‘Criminal Minds’ season 11: Could Shemar Moore return someday?

At this point, we imagine that many out there are still reeling from the dramatic news that Shemar Moore is leaving “Criminal Minds” after eleven years, and we don’t blame them. Morgan was a beloved character on the show, but the good news is that there’s still a chance he surfaces someday. Let’s just put it this way: They didn’t kill the character off, and Moore seems to have a great relationship with the cast and the producers. He’s even credited Erica Messer (the showrunner) and the writers for convincing him to stick around to frame the perfect exit for his character.

Luckily, the way in which Derek was written out does leave it open, a la Paget Brewster’s Emily Prentiss, that he could return someday. Speaking in a postmortem to The Hollywood Reporter, Moore makes it clear that if the timing’s right, he would be happy to return:

“I went back for two episodes [on The Young and the Restless during Criminal Minds] and I would have done it for free — and the same goes with Criminal Minds. If they’ll let me come in and play for a while, yes. I’d love to come back.”

With that said, we’d be stunned if Moore was to return at any point before we get around to next season. You have to reintroduce the cast without him and get people used to that dynamic before eventually bringing him back. We imagine that the show could bring in a new character to replace Morgan at some point, given that they’ve been operating as a whole with a smaller staff. Aisha Tyler has recurred following Jennifer Love Hewitt’s exit, but now with Moore gone they’re down two regulars from season 10.

If you want to hear more of what Shemar had to say about his farewell episode in “A Beautiful Disaster,” be sure to visit this link right away! Also, sign up over here to secure some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)