Amid Hotch’s Criminal Minds: Evolution’s absence, Thomas Gibson talks candidly about Criminal Minds on social media. Just two years after the CBS series wrapped up, Paramount+ brought back the profilers to the small screen via its revival of the police procedural. Proof of how popular it continues is streamer greenlighting Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 even before season 2 premiered. While it has maintained its core cast, several other familiar faces can still return to the franchise, including the BAU’s longest-serving leader, Hotch. Unfortunately, Gibson’s Criminal Minds season 12 exit is making his comeback very tricky to accomplish.
Gibson talks candidly about Criminal Minds in a new video on TikTok despite Hotch’s Criminal Minds: Evolution’s absence. Check out his post below:
The videos are snippets from Gibson’s personal Cameo, where he sends personal messages to his fans. Considering his comments about Criminal Minds, it’s safe to say that he is still getting many queries about the procedure.
Should Criminal Minds: Evolution Bring Back Thomas Gibson’s Hotch?
Nothing In Terms Of Narrative Is Stopping Hotch To Return To The BAU.
Surprisingly, Gibson was fired from Criminal Minds following an on-set altercation. The actor’s departure was abrupt, leaving the writers to scramble on how to explain his absence. At this point, the character had been with the show since the start, so getting rid of him wouldn’t be easy. Ultimately, they found a way to write him out by revealing that Hotch entered the witness protection program in light of Mr. Scratch’s escape to protect himself and his son. After Peter Lewis was killed, he decided not to return to the FBI and raise his child.
There’s no narrative reason stopping Hotch from returning to Criminal Minds. He is alive and is still well-liked by his peers. Granted that there will be some conversations regarding how this impacts Emily Prentiss’ position as the current BAU chief, it shouldn’t be difficult. There needs to be clear guidelines as to how Gibson’s possible comeback will work, considering his tainted working history. It doesn’t seem like there’s enough time to accomplish that for the current season, so it may be something that could happen in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3.
If Paramount+ and the people behind the show could sort out the behind-the-scenes specifics of Gibson’s return, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would be opposed to not seeing Hotch back as part of Criminal Minds: Evolution cast. Even if he pops back up as a guest star, it would be a great treat for long-time followers of the police procedural. Beyond that, his presence would also be helpful, considering that the BAU is currently understaffed.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 releases new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.