The Criminal Minds Cast Treated Adam Rodriguez Like An Old Friend When He Replaced Shemar Moore

Being introduced into a cast that has been working together for years can be tough, but when Adam Rodriguez did just that on "Criminal Minds," he had the rare benefit of having already been part of a long-running procedural.

Rodriguez is known to today's audiences, likely mostly through his work on "Criminal Minds" and "Criminal Minds: Evolution" and even the "Magic Mike" franchise, which included hosting the short-lived competition series "Finding Magic Mike." Before 2010 though, he was mainly known as one of the familiar faces on Horatio Caine's team on "CSI: Miami." Rodriguez portrayed Eric Delko, a role Rodriguez nearly walked away from before the final ninth season due to contract disputes, but he ended up sticking around and appeared in every season (per Entertainment Weekly). That CBS drama ended in 2012, and it was only a few short years later that Rodriguez found himself playing another cop for the network.

"Criminal Minds" was looking for an actor to fill the hole left in their cast after Shemar Moore left the series in 2016 (via TV Guide). Rodriguez filled the void as Luke Alvez. According to the actor, the transition was made smoother, mainly because he was immediately treated like family by everyone at "Criminal Minds."

In a February 2017 interview with Parade about joining "Criminal Minds," Adam Rodriguez said his experience on "CSI: Miami" prepared him for the challenge of being the new kid on the block, but he found that the cast quickly embraced him.

"Having done a show that aired for a decade [CSI: Miami], you know the camaraderie, the relationships that get formed, so being a new guy is a bit of a challenge, like: How am I going to fit in with this group that's already so close knit? I've got to tell you, I've been here six months now, but probably from day two or three, I felt like I'd been there from the beginning," the actor said.

Rodriguez offered specific shout-outs to showrunner Erica Messer and lead Joe Mantegna for fostering a set where it sounds like a lot of fun is being had despite the show itself being about tracking down serial killers.

"Everybody's happy to be there and we love what we do every day. It's been wonderful. Joe Mantegna's a prince. The whole cast just couldn't be better," the actor said. Rodriguez must be doing something right as he was one of the actors to reprise their roles for the reboot "Criminal Minds: Evolution."