'Criminal Minds' Update: Paget Brewster In (For Now), A.J. Cook to Wrap Up Storyline
It's been reported that Paget Brewster has signed a deal to return for one more season on 'Criminal Minds,' and that despite fan pressure, A.J. Cook has been axed.Following news that CBS had chosen not to renew Cook's contract, and had reduced the number of episodes Brewster was to appear in, disgruntled fans mounted an online petition to save the actresses' roles.
Writing on Twitter over the weekend, Brewster expressed her gratitude to the more than 40,000 people who had signed the petition. "Thank you for helping and supporting me and AJ," she said. "I am immensely grateful. I'm still angry about AJ. I'm sad this is my last year."
And Cook tweeted to fans: "Thanks for your undying support but it's a done deal."
'Criminal Minds' is a police procedural drama that follows the work of F.B.I. profilers in the Behavioral Analysis Unit (B.A.U.) at Quantico, V.A. It premiered on CBS in the fall of 2005 and its fourth and fifth seasons saw the show enter the Top 20.
Series regular Cook has played J.J. Jareau since the beginning, and when her contract was not renewed for the upcoming sixth season, there were rumors that it was for budgetary reasons. Fans mounted a campaign to have her reinstated, and possibly thanks to their pressure Cook has confirmed that she'll return to the show for two episodes to wrap up her character's storyline.
Paget Brewster joined 'Criminal Minds' in its second season, playing the team's foreign language expert, Emily Prentiss. She's staying on for one last season with the series, and is believed to have signed a "10 out of 13" deal, which means that she'll appear in at least 17 out of 22 episodes.
The departure of Cook and Brewster leaves Kristen Vangsness, who plays Penelope Garcia, as the only full-time female cast member still on the show. However, producers have said they're looking to hire another actress to join the cast as a series regular later on this year.
The sixth season of 'Criminal Minds' is due to air on CBS in the fall.

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