Criminal Minds: Evolution’s Showrunner Never Seriously Considered Killing Rossi – Looper

Shocking character deaths on TV series are in no way rare these days and it seems as if no acting job is safe, no matter how well-known the performer may be. In the original run of “Criminal Minds,” the show killed off Mandy Patinkin’s Jason Gideon at the start of the 10th Season, which affected fans even though the character hadn’t been around since the start of Season 3. Showrunner Erica Messer explained that no matter who the character is, writing this type of tragedy isn’t easy. “We have a hard time ever killing any of our heroes,” she said. “I mean, with Gideon, it was season 10 that we did that, and people were upset.” This just proves how much of a personal connection both fans and writers can develop over time. 

Messer went on to reveal that due to the impressively long run the show has had, these emotional bonds will always be a factor. “So it’s not a path we like to take very often because these are our friends at this point. This team is really like family, so we don’t want to do anything unnecessarily to hurt them.” When it comes to Joe Mantegna’s Rossi, however, it’s that certain longevity that may have brought out a positive reaction from some fans if he did not actually survive this past season. Including this revamped stretch of the ongoing series (which is technically in Season 16), a curveball like Rossi’s permanent exit may inject some life into what some viewers may feel has become a stale series.