Criminal Minds’ – After 19 seasons, Criminal Minds has repeatedly tested how far fans can endure — from Hotchner’s wife being murdered on the phone to Reid’s romance ending with Maeve’s death, Gideon revealed as killed off-screen, and Will’s collapse. As Criminal Minds: Evoluti
The phone call comes first. Then the silence. Then the realization that the person you’re trying to save is already gone.
In Criminal Minds, it’s rarely just the case file that hurts — it’s who the BAU loses along the way. And after 19 seasons, the show has become almost notorious for killing off characters viewers grew attached to, even when the series returns with new life.
Criminal Minds premiered in 2005. The crime drama follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. using behavioral analysis to locate unknown subjects across fictional cases. The original series ended in 2020, and it was revived by Paramount+ after that conclusion.
Criminal Minds: Evolution brought back most of the cast, with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez, and Paget Brewster reprising their characters. Matthew Gray Gubler’s Reid has appeared in cameos. keeping the door partly open for more — even as the show continues to pull the rug out from under viewers.
That pattern hasn’t gone unnoticed by the people running the show. Erica Messer. the series showrunner. said she doesn’t think the team can ever truly be ready when “a beloved character” is involved. In May 2026. she told Us Weekly. “I don’t think we can ever be prepared anytime anything has ever happened with a beloved character. ” adding she hinted at giving the audience a break.
Adam Rodriguez, meanwhile, praised how the series handled character deaths. Speaking in May 2025, he said, “We love being there. This is such a dream job. It is just such a wonderful place to show up and go to work every day.” He added that “Nobody wants it to be over and nobody wants to leave. ” and said the hope is to keep working “for a long time.”.
Rodriguez also addressed the fear fans feel when death becomes a narrative shortcut. “Hopefully nobody gets sacrificed for the sake of good television and we find some other people that we can build enough merit. ” he said. He pointed to what the show has already done — “Will ended up serving that purpose this year” — and wrapped it with a line that captures the cruel bargain of long-running drama: “But I think it just brings something else to the show that fans can enjoy and suffer through with us.”.
When Criminal Minds is at its darkest, it doesn’t wait for a slow burn. It hits with the kind of loss that stays with you long after the episode ends.
HaleyCBSEveryone remembers where they were when George Foyet — also known as The Reaper — murdered Hotchner’s (Thomas Gibson) wife while the BAU were forced to listen on the phone.
MaeveCBSErid’s romance with Maeve (Beth Riesgraf) was cut short when her stalker killed her in season 8.
GideonCBSIt had been years since Mandy Patinkin left the show as Gideon, but Criminal Minds still found a way to reveal he was murdered off screen in season 10 by a serial killer from one of his past cases.
StraussCBSDespite her ups and downs with the BAU, Strauss (Jayne Atkinson) won viewers over when she was poisoned by an unsub known as The Replicator in season 8.
WillMichael Yarish /ParamountJosh Stewart had a recurring role as Will on Criminal Minds since 2007. Stewart raised eyebrows in 2024 when he revealed that he would not be reprising his role in future seasons of the show. Will’s death arrived in 2025 when his character collapsed after experiencing a headache.
RoxyDuring a May 2026 episode, Luke (Rodriguez) was mourning a personal loss while helping the BAU solve a case. It wasn’t until the end of the two-episode premiere that viewers found out his dog, Roxy, had to be put down.
In the series’ most devastating moments. the deaths don’t just remove people — they change the emotional temperature of everything around them. A phone call turns into a punishment. A romance turns into aftermath. A legacy character becomes an obituary delivered off screen. And even in the latest episodes. the show finds fresh ways to tie grief to the work the BAU still has to do.
Criminal Minds deaths Criminal Minds: Evolution FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit Erica Messer Adam Rodriguez Joe Mantegna A.J. Cook Kirsten Vangsness Aisha Tyler Paget Brewster George Foyet The Reaper Maeve Beth Riesgraf Gideon Mandy Patinkin The Replicator Will Josh Stewart Roxy dog