Summary
- Emily Prentiss, played by Paget Brewster, has left and returned to Criminal Minds twice, due to creative, financial, and personal reasons.
- Brewster's return to the show was well-received by fans, and she continues to play the beloved character in the revival series, Criminal Minds: Evolution.
- During her time away from Criminal Minds, Brewster pursued voiceover projects and comedic roles, including appearances in Community and voice acting in popular animated shows.
Criminal Minds has seen many of its most popular characters leave, among them Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), and some fans who haven't watched the series all the way through might find themselves wondering when Emily Prentiss comes back to the series. Prentiss, however, left the series and later returned twice. The branch of police crime drama is one of the most popular ones in the world of TV, and among its most successful and beloved titles is Criminal Minds. Created by Jeff Davis, Criminal Minds aired from 2005 to 2020, but it was revived in 2022, and its popularity hasn’t died down, even if its main cast has gone through various changes.
Criminal Minds follows a group of criminal profilers working for the FBI at its Behavioral Analysis Unit, where they use behavioral analysis and profiling to investigate and solve chilling but intriguing crimes. In addition to solving crimes, Criminal Minds also takes a look at the personal struggles of each BAU member, allowing the audience to connect and relate to them. However, the main cast has gone through major changes over the years, with many beloved characters leaving the show at some point, though some of them have had the chance to return, as is the case of Paget Brewster’s Emily Prentiss, who left and returned to Criminal Minds twice, for very different reasons.
Where Was Criminal Minds Filmed: All Locations
Criminal Minds ran for 15 seasons, and here's where the procedural thriller series was mainly shot. The show is set to return for a revival.
Paget Brewster Was Saved From A Criminal Minds Exit
Emily Prentiss ed the Criminal Minds BAU team in season 2, first appearing in the episode “The Last Word”, and she arrived as a replacement for Agent Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini). Although Emily is level-headed and calm, she sometimes lets her emotions get the better of her, and she shows a lot of empathy for the victims, all of this being key to her becoming a fan-favorite character. Prentiss was a main character in Criminal Minds until the sixth season when her role was reduced, with Brewster later revealing that the decision was due to creative and financial reasons, while A.J Cook, who played Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, was fired. Brewster was eventually released from her contract as well due to financial reasons, but she (and Cook) was later rehired due to fan demand, and so Emily Prentiss returned for Criminal Minds season 7.
Why Paget Brewster Returned To Criminal Minds
Although Paget Brewster’s return to Criminal Minds was well-received, it didn’t last for long as she left the series one more time. In April 2012, Criminal Minds after Thomas Gibson was dismissed from the show, and she continues to be part of the team.
Criminal Minds came to an end with its fifteenth season in 2020, but in the era of reboots and revivals, it didn’t take long for the BAU’s team to return. The following year, a revival series and the sixteenth season of Criminal Minds – titled Criminal Minds: Evolution – were announced to be in development at Paramount+, and the audience reunited with the team in November 2022. Brewster ed her costars Joe Mantegna (who plays David Rossi), A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope García), and Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez) in the revival, and she will continue to play Emily Prentiss in a new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution.
What Paget Brewster Did In Between & After Criminal Minds
When Brewster left Criminal Minds the first time, she actually did a handful of voiceover projects instead of on-screen ones. Brewster voiced Lana Lang in both Parts 1 and 2 of the animated Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. She also began voicing characters for Dan Vs., which she would continue to do the second time she left Criminal Minds as well.
8 Criminal Minds Cast Who Left The Show Early (& Why)
Criminal Minds had several characters that became fan favorites. However, some cast left the show early for a variety of reasons.
Because Criminal Minds was so dark, Brewster expanded into more comedic roles during her time away from the series. She guest-starred in both Modern Family and Key and Peele during her second time away from the show, as well as voiced characters for The Venture Bros. What fans might best during her hiatus from Criminal Minds, however, is that she appeared in several episodes of the sitcom Community, and even played two different characters for Community. In addition to voicing characters for the very popular Adventure Time, Brewster also starred in Grandfathered, a sitcom led by John Stamos and Josh Peck, but the series was canceled.
After Brewster returned to Criminal Minds for its final seasons, she continued to work as a voice actor as well. She voiced Poison Ivy for the animated Batman and Harley Quinn as well as Paige Sinclair in BoJack Horseman. Following the end of Criminal Minds, Brewster continued voiceover work, but she also continued working on lighter projects. Instead of the darkness of Criminal Minds, she voiced characters in shows like Magical Girl Friendship Squad and DuckTales, which allowed her to be in a very different frame of mind than the one Emily Prentiss occupies.
Since Criminal Minds: Evolution has shorter seasons than the original Criminal Minds series, Brewster has been able to continue working on other projects while committed to the follow-up show. She’s voiced characters for Family Guy and American Dad and appeared in episodes of How I Met Your Father. The shorter seasons of the streaming series seem to offer the cast a bit more flexibility than when Criminal Minds aired on CBS, which means fans will likely be able to see more projects from their favorite cast .
