"Criminal Minds" fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief because the long-running procedural has been picked up for a 13th season on CBS.
According to reports, the full-season order marks the network's 19th series renewed for 2017–2018. The shows renewed to date include nine dramas such as "Madam Secretary" and "Blue Bloods"; six sitcoms such as "Life in Pieces" and "The Big Bang Theory"; reality shows "Big Brother" and "Survivor"; and news programs "60 minutes" and "48 Hours."
Deadline notes that a "Criminal Minds" renewal is not much of a surprise. It did not make it to the list of CBS' early pickups in March because CBS and ABC Studios were still in the process of arranging the costs and other deal points for the procedural. Despite being past its heyday, the series continues to perform well in terms of ratings. The show has an average of 10.8 million viewers according to live plus same-day ratings.
Veterans Paget Brewster, Joe Mantegna, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, and Kirsten Vangsness are all confirmed to return for the 13th season, along with the recently promoted Aisha Tyler and newcomers Adam Rodriguez and Damon Gupton. The crime drama is currently airing its 12th season, which will conclude in May.
Meanwhile, the show's spin-off "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" continues to be on the bubble. Things do not look good for the sophomore drama based on its soft ratings performance since the season kicked off in March. Earlier this week, the show slipped to a new low with only 4.6 million viewers and a 0.7 based on live plus same-day ratings.
Other CBS veterans that are still awaiting renewal include "Code Black," "Elementary," "The Odd Couple," and "2 Broke Girls." Freshman programs such as "Pure Genius," "Training Day," "Doubt," "The Great Indoors," and "Ransom" are also not yet picked up for another season.
The 13th season of "Criminal Minds" premieres in fall 2017 on CBS.
