Criminal Minds: Evolution, quite literally, brought about a new evolution for the Criminal Minds franchise, and one veteran star revealed how the jump from network TV to streaming benefited the revival. The original police procedural show premiered in 2005, almost 20 years ago, on CBS. It ran for 15 seasons before releasing its series finale in 2020. However, although many thought that would be the end of the BAU and the profilers fans know and love, Paramount+ announced that a Criminal Minds revival was in the works in 2021. As such, Criminal Minds: Evolution was born.

Paramount+ has already renewed Criminal Minds: Evolution for a fourth season.

During an interview with A.J. Cook, who plays JJ in Criminal Minds: Evolution, Screen Rant's Alisha Grauso asked the actress about the show's move to streaming. The first 15 seasons of Criminal Minds aired on CBS. Meanwhile, the three other seasons that make up the revival series can be found on Paramount+. Cook explained:

Oh, it's been a gift, an absolute gift, to finally let these characters breathe a little more. I think that's been the biggest part of the new streaming format is we've been able to dive into these characters' lives a little bit more and see not just them at work but see what happens when they're not at work and how they compartmentalize everything and try to maintain a quote-unquote 'normal life.' It's been, for me, so beautiful, not just as an actress but as a director, too! You get to really play on those beautiful, breathy moments where you don't have to cut away so soon. There's this one scene in episode 3 where [Penelope] says, 'You're the glue' and they're standing at the door, and [JJ] is trying so hard to hold it together, and, yeah, it's a big day tomorrow so she's trying to hold it together. And just as soon as you see that door close, you slowly start to see JJ break because she knows, 'Okay, they're gone, I can kind of let my guard down.' And that is - Joe [Mantegna]'s decision to shoot it that way was so brilliant. There are just those moments where there are never words involved, it's just a look, it's just pure emotion. I find the most heartbreaking is when people are trying to swallow emotion, but they can't anymore, and it's just coming up. It was just one of those moments that was really human and heartbreakingly beautiful.

The Criminal Minds: Evolution Revival Has Taken A Different Approach Than The Original Show

Evolution Is Much Darker

Even though Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds: Evolution share many of the same characters, the two shows are quite different, and that's because of their respective homes. On network TV, the franchise was limited to what topics it could explore. Meanwhile, on streaming, Criminal Minds: Evolution has all but free rein to make their stories and tone as dark as possible.

With streaming, Criminal Minds: Evolution can also focus on developing overarching season arcs and cases, as opposed to the case-of-the-week format seen in the original series. That means there are fewer episodes. However, the Paramount+ crime drama's different format lets the writers give their plot more space to breathe, making up for the smaller episode count. All in all, Criminal Minds: Evolution's approach to storytelling works for and because of its platform (aka streaming).

The Extra Time Afforded By Streaming Allows For Greater Depth Of Storytelling & Character Development

The Writers Have More Time To Flesh Out Criminal Minds: Evolution's Story

As A.J. Cook pointed out, the streaming platform enables the Criminal Minds revival to dive deeper into the characters' backgrounds, stories, and emotions. Now, the writers and producers have more space and time to explore every corner of this dark and terrifying universe that they want to. They don't need to meet the strict, tight deadlines that are expected from network TV shows. This allows Criminal Minds: Evolution to also zero in on the quieter moments shared between characters (like the JJ and Penelope scene from season 3, episode 3 that Cook mentioned), making them more relatable and likable.

It's always an advantage when TV writers can take their time when creating a story. They don't need to rush anything (which always, without fail, makes the plotline feel sloppy or like it's missing something), and they can just let everything come naturally. Consequently, streaming has a major advantage over network TV series. So, with Criminal Minds' move from network TV to streaming, the revival can feature more meaningful storytelling methods and better character development. It's a win-win.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Is A Blueprint For How Former Network Shows Can Reinvent Themselves For Streaming

Other Revivals Should Take Note

As many are aware, we live in a world where revivals, reboots, and sequels are becoming more prevalent than original works. So, the least that all these secondary TV series can do is create intriguing, satisfying stories that honor the shows that came before them, while also developing something new. Fans don't want the same narratives over and over again. Based on this, Criminal Minds: Evolution is the blueprint that other revivals, reboots, and sequels should follow when structuring their own plots. They should be reinventions, not repeats, and Criminal Minds: Evolution is the perfect example of how to do just that.

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