Is Shemar Moore Coming Back to Criminal Minds? Is Derek Morgan Returning?

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With Shemar Moore’s CBS police procedural S.W.A.T. coming to an end, fans are wondering if the actor will reprise his role as Derek Morgan on Criminal Minds: Evolution. We have all the details below.

Created by Jeff Davis, Criminal Minds was CBS’ popular crime drama that ran from September 2005 to February 2020. It followed a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). The series was immensely successful and inspired multiple spinoffs, including Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. In 2022, the show was rebooted on Paramount Plus as Criminal Minds: Evolution and multiple original cast members returned, including Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss), Aisha Tyler (Tara Lewis), A.J. Cook (Jennifer “JJ” Jareau) and Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia), among others. 

Moore, who starred on all 14 seasons of the original show as Derek Morgan, opted not to return to the series and instead focused on his other CBS series S.W.A.T., which heads into its seventh and final season on Feb. 16, 2024. Now that the actor’s schedule has freed up, fans are hoping to see him return to Criminal Minds as Morgan. Keep reading to find out if Shemar Moore is joining the cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution. 

Is Shemar Moore returning to Criminal Minds?

Is Shemar Moore returning to Criminal Minds? Although there are no official plans for Moore to join the cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution, we’re not ruling it out just yet, and neither is he.

While speaking to TV Insider in February 2024 about S.W.A.T. ending, Moore revealed that he would be interested in returning to Criminal Minds, noting: “All I need is an invitation.” He added that he always remembers his roots, which include his starring role as Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless. “I never forget where I came from,” he explained. “I’ve gone back to the soap opera which started my career three or four times. It started with The Young and the Restless, and then it was Criminal Minds. And that’s my evolution … Without The Young and the Restless, there’s no Criminal Minds, and without Criminal Minds, there’s no S.W.A.T.”

He continued, “Obviously my schedule’s crazy, but if we were able to get creative and I got an invitation, if they asked me to come visit, I would definitely do that.”

The second season of Criminal Minds: Evolution is currently in production and nearly every cast member is set to return, including Mantegna, Cook, Vangsness, Tyler, Brewster, Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez), Zach Gilford (Elias Voit) and Ryan-James Hatanaka (Tyler Green). Josh Stewart, who recurred as JJ’s husband Will LaMontagne Jr., will not be returning.

In addition to Moore, fans also want to see Matthew Gray Gubler return to the series as fan-favorite Spencer Reid. During an October 2023 appearance on  The Six O’Clock Show, Gubler also said he would be interested in returning to the show. “Of course! I would be honored. I would absolutely love that,” he said, noting that the reason he hasn’t been involved yet is due to timing. “They did a newer spin-off of the show, but it was filming during a time when I was shooting something else,” he said. “But I can’t wait — hopefully it will soon work out.”

While fans patiently wait for both Gubler and Moore to rejoin the Criminal Minds universe, they can watch Moore in the final season of S.W.A.T.

S.W.A.T. Season 7 premieres on Feb. 16, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST and new episodes can be streamed on Paramount+ the next day.

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