"Criminal Minds" season 11 will be radically different from the rest of the show due to the absence of lead actress Jennifer Love Hewitt as Kate. Hewitt amicably signed for maternity leave due to her pregnancy but the season 10 finale also revealed that AJ Cook, who portrays JJ, is also pregnant.
During the season 10 finale, JJ was able to announce to the team that she would be gone for maternity leave, giving her character a neat exit until she can reappear in season 11. According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, the character will stick around but will be absent from the first few episodes of the new season.
Executive producer Erica Messer explained that the season 10 finale gave some elbow room to explain JJ's absence and they can later remind the other characters that JJ is on leave. As for Kate, Messer explained that they would do something more creative instead of just searching for a replacement.
"We like people to come back and play whenever they can, so we don't kill them off," Messer stated.
She continued to explain that the team would instead try to bring back familiar faces from previous seasons or continue the "revolving door" of in-and-out new agents played by guest stars.
When asked about Hewitt's departure, Messer called it "organic" and "surprising in a good way." According to the Latin Post, she also explained that they made sure not to just kill off characters so that they could be brought back later on. This concluded with her stating that Hewitt may return if the show is renewed for season 12.
"None of us thought at the beginning of the season we'd end the year with two pregnant actresses!" Messer exclaimed. "And right now, it's too soon to say what would happen in two years if we're lucky enough to have a season 12. We would love to have her back."
