Crime drama action series Criminal Minds by the CBS network is currently on its holiday hiatus and is set to come back on television the on the first week of January next year. But possible events on the upcoming episodes already surface online.
One of the most anticipated events to happen on the series is fans' hope of a Thomas Gibson return. The actor's exit, who previously portrayed the character, Aaron Hotchner, former BAU Unit Chief, has greatly impacted the fans and caused some of them to boycott the series after finding out he was terminated.
At first, there were hopes that his return could be possible. But this time, it was reported by International Business Times that Gibson's comeback is impossible and his character will already be written off for the show's upcoming episodes and seasons.
It was also reported that the series' production team has already found a replacement for the actor's character. According to the aforementioned source, actor Damon Gupton, who portrays the character Special Agent Stephen Walker, will be replacing Hotchner's position.
Cinema Blend reported that Gupton was introduced as Stephen Walker in the eighth episode of season 12 entitled 'Scarecrow', as he joined the BAU after years of working in the Behavioral Analysis Program in the FBI. The report said that his addition in the BAU will cause a significant positive impact as he is known to be efficient at his job.
This report erased hopes of the fans and viewers about Gibson's return and confirmed that Aaron Hotchner is now written off from the script of the series. Other new characters were also introduced as series regulars this season.
While some did not positively welcome the addition of new characters to the show, a report from Broadway World claimed that the series has increased its ratings and has recovered from its declining viewership a few months back.
As per the source, the series has the most viewers in adults category and had raised up to 7.73 million viewers which are the largest it had since October. It had ben speculated that the new characters introduced have made the viewers curious if they would bring chemistry to the show like the previous characters.
Criminal Minds season 12 episode 9, entitled 'Profiling 202', is set to air on January 4, 2017, on CBS.
