Season Thirteen

Season Thirteen is the thirteenth season of Criminal Minds. On April 8th, 2017 CBS announced the renewal of Criminal Minds for the 2017-2018 TV season, with a standard initial order of 22 episodes. The season premiered on September 27, 2017.

Ratings
No ratings information is available at this time.

Cast

 * Joe Mantegna - David Rossi
 * Matthew Gray Gubler - Dr. Spencer Reid
 * A.J. Cook - Jennifer Jareau
 * Kirsten Vangsness - Penelope Garcia
 * Aisha Tyler - Dr. Tara Lewis
 * Daniel Henney - Matthew Simmons
 * Adam Rodriguez - Luke Alvez
 * Paget Brewster - Emily Prentiss

Highlights
The season will begin where the previous season left off, showing the results of Peter Lewis' vehicular attack on the BAU. Both Kirsten Vangsness and Daniel Henney confirmed that a member of the team will be abducted from the crash site and Garcia will contact Matthew Simmons to help with the aftermath of Peter's attack.

The season will also focus on Spencer Reid's future with the Bureau following his being framed for murder by a trio led by Cat Adams in the previous season.

On June 12, 2017, it was announced that Damon Gupton will not reprise his role as Stephen Walker for this season due to being fired by CBS after one season. Eight days later, it was announced that Daniel Henney will be filling in the void left by Gupton, reprising his role as Matthew Simmons from the recently canceled spin-off series Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

In August 2017, Kelly Frye, the actress who portrayed Matthew Simmons' wife Kristy in Beyond Borders, announced via Twitter that she would reprise her role in the original series this season, beginning with the fourth episode. The couple's sons, David and Jake, portrayed by child actors Declan Whaley and Ezra Dewey respectively, will also return this season as recurring characters, also starting with the fourth episode.

Erica Messer confirmed that Jamie Kennedy, who portrayed cannibalistic serial killer Floyd Feylinn Ferell in the Season Three episode Lucky, will reprise his role in the sixth episode, which will have a heavy impact on the stories and emotions of several characters.

Matthew Gray Gubler will direct an episode for the season, which will revolve around clowns. Also, Aisha Tyler will direct the season's fifth episode. On September 27, Kirsten Vangsness announced that Adam Rodriguez would also direct an episode this season.

On October 12, 2017, it was announced that Shemar Moore will reprise his role as Derek Morgan in the sixth episode of Season Thirteen. In this episode, he will be helping Penelope Garcia persevere through a case that has emotionally affected her.

On January 16, 2018, it was announced that Days of our Lives veteran Drake Hogestyn is set to guest-star on an upcoming episode in an "elite" role as Senator Alfred Mayhew, who is described as a "powerful congressman and part of the D.C. elite."

On February 20, 2018, it was announced that later in a future episode this spring, a parole hearing will be held for the drunk driver that killed Penelope’s parents. Her estranged stepbrother will resurface and urge Penelope to testify.