Paget Brewster Returns To ‘Criminal Minds’ This Season

Paget Brewster is reprising her role on Criminal Minds this season after Thomas Gibson was dismissed from the show this summer.

PAGET BREWSTER RETURNS TO CRIMINAL MINDS FOR SEASON 12

Brewster, who plays Detective Emily Prentiss, returned as a guest for an episode in season 11, but has now returned for good. Gibson was let go from the show after he allegedly kicked one of the writers during an argument. Originally, Brewster was only slated to appear in six episodes this season, but was brought on full time because, according to executive producer Erica Messer, “she’s a fan favorite and we all love and miss her so much here.”

In terms of plot, fans don’t know what to expect with Brewster’s return. The trailer hinted at a complex relationship between Prentiss and Adam Rodriguez‘s character Luke Alvez. We also see Prentiss reenter the Behavioral Analysis Unit to investigate the cases of three missing women.

“She’s been running Interpol for four years, and now it’s just really nice to be back on the team full-time,” explains Brewster as to where Prentiss was during her time off the show. “So far, they’ve made [Prentiss] powerful and good at the job and invested.”

Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9 on CBS.