{"id":253942,"date":"2026-07-25T10:01:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T10:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/which-criminal-minds-stars-are-and-arent-returning-for-season-20-after-shocking-cast-exit\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T10:01:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T10:01:05","slug":"which-criminal-minds-stars-are-and-arent-returning-for-season-20-after-shocking-cast-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/which-criminal-minds-stars-are-and-arent-returning-for-season-20-after-shocking-cast-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"Which \u2018Criminal Minds\u2019 Stars Are \u2014 And Aren\u2019t \u2014 Returning for Season 20 After Shocking Cast Exit?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Criminal Minds<\/em><\/a> is filming season 20 \u2014 but not every cast member is coming back after a shocking exit.<\/p>\n

Criminal Minds<\/em>, which premiered in 2005, follows a group of criminal profilers<\/a> who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime drama explores different fictional cases and shows how behavioral analysis helps the team locate their unknown subjects.<\/p>\n

The original Criminal Minds<\/em> series was revived by Paramount+ after its initial conclusion in 2020. Criminal Minds: Evolution<\/em> brought back most of the cast with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster<\/strong> reprising their roles. Other key characters \u2014 such as Matthew Gray Gubler<\/strong>\u2018s Reid \u2014 have made cameos.<\/p>\n

The first season of Criminal Minds: Evolution<\/em> (a.k.a. season 16 of the OG Criminal Minds<\/em> series) introduced Voit as the main antagonist. The BAU spent the entire season hunting down the prolific killer, who they linked to 62 murders and was the mastermind behind setting up an online network of fellow serial killers.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>\u2018Criminal Minds\u2019 Cast: Then and Now<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tCriminal Minds is back with a revival on Paramount+\u00a0\u2014 but fans have watched the cast change on and off screen since the procedural first debuted. In 2005, viewers were introduced to a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime drama, which was created by [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Voit\u2019s status as the villain was left up in the air<\/a> when he had significant memory loss that caused him to no longer be labeled as a psychopath. Gilford and the rest of the Criminal Minds<\/em> cast have acknowledged that Voit can\u2019t remain on the show for good.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was supposed to leave the show a while ago and I\u2019ve been pitching, \u2018Well, I have to leave at some point. If you\u2019re not going to kill me, we should have a spinoff,’\u201d Gilford quipped exclusively to Us<\/em> in May 2025. \u201cIt\u2019s called Criminal Mind: Voit and it follows what Voit is doing when he is out in the world. Somehow he either escapes or he gets released and he is this white whale to the BAU. So Criminal Minds can keep going and having their [unsub] of the week \u2014 but they\u2019ll always be like, \u2018I wonder if Voit had something to do with this.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Voit was ultimately written off ahead of season 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can both hope [my character Voit will return] but all I know is I\u2019m not there filming right now,\u201d he told Us in July 2026 of his potential return for season 20 of Criminal Minds: Evolution. \u201cIt was hard to say goodbye. It definitely was one of my favorite characters I\u2019ve ever gotten to play and partially because what a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cEvery season I got to do a different side of this character. It wasn\u2019t like I was just doing the same thing every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gilford, Criminal Minds was the perfect challenge, adding, \u201cTo give this guy some redemption and go out on a good guy note \u2014 so to speak \u2014 was nice. It\u2019s weird. You wrap a show and a lot of times you\u2019re like, \u2018I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m coming back next year and if we\u2019re going to have another season in general.\u2019 On this, I did know that it was the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gilford told Us he struggled to say goodbye<\/a> to Criminal Minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bummer and I am really like, \u2018I\u2019m not good with emotions,’\u201d he shared. \u201cSo I literally \u2014 before they even officially wrapped \u2014 I had a feeling it was the last take. I just left. I didn\u2019t say goodbye to anyone. I just snuck out. They\u2019re like, \u2018Zach, where are you? Where\u2019d you go?\u2019 And then a few people saw me driving out of my car. I\u2019m like, \u2018Bye, I\u2019ll see you later.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling to see who is and isn\u2019t coming back in season 20:<\/p>\n

Joe Mantegna<\/h2>\n

Mantegna is set to return in the role of Rossi, which he has played since taking over for Mandy Patinkin in the original Criminal Minds show.<\/p>\n

A. J. Cook<\/h2>\n

Cook will return to play JJ, who is still mourning the loss of her husband.<\/p>\n

Kirsten Vangsness<\/h2>\n

Vangsness is reprising the role of Garcia.<\/p>\n

Aisha Tyler<\/h2>\n

Another character who is safe is Tara.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Most Shocking TV Exits of 2026: From \u2018Grey\u2018s Anatomy\u2018 to \u2018Virgin River\u2018<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tIt is never easy to unexpectedly say goodbye to your favorite characters \u2014 and 2026 has featured an influx of shocking departures on our TV screens from Grey\u2019s Anatomy\u00a0to Virgin River. Virgin River fans were surprised when showrunner Patrick Sean Smith confirmed multiple characters were written off the show after season 7. Marco Grazzini addressed [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Zach Gilford<\/h2>\n

Gilford\u2019s serial killer character isn\u2019t expected to return \u2014 at least during season 20.<\/p>\n

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