'Criminal Minds' Season 11 News, Spoilers: Showrunner Previews Paget Brewster's Return
Following the announcement of long-time team member Derek Morgan's (Shemar Moore) impending exit from the CBS police procedural crime drama, "Criminal Minds" will soon see the return of a beloved character.
Paget Brewster, who played Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss on the show, will return for a guest appearance in Wednesday's episode, titled "Tribute."
Prentiss first appeared in "Criminal Minds" in season 2 and was apparently killed in a season 6 episode before it was revealed in that season's finale that she had survived. The character later reappeared in the season 7 finale before making her last appearance in season 9.
In "Tribute," Prentiss, an Interpol agent, will seek help from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit when evidence emerges that an international serial killer she has been tracking overseas has made his/her way to the United States. In the episode, the BAU will also be dealing with Supervisory Special Agent Morgan's departure.
In a recent interview with TVLine, "Criminal Minds" showrunner Erica Messer spoke about Prentiss' impending return, saying, "She has been dealing with a copycat killer that she came really close to catching in London, where he was copying Jack the Ripper."
"She was kind of having nightmares about this guy and the fact that he eluded her, so she has been on high alert to see where he pops up next, because he has a very clear killing pattern," she explained.
As for how the character will handle Morgan's situation, the "Criminal Minds" boss said, "She can look at it from what Morgan must be feeling right now, because she was once Morgan."
Moore, an original cast member, announced his exit from the series last week, saying that he wants "balance" and praising and thanking his fellow cast members and the crew of "Criminal Minds."
"Criminal Minds" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.