Season 10 Spoilers, Speculation, and Stabs in the Dark!

[ForeverAlone]

Well, if Jennifer is not coming back to Criminal Minds, we will know for sure next week. I can see it going either way, though it honestly would not surprise me if Jennifer chose to leave. I do believe she was signed to a two year contract, so if she is leaving, I bet it is because she wants to focus more on being a mom than working. 

[Danielg342]

Right now, it would seem pretty stupid not to give us an 11th season, even if it's shortened. For a show that's been on this long, cancelling it just wouldn't seem right, especially when none of us anticipated it (unlike, say, CSI: New York).

Then again, there have been worse decisions made...and it wouldn't be the first time a CM show ended in a cliffhanger.

[Russet29]

Season 11 would be a sure thing if it weren't for contract negotiations. CBS hasn't done a particularly good job at launching new dramas recently and CM has both the youngest skewing audience within the demo and the highest percentage of female viewers. That's all good stuff for advertisers. Apparently us women spend money more frivolously than men.

[Bookish Jen]

I don't agree. You know this for a fact, do you?

 

I'm of the opinion If they don't care about Reid, then I doubt they care about his fanbase. If they listen to anyone it isn't the spelling-challenged screamers on facebook... it's the people who pay the bills. The sponsors. 

"Spelling-challenged screamers on facebook." How very apt! So true. In the CM world of social media I pretty much only follow CM via Facebook and Matthew's various social media. I'm still CM's bitch, and I adore Matthew more than he love a pair of mismatched socks. However, the so-called comments left by the spelling-challenged screamers make me want to go medievel with my Wusthof. And I bet a  lot of them aren't necessarily tweens or teens. I know plenty of tweens and teens whose wisdom, kindness, maturity and empathy surpass their tender years. And I know some middle-aged women whose mentality never got past the training bra stage (I'm looking in your direction Chicks on the Right).

 

So thank goodness I found this place with all of you wonderful people. We can discuss CM with a great deal of gravitas and a serious dollop of humor. Hugs to you all!

[Danielg342]

*hugs Bookish Jen*

[normasm]

Bookish - hugs for you and respect for your Wusthof

[Bookish Jen]

Bookish - hugs for you and respect for your Wusthof

My Wusthof would like respond to you by saying, "Preach!!!!" Note: This is not my actual Wusthof.

[zannej]

I've found through social media that bad spelling and immaturity have no age limits.

I don't know about JLH, but its looking like Shemar's contract negotiations might not be working out. He's been posting stuff that is hinting that he's leaving. I think the didn't want to offer him as much money as he wanted. It could be a negotiating tactic with him threatening to walk if they don't give in and showing that he's serious about it. Honestly, the show can survive without him. I think elsewhere someone suggested that Eva LaRue could replace him.

 

I don't want him to leave, but I won't cry if he goes.

[normasm]

In social media's defense, bad spelling sometimes is a result of bad button-pressing and autocorrect. I'm just saying, unless i'm on my computer keyboard, i'm not fully responsible for my misspells and syntax drops. Heck half the time on my computer I type "i" for "I". Jes sayin'.

[Bookish Jen]

I've found through social media that bad spelling and immaturity have no age limits.

I don't know about JLH, but its looking like Shemar's contract negotiations might not be working out. He's been posting stuff that is hinting that he's leaving. I think the didn't want to offer him as much money as he wanted. It could be a negotiating tactic with him threatening to walk if they don't give in and showing that he's serious about it. Honestly, the show can survive without him. I think elsewhere someone suggested that Eva LaRue could replace him.

 

I don't want him to leave, but I won't cry if he goes.

I may have not been the biggest Morgan fan, but I think Shemar is just a lovely. His friendship with Matthew makes me feel all tender-hearted.

In social media's defense, bad spelling sometimes is a result of bad button-pressing and autocorrect. I'm just saying, unless i'm on my computer keyboard, i'm not fully responsible for my misspells and syntax drops. Heck half the time on my computer I type "i" for "I". Jes sayin'.

