Criminal Minds: Season 14; CBS Crime Drama Renewed — Will It Be the End??

The case is still open on Criminal Minds. Despite being on the bubble once again this year, the crime procedural series has been renewed for a 14th season. But, could this be the show’s last year?

Airing on the CBS television network, Criminal Minds stars Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, Daniel Henney, and Aisha Tyler. This season, Shemar Moore guest stars. The series follows the FBI’s elite Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) out of Quantico, Virginia. The BAU remains dedicated to understanding predators’ motive and triggers, in order to stop them before they strike again.

A Look at the Ratings: 

Over the years, Criminal Minds has slipped quite a bit in the ratings but the numbers have dropped significantly this season. Season 13 averaged a 0.99 rating in the 18-49 demo and 5.73 million viewers.

For comparison, season 12 of Criminal Minds averaged a 1.39 rating in the 18-49 demo and 7.466 million viewers. That’s a 29% drop in the demo and a 23% drop in viewers for the CBS series.

There has been talk about this potentially being a final season of 13 episodes to give the long-running series a proper sendoff. We’ll likely know more next week, when CBS has their upfront presentation on Wednesday. For now, fans can rest easy knowing that the season-ending cliffhanger will be picked up in the show’s season 14 opener — episode 300 of the series.

All told, today CBS cancelled two TV shows: Superior Donuts and Scorpion. The network also renewed five series: Criminal Minds (season 14); Man With a Plan (season three); Life in Pieces (season four); Instinct (season two); and Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (season two).

UPDATE: CBS has cancelled Kevin Can Wait and has renewed Elementary for season seven.

What do you think? Are you a fan of Criminal Minds? Are you glad that it’s been renewed for a 14th season? Should this be the end?