A major character leaving a TV show is always a bad event for its fans, especially when for a show that’s been on the screen as long as “Criminal Minds”. Judging by the responses online, many fans have grown quite attached to the character of Derek Morgan, and according to the show’s executive producer, the event will have an impact on certain characters on the screen as well.
The producer talked about one character in particular – Spencer Reid – who will apparently face a lot of trouble trying to adapt to the absence of Morgan. Others will clearly not take the development lightly either, and we expect that the general tone of the show will shift towards something a bit darker and more serious over the next episodes. Whether or not this theme will remain until the end of the season is hard to tell, but fans of “Criminal Minds” should definitely prepare for a more emotional set of episodes in the near future.
Derek’s character has been an integral part of the production ever since its beginning, and it will be hard to imagine things without him in the next episodes. But it wouldn’t be the first show that has had to adapt to such a serious change, so we are confident that the producers of “Criminal Minds” will find a way to get things in order in the absence of Shemar Moore.
As to why this is all happening – the main question on the minds of many fans right now, without doubt – the reason apparently lies within Moore himself. The actor reportedly wants to develop his career further, something which he feels he can’t do while remaining attached to “Criminal Minds”. Because of this, he has chosen to pursue his success elsewhere hoping that he will be able to develop even more.
The show still performs very well with its viewers and critics, so now is actually not a bad time to introduce changes like this one. Fans are more likely to be in a mood to accept something so drastic, and there are even some voices in online discussions claiming that this move could ultimately prove beneficial to “Criminal Minds”.
That is, if the producers handle the upcoming episodes properly and manage to fill the void left by the departure of Derek. Currently, there are reports that a new member is going to join the cast in the future, possibly even in a main role.
However, fans curious to see the new character will unfortunately have to wait until the end of season 11. Reports indicate that the producers are looking at the premiere of season 12 as an attractive opportunity to introduce the new character, so we don’t expect any major developments on that front until then. This makes sense too, as it would give the show’s crew some time to readjust things and let the dust settle before bringing in someone else. But who exactly will play the new role?
It’s not hard to guess that fans have been very active in discussing the possibilities and trying to figure out who the new actor is going to be, with various names circulating in those threads. Still, it’s not even clear if the casting for that character has been done yet. There are reports that Sherry Stringfield is going to join the show for at least a few episodes, but it’s not likely that he will be the replacement for Derek Morgan.