Another season of Criminal Minds: Evolution has ended amid the 2025 TV schedule but, luckily, the show has been renewed for Season 4, the franchise's overall 19th season. This means fans will be able to look forward to much more from the BAU and potentially more guest stars following Matthew Gray Gubler’s brief cameo during Season 3. However, showrunner Erica Messer just shared a frustrating update regarding returning guest stars, and I have a feeling she’s talking about Shemar Moore.
Moore starred on Criminal Minds' first 11 seasons as Derek Morgan, making guest appearances in Seasons 12 and 13. The actor hasn’t returned to the show since then, as he was committed to another series, S.W.A.T. Despite that show's cancellation, Moore has been hard at work on the spinoff, S.W.A.T. Exiles, so he's certainly had his hands full as of late. On that note, while speaking to TV Insider, Messer discussed the challenges of bringing in guest stars, and I understand where she's coming from:
Season 19, we got going in the writers’ room in February of this year, and we’re now shooting. So when we’re figuring out our season, we don’t know. We can’t really count on those guest stars because they can’t tell us if they’d be available or not, six months from then or whatever. So we don’t have any plans right now, but you never know.
Erica Messer didn’t name names, likely because there are a few people who they’ve been trying to bring on. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if Moore is one of the stars that falls into the category of potential guest stars she's referring to.
S.W.A.T. was canceled for a third time in March, and that initially seemed to mark the end of the franchise. However, Shemar Moore remained vocal about his desire to keep playing the role of Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson. The leading man eventually began talking to Sony TV about the possibility of a spinoff. All in all, Moore's schedule does indeed seem to match up with what Messer is talking about. While I'm glad the actor will get to produce more for that franchise, I'd still love to see him reprise Morgan on Evolution.
Scheduling, whether it be for TV or film productions, can be quite tricky, as Erica Messer laid out. Everything has to align just right for a star to appear in a given project. So, when you have someone who's in high demand, it can be next to impossible to tap them for a specific gig. For example, it took a few seasons for Evolution to look down Matthew Gray Gubler, who made a short appearance as Spencer Reid. It’s certainly frustrating, but that's the way the industry works.
Messer’s comment about guest stars may also explain why some other notable former cast members haven’t appeared, such as Thomas Gibson and Daniel Henney. Although Criminal Minds: Evolution is returning for another season, it’s hard to say if fans will see other familiar faces back in the fold.
I don't know about any of you, but I'm keeping the faith that at least one or two will show up next season. Of course, though, I'll temper my expectations in regard to an appearance from Shemar Moore. While waiting for more details on that front, though, fans can stream past seasons of Criminal Minds: Evolution and its parent show with a Paramount+ subscription.
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