‘Criminal Minds’ season 12: Renewal odds, premiere date hopes for Thomas Gibson series

The season 11 finale of “Criminal Minds” is mere hours away from airing on CBS, and there definitely is a part of us that feels somewhat strange writing this article, not having 100% confirmation that the show is coming back.

Do we believe that it is going to happen? Absolutely. You’re looking at one of the biggest franchises on TV with a well-known star in Thoams Gibson, and also a show that is extremely popular all over the world. There’s no reason for the network to decide anything else.

For the uninitiated, one of the only reasons why this show takes so long to be officially renewed, at least in comparison to some other shows on CBS, is in part because of cast negotiations and split ownership between CBS and ABC Studios. This is a much more complicated negotiation than a show like “NCIS,” which is owned outright by the network. We also wonder if “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” is a part of the discussion in some way, as well, this time.

As for when the new season could premiere, it’s pretty easy to guess late September / early October. “Criminal Minds” typically returns a week or so later than the rest of the Monday-Friday programming on CBS, mostly because the premiere of “Survivor” is usually stretched out alongside the “Big Brother” finale. With that, there’s usually not room for “Criminal Minds” to air for another week. Just look at it this way: It means there’s one less week of hiatus during the season.

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