TV series Dollface. An interesting aspect of this actor is that he served as director, editor, producer, and writer for documentaries, short films, and music videos, such as The Killers' video for "Don't Shoot Me Santa" and the short film The Cactus That Looked Just Like a Man.
A. J. Cook
Andrea Joy Cook is best known for her performance as Jennifer Jareau or "JJ", who is the nexus between the media and the FBI. She took part in every season of the series, making her first appearance in the second episode of the first season, even though in some seasons she made only starring appearances. While Cook was involved in some projects alongside her role in Criminal Minds, such as the films Night Skies and Wer, she has not been involved in many productions since the series wrapped. Her latest project to date was starring in an episode of the fifth season of 9-1-1, the show created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear.
Paget Brewster
This actress and singer embodied agent Emily Prentiss, but was previously known for her guest appearances during the fourth season of Friends. Brewster's path on Criminal Minds was not the same as that of her peers: she was a regular cast member from 2006 to 2012, then left the series, only making two cameo appearances, and then rejoined in 2016 as a regular cast member. Her most recent projects include her participation in the 2022 film Hypochondriac as well as in the animated series Birdgirl, where she lends her voice to the main character. In addition, she also participated as a narrator in the series Behind the Attraction and in an episode of How I Met Your Father.
Kirsten Vangsness
Penelope Garcia was probably the most interesting character in the series. From her office surrounded by computers, Garcia was in charge of everything related to audiovisual technologies, as well as being an analyst technician at the BAU. Although Vangsness appeared in the first episode of the series, Garcia only became a major character during the second season, and stayed in the cast until the last episode of the series. Besides being part of Criminal Minds, she also made appearances in the two spin-off series of the franchise, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, making her the only actress in the cast to participate in all three shows. Currently, the actress has not been involved in any other projects following the end of the series, but it is worth noting her work as a writer, not only for Los Angeles Times, but also as a co-writer of several episodes of the series, including the series finale.
Joe Mantegna
Mantegna joined the cast in season 3 as a special agent supervisor and was added to the BAU team as a replacement for Jason Gideon when the actor who portrayed him, Mandy Patinkin, left the series. The actor already had a tremendous career in television and theater, with a Tony Award under his belt and appearances in blockbuster films such as Three Amigos and The Godfather Part III. Even though he has no known projects after Criminal Minds, his work as director of several episodes of the series and his extensive career in theater, film, and television are noteworthy.
Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler started playing Tara Lewis in season 11 of Criminal Minds, and remained part of the cast until the last episode of the series. This forensic psychologist joined the BAU as a replacement for agents Callahan and Jareau, but ended up staying. Since Criminal Minds ended, Tyler kept herself busy: in 2020 she appeared in the movies Bad Therapy and Friendsgiving, and in 2021, in Untitled Horror Movie. Later that year, she also voiced Millie Tuskmon in the Disney+ series Monsters at Work, and scored a recurring role in Fear the Walking Dead. Her most recent project is The Boys Presents: Diabolical, an animated superhero series for adults in which she is a writer and voice of one of the characters.
Adam Rodriguez
When Adam Rodriguez joined the cast of Criminal Minds in 2016, he was already well-known in the police series genre for his role on CSI: Miami. His first appearance as Luke Alvez followed Derek Morgan's resignation from the BAU. Luke was a special agent-in-training, and became an integral part of the team until the end of the series. After his appearance on Criminal Minds, Rodriguez had a recurring role on the series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and Ordinary Joe, and an episode of the series One Day at a Time. Like Mantegna, he also directed some episodes of the police series: "Last Gasp" and "Ashley" in 2018.