‘Criminal Minds’ season 9 spoilers: Paget Brewster returns for 200th episode

Paget Brewster has been hinting about the news online for much of the past week, and now, the word is official: The actress is going to be reprising her role as Emily Prentiss in the upcoming 200th episode of “Criminal Minds.”

CBS confirmed the news on Monday, and it is yet another tease for what is a much-hyped way to celebrate a show that has long been a solid force for the network. Brewster’s character was mentioned last season, but has not been seen in physical form since the season 7 finale. Since that time the actress has done the guest-star circuit, including a spot on “Modern Family” and a return to “Law & Order: SVU” for a couple of episodes.

Paget has appeared in more than 120 episodes of “Criminal Minds,” and seeing that this episode is meant as a celebration of sorts to all that the writers and producers have accomplished, it would feel strange and almost unacceptable were she not there in some form to participate. The story for the episode is still in part under wraps, but we know for the time being that one of the primary focuses will be on telling the story of where JJ (AJ Cook) was in the year that she was away from the BAU. When you consider that, it is possible that Paget will be a part of some flashbacks, but personally, it would be nice to see what Emily has been up to in the past year or so since leaving the team.

Want more “Criminal Minds” scoop? Then just click here in order to see a preview for next week’s episode, which is going to contain a preview for “The Inspired,” the second episode of the season airing on Wednesday night. As for the 200th episode, more news will be posted when available.

Photo: CBS