Yep, this happens sometimes when I text, but I think some of the Screaming Mimis at various social media have the collective IQ of a baked potato.

[Danielg342]

I've found through social media that bad spelling and immaturity have no age limits.

I don't know about JLH, but its looking like Shemar's contract negotiations might not be working out. He's been posting stuff that is hinting that he's leaving. I think the didn't want to offer him as much money as he wanted. It could be a negotiating tactic with him threatening to walk if they don't give in and showing that he's serious about it. Honestly, the show can survive without him. I think elsewhere someone suggested that Eva LaRue could replace him.

 

I don't want him to leave, but I won't cry if he goes.

 

The only thing I see is a Tweet about "the next chapter"- which can mean anything. His movie is coming out, and I don't think it's a bad idea for him to look for other projects right now because, likely, CM has only a few seasons left. If he's in negotiations then certainly he wants to stick around.

[normasm]

I will be sad if Shemar goes, I'll admit. The show, as JMO calls the collective powers that be, has done a bad job of keeping Morgan engaged with anyone but Garcia, especially this season. He used to have that special relationship with Reid, antagonism but respect with Hotch, and of course, trust and friendship with Princess, uh, Prentiss. When he had to, the character stepped up, he was all about stepping up when needed. And, yeah, i like that little bit of macho vibe he brings (not the silly sextalk he has with Garcia, but the take-charge attitude and masculine confidence that contrasts so nicely with Reid's reticence and beta-ness).

Edited April 30, 2015 by normasm

[Droogie]

I would miss Morgan if Shemar left. I wonder what that would mean for Spencer. I loved their bromance; it hasn't been as prevalent lately as in seasons past (although we saw a hint in Nelson's Sparrow), but the implication is there.

However: half the time I don't know what the hell Shemar is talking about on his Instagram and Twitter. Tons of meaningless platitudes and goings-on about "growth" and change and whatever else... thinking the guy just likes to hear himself talk.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Droogie

[zannej]

Here is the post: https://twitter.com/shemarmoore/status/593117529066840064

 

It sort of seems to be hinting to me that the aren't offering him what he thinks he's worth and he's threatening to walk away (or already has).

 

And I would actually be happy if JLH returns next season-- although if both leave then they can replace both of them with a single female ethnic minority character.

Edited May 1, 2015 by zannej

[zannej]

I imagine there will be car chases and shootouts and maybe some explosions.. all the boring stuff.. And probably a lot of unsubs being shown terrorizing the victims while the team have their thumbs up their butts.

 

I predict that Garcia will wail about what awful baddest of the bad guys they are and about the poor innocent children and how worried she is and how sensitive she is to the plight of children.

 

I also predict there will be at least one person firing a gun and laughing and/or smiling and possibly someone filming it or themselves because Janine is the primary writer.

Edited May 1, 2015 by zannej

[spinner33]

Action! Hype! Drama of all dramas! One of our own will be in danger!!!!!

You know? If they would just write quality work, they wouldn't have to lie to entice fans to watch the finales. I would want to watch if I thought it was worth an hour.

[formerlyfreedom]

Let's get back to talking about the show, and away from talking about the real life actors and actresses in here. Thanks!

[MCatry]

I just watched the promo for 'the hunt'.

It doesn't look promising at all.

[Saje]

I think we pretty much new all the core cast was returning.

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/06/jennifer-love-hewitt-exits-criminal-minds-season11

[ForeverAlone]

This really isn't a spoiler, but just some talk about possible ideas for season 11 and more talk about Jennifer's departure.

http://www.tvguide.com/news/criminal-minds-finale-jennifer-love-hewitt-exit-erica-messer/

[missmycat]

Not adding another cast member and just opting for a smaller cast seems to be the one thing that EM and many of us agree on.So I do hope CBS will at least give it ago with a smaller cast. I did find it interesting that Erica Messer herself noted that having to introduce a new character takes away from the long time characters.

