‘Criminal Minds’ season 12: Don’t buy into Matthew Gray Gubler – departure chatter
It feels like we first wrote this particular “Criminal Minds” story for the first time a couple of months back, but we’re back once more to do a little bit of Cleanup on Aisle Rumor when it comes to the future status of Matthew Gray Gubler on the show.
Is he leaving the show eventually? It’s possible, but you can say that about any member of the show’s cast. The subject that is at hand is whether or not he leaving the CBS series in the immediate future, and most information that we have on that subject seems to suggest that this is not the case.
As for where all of the buzz is coming from now, there are several different sources, including recent reports that a single character is set to get a big arc, and that we have an upcoming episode entitled “Spencer.” Consider this the Shemar Moore effect. Had his exit not happened last year, there probably would not be all of the buzz around this in the way that there is. After all, it’s not like every character to get an episode named after them ended up leaving. Take a look at “Penelope” back when it first aired. It’s true that “JJ” came at a time when AJ Cook was not a regular part of the series, but she ended up coming back. What the naming convention mostly does at this point is serve as an indicator that there is a story coming up that is a must-watch for fans of the show. Heck, it’s something we could imagine them doing every year from hear on out until they run out of cast members to do it with. You could’ve easily called “Profiling 202” earlier this year “Rossi” if there was not already a tradition to uphold.
Here’s the truth: There is a big story coming for Spencer that will change his life, but there is a difference between undergoing a life-changing event and leaving the show. Given that Jane Lynch is poised to reprise her role as Diana Reid on an episode later this season beyond Wednesday’s “Surface Tension,” that should give you some solace that you’ve got Reid at the very least for that long, if not even longer.
Just remember that if you were to buy into every rumor on the internet about departing cast members, then most shows at this point would only have one or two people taking part. Remember that there have been about 800 stories out there suggesting that Mark Harmon is done with “NCIS” proper over the past five years.
Once there is more to report, we’ll have it for you here. for the time being, just be sure to share your thoughts on this story below. (Photo: CBS.)
Shimmerrzz
February 3, 2017 @ 2:30 am
My guess? he’s going to go to Mexico to score some more meds for mom and either get caught, framed or kill someone down there during the transaction and wind up in a Mexican prison.
Cait W
February 2, 2017 @ 11:08 pm
THANK YOU. I feel like I’m talking into a void on this
“There’s an episode called “Spencer”! MGG is leaving the show!”
“No, the people who make the show have said he’s not.”
“But here are some photos of everyone in the cast but him!”
“Okay, and here are photos explaining where he is and why Reid isn’t with them.”
“But here’s another photo of everyone but him!”
“Yes, he might be taking another episode or two off. But we know Diana’s coming back after the episode that’s filming now, so we know he’ll be back, too. Also, we know his plotline is supposed to go to the end of the season. On top of that, every time a character has left (whether because the actor wanted to leave or was forced out) before, we’ve known the details well beforehand. AJ Cook and Paget Brewster were both written out temporarily because the network was stupid. Shemar Moore wanted to leave and talked about it well beforehand. Thomas Gibson was fired months before Hotch was gone. We’ve heard no such actual news about MGG”
“…Yeah, but I still think he’s leaving.”
“*sigh*”
As you say, I can’t promise he’ll never leave. But every time someone finds “evidence” he’s leaving, there’s far more solid evidence to refute that. I suppose there’s nothing you can do, so I just need to sit back, let this issue go, and enjoy the dramatic Reid-centric story that we’re getting into now.