‘Criminal Minds’ is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis, and is the original show in the Criminal Minds franchise. (Photo : Facebook / Criminal Minds)
"Criminal Minds" Season 11 is set to air its finale on May 4, Tuesday. The show will end with an explosive episode 22 titled "The Storm," which will see Hotch being framed. Meanwhile, fans are wondering whether there will be a Season 12 for the CBS police procedural and when will premiere. Read on for the detailed scoop.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for "Criminal Minds." Do not read further if you don't wish to know more about it.]
The American crime drama that is set to wrap up its Season 11 is yet to be renewed for Season 12. "Criminal Minds" fate is still in a limbo as the channel is yet to make an official announcement.
Recently, CBS released a list of renewed series. However, "Criminal Minds" did not figure in the list. According to the Deadline, the long-running crime drama is a strong performer and it is expected to be back once CBS and ABC Studios work out a new licence deal.
In the meantime, media outlets are speculating whether "Criminal Minds" will return for Season 12 or not. Considering its ratings, there is a feeling that the show will be back.
So when will "Criminal Minds" Season 12 episode 1 air? If the show follows its schedule for the previous seasons, it is expected to premiere either in the last week of September or first week of October. So, the possible airdate could either be Sept. 28 or Oct. 5.
Fans must note that these are mere speculations. The actual airdate for "Criminal Minds" Season 12 episode 1 will be revealed after the show is officially renewed.
In the meantime, showrunner Erica Messer teased a cliffhanger ending to "Criminal Minds" Season 11 episode 22 (finale). The cliffhanger ending is expected to do the groundwork for Season 12 opener. Thus, episode 1 is expected to resolve the cliffhanger and see the team prove Hotch has been framed.
"It's a very team-centric episode because 'stuff' is hitting the fan and we're at the center of it," Messer told TV Line. "It's not a 'bomb goes off/who survives?' cliffhanger, but, 'Oh my god, we thought we won,' and then, 'Oh no, we're just getting started. It's a really fun, fresh way to launch into Season 12."
In "Criminal Minds" Season 11 episode 22 (finale), Hotch is taken into custody by a SWAT Team. He is suspected of a conspiracy. The BAU comes together to bring out the truth and uncover the real culprit. However, there is more than meets the eye. As the team begins the investigation, they find out cues pointing out at a larger sinister plot. Scroll down to watch a promo video for the finale.
"Criminal Minds" Season 11 finale airs May 4 at 9:00 pm on CBS. Stay tuned for more season 12 spoilers and updates.
UPDATE
In a recent interview with TV Guide, Messer has revealed what "Criminal Minds" Season 12 looks like. "It's going to be a really fun, different year," she said. "I feel like with our amazing fan base who watches every week, you can get away with a little more serialized storytelling than when we started the series. We're excited to catch these bad guys all over again. Some we will have known, like Mr. Scratch, and others will be bad guys that maybe some of the team hasn't caught before. That allows us to have some creative license. And of course there will be our case of the week that may or may not be running parallel with catching a guy who escaped. I feel like, going into Season 12, we've had more opportunities for stories than we've had in a really long time," she added.