Now while I agree with her in part, it should be duly noted that Ed Bernero and the earlier writers didn't seem to have that problem. Perhaps if EM and these writers stopped giving so damn much screen time/focus to the unsubs, they could give the long time members more screen time regardless whether or not a new character is introduced.

Edited May 7, 2015 by missmycat

[Racbec]

Thanks for the link to that article, ForeverAlone.  Messer is certainly talking like a season 11 is a done deal.  If there is a season 11, I hope they don't introduce any new characters, and I hope AJ takes a nice, long maternity leave.

[Russet29]

It definitely seems like EM understands what the fans want with regards to no more new team members. I'm sure she feels the need to point this out in interviews so if she's forced to write in a new character the fans understand it's something that came from the network. There's something off about that interview. The person conducting it seems like a bit of a fangirl. I appreciate when an interviewer knows the show they're supposed to be talking about but this woman came off like a JJ and Reid shipper. Maybe it's just me but it felt like a fan site was running the interview.

[normasm]

This is good news, potentially, from the article FA shared: 

Do you have any other general ideas percolating for Season 11?

Messer: Because it's Season 11, we want to focus on them a little bit more. That's why I think it might also be a good idea to leave [the position] open so we don't have to spend time introducing a new character for fans, but really dive into these people we've known and loved for 10 years. I think there are also conversations to be had about people who have come and gone in the past 10 years and bringing people back. It's just the acknowledgment of this is what happens after 10 years of working somewhere and people do come and go. It's like what we did with Gideon -- in that case and writing to the reality of that. I think we'll be seeing more familiar faces next year.

 

Oh, if only they would leave the position unfilled, have occasional guests, but focus on the core team. Morgan can stay, JJ can pop in and out, then come back later full-time. Spencer can be finding a full life outside the BAU (not all of which we have to see), Hotch can get a lot more focus than in the recent past…. it could work out well...

[Droogie]

This is good news, potentially, from the article FA shared: 

Do you have any other general ideas percolating for Season 11?

Messer: Because it's Season 11, we want to focus on them a little bit more. That's why I think it might also be a good idea to leave [the position] open so we don't have to spend time introducing a new character for fans, but really dive into these people we've known and loved for 10 years. I think there are also conversations to be had about people who have come and gone in the past 10 years and bringing people back. It's just the acknowledgment of this is what happens after 10 years of working somewhere and people do come and go. It's like what we did with Gideon -- in that case and writing to the reality of that. I think we'll be seeing more familiar faces next year.

 

Oh, if only they would leave the position unfilled, have occasional guests, but focus on the core team. Morgan can stay, JJ can pop in and out, then come back later full-time. Spencer can be finding a full life outside the BAU (not all of which we have to see), Hotch can get a lot more focus than in the recent past…. it could work out well...

It could. I'll wait for a bit to fan my glowing ember of hope into a full-on bonfire. But I so much want everything you mention.

[smoker]

ok, this is something between clear my head and an autopsy. Sorry for any grammar mistake.

To me, the key is in the writing and the casting. They were pretty lucky: they had a cast with a great chemistry and that has give the show a great balance when there were weak writings or weak perfonmances (some are better than others), and the timing for procedurals was really good too. But loosing two members in season 6 plus a decay in the storytelling. They're still trying to fix that mess and you can't fix a bleed in an artery with one band-aid.

Maybe thinking about it, the first huge mistake was give Garcia more time to cover for JJ absence. I wish they had cover that liasson spot with the same care they did when Elle let the team. Moreover, Garcia is the type of character you love or hate and giving her more time didn't help with the haters. 

I know it's pretty easier point out faults when you are a viewer than when you are doing a job (shippings aside, I'm totally biased when it's about Hotch but I understand is not his show only). But I think there is a time to restore something instead of keep trying a quick fix before the whole thing starts falling apart. 

