After 11 seasons, one of the original castmembers of "Criminal Minds," Shemar Moore, has bid farewell to the CBS drama.
Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Moore, who played FBI agent Derek Morgan in the series, made his exit on Wednesday's episode, leaving the BAU in order to become a family man, focusing on his wife and his newborn son.
This season has been eventful, to the say the least, for Morgan, who was kidnapped, tortured and nearly killed in captivity days before finding out that he's having a baby with his girlfriend, Savannah (Rochelle Aytes). Oh, and getting married to the mother of his child.
On Wednesday's episode, Morgan tries to find out who was behind his abduction upon returning to duty after a six-month hiatus. He's taken off the case, but takes matters in his own hands and runs with his investigation, during which Savannah gets shot. Morgan realizes that his family is his first priority, which is what his decision to leave the BAU is based on.
"It's a weird experience," Moore said about his exit. "I just spent 11 years with a group of people and it's a weird thing to walk away from - but I did it on my terms and in the right way."
"When we started, there were 102 cop shows ... and I questioned why they needed 103 but what we found out was that 'Criminal Minds' was a different type of show," he continued. "We were the little train that could. There were so many doubters and 11 years and 251 episodes later, I'm very proud. It's nice to exhale now. I feel really at peace with the fact that I left it all out on the field."
Moore said the main reason behind his departure from the series is the need to grow as an actor and take on a different challenge.
"'Young and the Restless' gave me confidence and told me that I had a right to be here [in Hollywood]," he said. "I got popular there but I wanted credibility and to prove that I could act. What 'Criminal Minds' did was help people see that I could handle drama - and keep my shirt on - and tell stories. 'Criminal Minds' was college and now I'm ready for grad school and the next step."
The actor revealed that he had considered leaving the show earlier and thanks showrunner Erica Messer and the writing team for convincing him to come back and allowing his character to go out with a bang.
"Erica promised me she'd take care of me and Derek ... and my final hurrah, I got challenged as an actor and Erica gave me such a beautiful sendoff," Moore said. "It's a culmination of everything we all brought to life and what Derek earned - all in 43 minutes."
"Derek Morgan isn't walking off because Shemar is done with the show," he pointed out. "Derek is walking away because there's part of his life that's missing and that he has an opportunity and he risks that every day but he needs to be a dad and experience that and be by his wife."
Moore also said that if given an opportunity, he'd love to make an appearance on the show in the future. "I went back for two episodes [on 'Young and the Restless'] and I would have done it for free - and the same goes with 'Criminal Minds,'" he added. "If they'll let me come in and play for a while, yes, I'd love to come back."
Watch Moore's heartwarming farewell message to his fans below:
This one's for Baby Girl Nation.
Posted by Criminal Minds on Wednesday, 23 March 2016
