Criminal Minds: Evolution Ending With Season 20 on Paramount+

Criminal Minds: Evolution, the streaming revival of the long-running procedural, will conclude with its 20th season, set to premiere on Paramount+ in 2027. The decision was made recently by the new Paramount+ leadership team under Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for Skydance Direct to Consumer, marking the first official cancellation under the new regime. Season 20 wrapped production in fall 2026.

The original Criminal Minds aired on CBS for 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020, following the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) as they profile and capture dangerous criminals. After CBS canceled the series, Paramount+ revived it in 2022 as Criminal Minds: Evolution, which has run for five seasons (Seasons 16–20). The series was renewed for Season 20 in March 2026, ahead of the Season 19 premiere. Despite currently ranking in Paramount+'s Top 10, the decision to cancel may reflect how its performance measures against production costs or the nature of broadcast-style series on streaming platforms.

Showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer expressed that the cancellation was sudden, stating: "It's hard to put into words what Criminal Minds has meant to all of us who have been fortunate enough to be part of this extraordinary journey, first on CBS for 15 seasons and then on Paramount+ for five. While suddenly navigating the end of this chapter, I'm filled with gratitude for our remarkable cast, writers, directors and crew who have poured their hearts into this show, and for the incredible fans around the world whose unwavering loyalty has kept Criminal Minds going for two decades."

The current cast includes Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez, Paget Brewster, and RJ Hatanaka. Matthew Gray Gubler, who played Spencer Reid in the original series, has guest-starred in Evolution but is not part of the main cast. Criminal Minds: Evolution is the last of its kind on Paramount+ following previous cancellations of broadcast-style revivals including SEAL Team, Frasier, and NCIS: Tony & Zeta.

With a combined 20 seasons, Criminal Minds will rank tied for the fifth-longest-running drama series in television history, behind Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order, NCIS, and Grey's Anatomy—all of which remain in production. The series spawned two short-lived spinoffs during its original run: Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (one season) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (two seasons).