‘Criminal Minds’ season 12 spoilers: Jane Lynch returning as Reid’s mother

The moment we realized that Jane Lynch had not signed a deal to be a part of a new TV series for the fall, there was one thought that entered our minds: Maybe there would be a chance to finally get her aboard “Criminal Minds” for another arc this season.

According to an interview that showrunner Erica Messer had with TV Guide, Lynch is set to reprise her role as Reid’s mother Diana, who suffers from schizophrenia, for a pair of episodes set to air early next year. This marks the first time since around the onset of her “Glee” days that Jane is appearing on the show; Diana has been mentioned in that time, and Reid even went to visit her last year when Matthew Gray Gubler took a brief hiatus from the series to work on another project.

We’ve made no secret of our love for Jane’s performance on this show over the years; it allows her to showcase a very different side of her skills than she has on many other projects, and it also certainly adds to the nostalgic feeling that is coming for season 12. We already know that we will have Paget Brewster back in a permanent capacity, and while we are losing Thomas Gibson after just a few episodes into the run, the series does look like it’s doing everything it can to still appeal to some of its longtime fans.

“Criminal Minds” will be premiering on Wednesday September 28th in its standard 9:00 p.m. Eastern timeslot. We know that there have been a lot of major cast changes with the show the past season, but we hope that fans will still tune in.

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