The second huge mistake, in my opinion, of course, it's the change of personality of JJ, make her a tomboy to pair her with morgan and cover for Prentiss doesn't work. Elle and Prentiss were tough women in their on fashion (and both worked with Morgan a lot). I think JJ didn't need chage her character to change her job, the evolve from liasson to profiler felt organic but where is the empathy and the compasion? Morgan is the angry guy, the less suportive and less open minded (but with Garcia) being even agressive with his team mates when he disagrees with them (even with Garcia). Having another character in the team who is exuding negative feelings is not good for the show.

 

Finally, as a fan, the thing goes deeper under my skin with procedurals is the way they pee on continuity,  there is something called mythology of the show, and it matters. Let writers change history to fix a storyline is one of the laziest and disrespectful things a long running show can do.

 

So my wishes for next season are good writing and good writing, because that leads in brilliant acting, and then it wouln't matter what character got more or less time in one episode. I just want to enjoy the episode and no just fishing good scenes here and there.

 

well, I guess all that rambling lands in "stabs in the dark" xP
 

One last thing, this is just one point of view, no mean to offend anyone and any feedback is welcome 

Edited May 8, 2015 by smoker

[zannej]

I agree with you, smoker. Btw, do you mind if I ask what your native language is?

It's always nice to "meet" people from other places who speak other languages and still have common interests.

I wish I could have more contribution on this, but my brain is in a fuzz.

 

I do hope that they don't rush to replace any of the characters next season.

[smoker]

Not at all Zannej, I'm from Spain.

And I also hope they do their homework and don't rush anything :D

[Cobalt Stargazer]

The second huge mistake, in my opinion, of course, it's the change of personality of JJ, make her a tomboy to pair her with morgan and cover for Prentiss doesn't work. Elle and Prentiss were tough women in their on fashion (and both worked with Morgan a lot). I think JJ didn't need chage her character to change her job, the evolve from liasson to profiler felt organic but where is the empathy and the compasion? Morgan is the angry guy, the less suportive and less open minded (but with Garcia) being even agressive with his team mates when he disagrees with them (even with Garcia). Having another character in the team who is exuding negative feelings is not good for the show.

 

On that note, here's a conundrum.

 

If AJ had left a second time but Paget had stayed, would the Suits have insisted that she be replaced, thus bringing Jeanne (or someone else, come to that) on-board? Because they sort of did that when they hired Rachel Nichols, only Seaver was I'm pretty sure only meant to be a temporary character. Which was good, because she was more or less a bust. If they had replaced Cook with Tripplehorn, would AJ's fans have been more reasonable than Paget's about their favorite no longer being around, thus giving Alex Blake a chance as a character?

 

I realize that everyone isn't going to be happy with everything all the time, because life - and television - doesn't work that way. And fandom is nothing if not a vicious beast when its displeased. But I do wonder if things had shaken out differently - if JJ had not somehow had Morgan's personality transplanted into her body, if Paget hadn't left, if the screamier portion of the fanbase hadn't flipped their shit because she left, if Jeanne had been given more than a half-assed shot to make a mark with the cast, if any number of things - would things be in better shape than they are now? CM is a fairly small fandom, at least in comparison to something like Supernatural or even BTVS, which weeds out a fair amount of the more strident voices, and yet....well...

 

These are the kinds of things I think about when its seven a.m. and I'm running on coffee 'cause I couldn't go to sleep.

[Nibbio]

On that note, here's a conundrum.

 

If AJ had left a second time but Paget had stayed, would the Suits have insisted that she be replaced, thus bringing Jeanne (or someone else, come to that) on-board? Because they sort of did that when they hired Rachel Nichols, only Seaver was I'm pretty sure only meant to be a temporary character. Which was good, because she was more or less a bust. If they had replaced Cook with Tripplehorn, would AJ's fans have been more reasonable than Paget's about their favorite no longer being around, thus giving Alex Blake a chance as a character?

