Paramount+ Officially Nerfs Criminal Minds’ Most Badass Character

Published Aug 1, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT Ana Dumaraog is a Writer and Editor at Screen Rant, where she expertly covers Network TV offerings, among other things She has spearheaded the effort to make the site an authority on broadcast shows, initially starting with The Big Bang Theory franchise, NCIS, and One Chicago before taking on the specialization in general. Ana has also covered a wide-spread of topics in the past — from franchises like, the MCU and Star Wars, to classic TV favorites, such as Frasier and MASH. Ana brings clarity and enthusiasm to every story she tackles—whether reporting on new releases or offering deep dives into fan-favorite franchises. Her coverage translates complex entertainment developments into engaging, audience-focused content. After four years on Paramount+, Criminal Minds has officially nerfed its most badass character from the Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime procedural was already a network TV legend before it moved to streaming. More impressively, it's one of the very few instances that a revival has successfully transitioned to a different platform. Rebranded as Evolution, it's difficult to believe that at some point, the planned Criminal Minds streaming reboot seemed like it was never going to happen. For all intents and purposes, Evolution is a continuation of the show's original run on CBS. Paramount+ has preserved the core Criminal Minds cast, with the majority of the characters coming from its network TV predecessor. Granted the format change and grittier tone, any procedural fan can still find the appeal of watching the BAU analyze the minds of some of the most notorious killers in the hopes of catching them. Despite Paramount+ clearly happy with its viewership, the revival has officially nerfed arguably the coolest and sharpest profilers in the series. Criminal Minds Season 19 Severely Underutilized Emily Prentiss On the heels of Aaron Hotchner's abrupt exit because of Thomas Gibson's firing, CBS had to come up with a way to move Criminal Minds forward. That included choosing the next BAU Chief. Instead of relying on the existing members at that time, the series elected to bring back Paget Brewster's Emily Prentiss, who was apparently handpicked by Hotch to replace him. She's had the gig since then and into Evolution's era, and as great as she is in managing the team, it has become undeniable in Criminal Minds season 19 how much her character has been nerfed. As properly laid out during the CBS series, Prentiss has one of the most interesting backgrounds in Criminal Minds. The daughter of an ambassador and a graduate of Yale, she's well-versed in geopolitics and international relations, which are all useful when dealing with the brass at FBI. Beyond that, she's also a skilled spy. One of, if not her best arc was going undercover to get to the inner circle of weapons dealer, Ian Doyle. Unfortunately, we barely see any of that anymore since she became the BAU Chief, and it has gotten worse in season 19, as the cycle mainly keeps her in the office or dealing with managerial matters. It's utterly disappointing to see this, and it needs to change moving forward. Criminal Minds Severely Underutilizes Emily Prentiss Moving forward, this needs to change. While Elias Voit's story is effectively done, as confirmed by Zach Gilford himself, it doesn't mean that Criminal Minds will automatically resolve all the storytelling issues that have plagued it throughout its run. That said, it's definitely going to help, as leaving Sicarius in the past opens doors for something new. This means that revamping Prentiss' story — from someone mostly stuck inside the office and giving out orders to an active agent on the field. Perhaps Criminal Minds season 20 brings back someone from her past, prompting her to go undercover again while the rest of the BAU deals with the procedural aspect of Evolution. Otherwise, the project could also just expand Prentiss' role beyond the halls of the FBI headquarters in a way that she can showcase her spy abilities. Whatever the case may be, Paramount+ and Criminal Minds need to realize that they are underutilizing one of the best characters in the show, and they need to do something about it. Criminal Minds 8/10 Release Date September 22, 2005 Network CBS, Paramount+ Cast Kirsten Vangsness Penelope Garcia Matthew Gray Gubler Dr. Spencer Reid