Criminal Minds: A.J. Cook rehired for 'Criminal Minds' by T. L. Stanley:
CBS made a bold move last summer to shake up its FBI-based hit “Criminal Minds,” ditching two popular actresses from the cast even though the ratings were strong and the characters were well-liked.
Now the network has taken an equally surprising step by rehiring one of the actresses, A.J. Cook, and potentially bringing back the other, Paget Brewster. As part of her new deal, Cook, who plays Jennifer “J.J.” Jareau, will appear on the criminal profiling series' May finale before rejoining as a full-time cast member in the fall. (She tweeted about the new deal earlier this month.)
Brewster, who since leaving the show found a starring role in a comedy pilot, may head back to “Criminal Minds” if her new show doesn't make NBC's next season schedule.
CBS executives, who launched “Criminal Minds” in 2005 and its spinoff, “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” this spring, were trying to keep the flagship series vibrant while it was still on top and thought mixing up the ensemble would do it, sources close to the production said.
Instead of waiting for the show to potentially fall from favor, as many longtime dramas have done, the network was making a preemptive strike, the sources said.
As it turns out, the most revolutionary change the network will make is to try to put the cast back the way it was before. “Criminal Minds” has consistently pulled in about 13.5 million viewers this season, beating all its network competition save for “American Idol.”
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