Criminal Minds Fans Are Tired Of The Recurring Overbearing Supervisor Storylines
When "Criminal Minds" wrapped its initial 15-season run on CBS in 2020, fans were more than a little distraught that their time with the BAU team had come to an end. Initial despair aside, it always seemed more a matter of "when," not "if" the series would go the way of a proper streaming revival. As it was, "Criminal Minds" diehards barely had to wait two years for "Criminal Minds: Evolution" to make its debut on Paramount+.
The series returned with a suitably big bang, as BAU heavies reassembled to take down an entire network of unsubs who emerged from pandemic lockdowns with blood on their collective brains. Longtime fans returned in droves to see how the gang handled their season-long pursuit of nefarious ringleader Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), helping make "Evolution" one of the biggest hits Paramount+ has delivered to date.
But even "Criminal Minds" diehards had an issue or two with the series' less-than-evolved narrative. Some were legitimately frustrated by the return of the familiar cliches of an overbearing FBI boss tangling with the BAU team.
A Redditor named u/chuckusmaximus opened an entire Reddit thread titled "This One Storyline..." to address the issue. And it began with a post stating, "How many times has criminal minds done the story of the overbearing supervisor who is interfering with and threatening the BAU? Why do they constantly come back to this story? I find it so overused."
Fans clearly think Criminal Minds has more evolving to do
As it turns out, many "Criminal Minds" fans agreed that "Criminal Minds: Evolution" had recycled an already well-trod-upon plot device, with u/smooshyglitterface chiming in to say, "This is my only complaint with this season."
Elsewhere, u/Virtual_Secretary_89 concurred that the plot line has been overused on the show, noting, "I think they are in the 3rd or 4th iteration of it. Definitely overdone," and u/Jess_UY25 went so far as to say the approach adds nothing to the dramatic stakes: "Agreed. Using the same storyline over and over again is just boring, and it doesn't even work to create drama, we already know how it always ends."
As u/ashrwebb offers, there may be good reason creatives keep dipping into that narrative well: "I think it's a tactic to get the audience to see that they are a family who can't separated no matter what..." As frustrating as the narrative retread was for some during "Evolution," it seems that may be less of an issue moving forward. After all, by season's end the FBI boss tasked with keeping watch on the BAU crew (Nicholas D'Agosto Deputy Director Doug Bailey) had met his own bloody end, potentially paving the way for Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) to finally step into the long-rumored role of legit FBI shot-caller.
It remains to be seen if "Criminal Minds: Evolution" will go that route for Season 17. But there's at least hope the "Evolution" team may finally abandon any plot line involving the BAU team facing pushback from above.