What will it take to bring back the BAU?

 

    So I try to base my posts on what you seem to like most on my Instagram page and it was this crime-fighting team that everyone seemed most interested in.  Will Criminal Minds come back to our television screens for a new spin-off?  Will we get to see our beloved BAU characters fight yet another sadistic psychopath?   If so, where will they all be and will they all still be together?

    There are so many questions that we as the fans still have and there are very little answers to be found on the internet.  The stars have all been pretty hush-hush about things as well. The last time anyone posted about it, there were hints that there was a discussion in process, but have yet to be any confirmations that the show has been given a green light!  At the time that the original show ended, fan-favorite, Penelope Garcia was leaving the BAU for a new job and breaking up their incredible little family.  If a spin-off were to happen, would the show really be able to go on without the fun-loving technical analyst with a heart of gold?  It was hard enough for fans to get used to seeing Garcia without her "chocolate thunder" after the hunky, Derek Morgan, played by Shemar Moore left the show a few years before it ended, but without her, would the show really be the same?

    Then you also have to wonder about the character's storylines and where they would all be if the show was to be re-booted.  One that was particularly interesting to me was when JJ professed her true love for Spencer in the middle of a hostage crisis.  The two eventually agreed that things were good as they are because she's married to Will and has two wonderful boys.  How could she want to break that up for any reason?  But as a writer myself, I wonder, is that a storyline worth exploring more?  What matters is the ratings because ultimately, that's what will keep the show coming back week after week.  How would the fans really feel about JJ and Spencer being a romantic item?  They have always had a special connection, unlike anything you've seen between any of the other characters so why would they not want to explore that?  Why did they wait this long to tell that story when Spencer wanted to go out with her in the first season after former team lead, Jason Gideon, played by Mandy Patinkin gave him Redskins tickets and told him to ask JJ to go with him.  They are best friends and no one wants to see that be affected by an attempt at romance, but really, how can you start that story and never keep things going?

    David Rossi, played by the incredibly talented Joe Mantegna was supposed to be retiring.  He finally married the woman he loves and they have a fabulous life together.  She was all for him retiring and them being able to live out their lives without the fear of serial killers wanting to hunt them down at every turn.  What woman wouldn't be okay with their man retiring from a job like that?  But, what would the show be like without  Rossi?  Would Rossi even be able to survive retirement?  We all know it's not the first time he's tried to live out a life outside of the BAU and he couldn't do it the last time either.  The difference is, now he has a daughter Joy and a grandson Kai, as well as a step-daughter Portia, so why not settle down and let the next generation take over the crime-fighting?  Right?  At least, that's what you'd think would be the case, but we all have to hope that David Rossi isn't yet ready to hang up his credentials just yet because without Rossi, the show just won't be the same.

    Then there's Unit Chief Emily Prentiss.  Would she still be unit chief if the show comes back?  Would she have been promoted to Section Chief and be a recurring character and not on every episode?  If she becomes the section chief, who would take her place?  Rossi?  JJ?  Someone new?   The possibilities are endless and Paget Brewster, the actress that plays Emily has been the only one of the stars to be somewhat vocal about wanting to get the gang back together again.  So you have to wonder, what role would she play in a new series and how much more of her story could the writers possibly tell?  Will she get married?  Will she have kids of her own?

    The show's writers have always been very good about giving us glimpses into the lives of our favorite characters, but ultimately the show was more focused on the crime-fighting and the hunting of the most sadistic killers out there.  Could they continue on that route with a new show and still be able to tell new and interesting stories long enough to keep fans coming back for a new series?  How many more original stories can they possibly come up with before they start to repeat themselves only with new killers?

    I will be the first to say that I would love to see the show come back because I do think there are at least a few good stories still left to tell with these characters.  I have watched this show from the very beginning, clear up until the last moment it aired on TV and I miss it every day, but can we really bring it back and keep it on an upward track or will we be sending our beloved show on a downward spiral of doom because there's not enough left to tell?

This is a story I will be following closely and bringing you more whenever I have it to bring, but I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this continuing situation.  Do you want the BAU to come back?  Can you see it being different?  What would the show be like if not all of the cast members came back to the show?

    Comment below how you feel about this situation and let's get a conversation going!  Maybe the powers that be will hear us and we can help them to further their decision-making process.  I know that I certainly don't want to be left hanging in the balance.  I want to know!!  Will the BAU be back?