criminalxminds | Exciting Casting News For Next Season

EXCLUSIVE: JJ fans can rejoice. After a week of negotiations, A.J. Cook just closed a two-year deal to return to CBS' drama Criminal Minds as a regular. She will guest star in the series' sixth season finale on May 18 before re-joining the show full-time in the fall.

Cook departed Criminal Minds after the end of last season when her option was not picked up, stirring outcry among fans of the show. She appeared in the first two episodes of this season to wrap the storyline of her character JJ, who was transferred from the BAU to a job at the Pentagon. Cook then returned for the last episode of the season for co-star Paget Brewster, which aired last month. If Brewster's NBC comedy pilot My Life As An Experiment does not go to series, she will also likely return to Criminal Minds in the fall since series' producer ABC Studios has an option on her. Cook's return to Criminal Minds does not bode well for newly minted regular Rachel Nichols, who was brought in to fill the void left by Cook's departure. Meanwhile, ABC Studios is yet to close new deals with original cast members Thomas Gibson and Shemar Moore for next season, with negotiations continuing.

Cook was offered to return to Criminal Minds late last week after the series' producers recently came up with ideas for JJ for next season. Despite her exit from the show, Cook and her character continued to be extremely popular among Criminal Minds fans. Heading into Season 7, Criminal Minds will be run solely by executive producer Erica Masser following the recent departures of executive producers Ed Bernero and Simon Mirren, who have served as co-showrunners with her this season.

Source

ETA: AJ Cook tweeted and confirmed it!

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I don't know. I'm hoping that they don't drop her, because doing that would basically be furthering the "Oh, female characters / actresses are interchangeable and expendable!" attitude the network has. And also because Seaver has just started to get some great characterization, and I would love to see them build on it.

Rachel is also a sweetheart who fits in perfectly with the cast, so I hope she doesn't get screwed in all of this.

Also...JJ and Seaver bamfing around with guns? Me gusta.

I've never really had that issue, and neither have most of the viewers I talk to. I really don't see why they can't both stay on the show.

Nina Tassler actually came out and said that AJ and Paget were both fired because they wanted to make the show edgier like the spin-off. (If anyone has a link to this please let me know? I read it but don't have it anymore.) And, seeing how the spin-off turned out, well...likely-to-be-cancelled.

I know, right? The whole situation is ridiculous. I honestly wouldn't have faulted either of them for not wanting to come back after how they were treated, though I'm obviously ecstatic about AJ coming back.

I watched the first CM:SB episode and it was just...ugh.

They look too similar to me, too. I don't think keeping them both is practical unless they do something drastic with Rachel Nichols' hair and looks.

The spinoff would be a better place for her character anyway, but it looks like that's about to be cancelled.

Things that are different: Eyes, facial structure, mouth, nose, actual shade of eyes/hair

Things that are the same: Being pretty white women with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Really not trying to pick a fight here, but they really don't look like twins, and I really don't think it's fair to say Rachel has to change her appearance to stay on the show.

Alright, fair enough. I still personally don't think she should have to change her appearance, especially when the personalities/roles of the characters are different enough to distinguish them from each other.

Ahhhh sorry, I'm a little aggressive about this because I'm a Rachel Nichols fan and she gets a lot of hate. It gets a little hard to distinguish jokes from people who are being serious after a while.

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x-forgetromeo.livejournal.com - 2011-04-16 05:05 (UTC) - Expand

For what it's worth, as someone who likes both of them, I have some trouble physically distinguishing them, too, just because I have poor facial recognition in general. I largely have to rely on cues like clothing, posture, roles, etc.

Of course, since those cues are present in abundance any time one of them is playing a central role in a scene, it ends up not being much of an issue, but I get it when people have that problem.

Me too ç___ç I was looking at some caps and was completely convinced it was Reid, Morgan, Penelope and JJ. It took someone writing down the names for me to realize it was actually Seaver.

They could move her to SB?

I don't know if that one is being renewed or not, but hey.

I really don't see why she can't just stay on Criminal Minds.

And SB is most likely getting cancelled.

SB most likely getting cancelled is a rumour, your hope or fact?

Just wondering:)

I was finally starting to like Seaver. :K Hope she doesn't leave.

BUT Jayje's coming back! And now we can see how she handles the whole Prentiss thing and and and her and Will or her and Reid or her and Hotch and YES!

I'm really hoping they keep Rachel! They're finally starting to tap into Seaver's potential, and I don't want to lose her this fast.

But yes oh my god I had a near melt-down after "Lauren" in part because I was so frustrated at the amazing JJ story-lines it opened up that couldn't be pursued. AND NOW THEY CAN BE!

Complete agreement here. In my opinion the show would be much better if there were an equal number of women to men. But when does that ever happen on TV?!

And I also love Rachel Nichols. Her character wasn't great at first, but then I think CM has a history of characters not being so great at first but slowly developing over time (Prentiss, for example). I want to give Seaver enough time to develop the same way.

I haven't really warmed up to Seaver, but I have to agree with you regarding CM's history of introducing characters. I liked Prentiss from the start, but it's taken me three seasons to properly warm up to Rossi. For all I know, she'll turn into a character I like. I didn't even like JJ or Morgan at first, not for about four or five episodes, and now I like both of them.

The Lady 529

I don't know how comfortable the actors would feel, but I think JJ and Seaver would get along really well.