'Criminal Minds' Season 13: Reid-Garcia Tandem to Prosper
Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) will still have his best friend, Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), at his side in the upcoming season of "Criminal Minds."
Deadline reported that Vangsness, as well as A.J. Cook (who plays JJ), have settled things with CBS with regards to their request for pay parity with the other series veterans. Previously, it was revealed that the two actresses would not sign the contract unless the matter was resolved. And for a while, a number of their fans were worried about the future of the show.
Garcia and JJ are major characters who have a huge following. Many adore Garcia's friendship with Reid. In the previous finale, she was even willing to sacrifice her job to help her friend interrogate his mother's abductor. As for JJ, her relationship with the male agent has always verged on the "more than friendship" category. During the debut season of "Criminal Minds," Reid and JJ even dated briefly.
Now that Vangsness' slot in the show has been confirmed, viewers can expect more bonding time between her character and the tall FBI agent.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Damon Gupton, who played Supervisory Special Agent Stephen Walker, would not be returning in season 13. The decision was reportedly due to creative changes that the series will undergo. Gupton joined the show in season 12 and appeared for 15 episodes.
The new installment is expected to continue the cliffhanger from last season's finale, where the car containing members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit was about to be hit by an 18-wheeler truck. Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Prentiss (Paget Brewster) and Lewis (Aisha Tyler) were shown looking horrified at the huge vehicle seconds before the impact. Fans of the series are keeping their fingers crossed that no one will die in the accident.
"Criminal Minds" season 13 will return on Sept. 27.