 

I realize that everyone isn't going to be happy with everything all the time, because life - and television - doesn't work that way. And fandom is nothing if not a vicious beast when its displeased. But I do wonder if things had shaken out differently - if JJ had not somehow had Morgan's personality transplanted into her body, if Paget hadn't left, if the screamier portion of the fanbase hadn't flipped their shit because she left, if Jeanne had been given more than a half-assed shot to make a mark with the cast, if any number of things - would things be in better shape than they are now? CM is a fairly small fandom, at least in comparison to something like Supernatural or even BTVS, which weeds out a fair amount of the more strident voices, and yet....well...

 

These are the kinds of things I think about when its seven a.m. and I'm running on coffee 'cause I couldn't go to sleep.

So much true words...

[Russet29]

Since we don't have a season 11 thread I'll post this here.

http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/criminal_minds_season_11_aj_cook_pregnancy_interview-2015-05

Not a ton of new information but EM somewhat confirms that AJC will miss the first five episodes of next season.

[missmycat]

Since we don't have a season 11 thread I'll post this here.

http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/criminal_minds_season_11_aj_cook_pregnancy_interview-2015-05

Not a ton of new information but EM somewhat confirms that AJC will miss the first five episodes of next season.

I wish that would mean some kind of guarantee that Hotch, and Reid even more so, will get some really good screen time/focus.However I am not willing to bet even as little as 1 lousy penny on it. My fear is that EM is going to feel compelled to make it up to AJ/JJ and her fans when she finally does comeback. So I guess some of us can look forward to feeling like she is once again being shoved down are throats. I apologize for being so damn cynical about this. I will admit that part of it is due to my anger over the fact that Reid has pretty much had to take a backseat these last couple of seasons. I mean for crying out loud isn't Garcia only suppose to be a part time character at best, and yet nowadays she is way more guaranteed to get a story line/centric episode than Reid is.

[Bookish Jen]

Well, I'm glad that the cast/characters has been whittled down to something more manageable. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this will lead to a better season 11.

 

And truly hope EM and her typing buffaloes (aka as the "writers") learn to appreciate their talented cast. CM features a cast that has true chemistry. And I know they are pretty tight off-screen. Matthew and Shemar's bro-mance makes me feel all tender-hearted.

[normasm]

Should we start a new thread for season 11, since it's officially renewed?

[thewhiteowl]

Should we start a new thread for season 11, since it's officially renewed?

 

 Okay.

[Mislav]

When season ten first aired, I found it to be the worst yet. But now I think it might have been the last "reasonably good" season of "Criminal Minds" (though a significant decline from season nine). Probably because it is the last one that still had the old team (minus Emily). And at least it had five episodes I genuinely liked ("Hashtag", "Amelia Porter", "Nelson's Sparrow", "Rock Creek Park", "Mr. Scratch"). Since then, I am lucky if I end up genuinely enjoying two or three episodes per season.

 

 

I think "Criminal Minds" has had four main eras, quality wise: 

 

1. seasons 1-5 (great TV, decent character development, interesting and realistic cases, lots of profiling)

 

2. seasons 6-9 (some big ups and downs, less profiling, more casting changes, cases are getting more bizarre, but still pretty good and fairly realistic)

 

3. season 10 (an obvious decline from season nine, but there's still hope)

 

4. season 11 onwards (Please stop. Please.)

 

 

But I gotta say: other than "Nelson's Sparrow" and "Mr. Scratch", season ten was pure camp. Human trafficking ring selling abducted victims to serial killers (and body parts to really weird fetishists). Guy killing people based on Dante's "Inferno". Unsub convinced that there are bugs living under his skin. Murderous Cinderella. Selfie-killer. The unsub who gets off on watching people freeze to death. Guy blows up a restaurant just so he could play a hero and impress his wife. That episode inspired by "50 Shades of Grey". Rossi finds out he actually has a daughter-and a grandson. Reid bonds with a cute redhead while they both surveil Russian mobsters. Wylie from "Mentalist" as a deranged delusional spree killer. Shit was off the hook.