After eleven seasons Shemar Moore is leaving the cast of Criminal Minds and with him the beloved character of Derek Morgan. As a team member leaves his place is usually filled by a newbie. This is exactly what happened. CBS has announced that the open spot in the team that Shemar Moore is leaving behind will be filled in by Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami alumnus) for the twelfth season.
I shall miss Derek’s endearing, albeit it is work floor inappropriate behaviour towards Penelope Garcia (played by the lovely Kirsten Vangness). Their onscreen dynamic is one of a kind, with loving terms as baby girl and hot chocolate. The awkward situations that have led to are too many to count but oh so funny.
In the eleven years running Criminal Minds has had its fair share of actors (un)willingly leaving the show. I hope that there is chemistry between the other members of the BAU and the for now unnamed character which will be played by Adam Rodriguez. Why do you ask? Because I have had the feeling that they, the casting people, missed the target, so to speak, with a new addition in a previous year. When Jeanne Tripplehorn left Criminal Minds after just two seasons her place in the team was filled in by Jennifer Love Hewitt (The Ghost whisperer). A good actress but I did not get the feeling of team chemistry with the others on the team. Which was a tremendous let down for me, because I had such high hopes because I truly like Jennifer Love Hewitt as an actress. That feeling grew during the season, sadly. And I hate to say it even but I was actually relieved to learn that Jennifer Love Hewitt would not return for season eleven. It is unclear to me if she will return for season twelve.
The casting people surprised me when Aisha Tyler (co-host of The Talk) got cast for season eleven to fill in for both Jennifer Love Hewitt and A.J. Cook, who were on maternity leave at that time. I was very sceptical especially after the mismatch (to me) with Jennifer Love Hewitt. I kept an open mind and watched the show. What happened is that I got blown away by Aisha Tyler. She fitted so brilliantly in the team. Even though she was an outsider she felt as one of the guys. Maybe because she played it as an outsider. Her casting has giving me hope for Shemar Moore’s replacement in the cast of Criminal Minds.
And I know it can’t be an easy task for casting directors to find the right person for a job (even if it’s their job). You never know how things will work out; after all we are all human.
However that being said nobody can replace Shemar Moore’s character Derek Morgan. Nor should it be tried. I hope that Adam Rodriguez’s; character will help us miss Derek Morgan less in its own unique way and will be a helpful and bright addition to the BAU team in their hunt for criminals or as they call them unsubs.