• Criminal Minds: Evolution will return for season 4 on May 28, 2026, on Paramount+.
  • Fans continue to wonder whether Shemar Moore (who played Derek Morgan on Criminal Minds) will return for a cameo in the current reboot.
  • Actress Paget Brewster, who plays BAU chief Emily Prentiss, got candid on the possibility of Shemar's return when speaking with Good Housekeeping in May 2025.

Ever since the Criminal Minds: Evolution reboot began in 2022, fans of the franchise have hoped the entire BAU would reunite. And recently, Paget Brewster revealed whether one beloved actor could make a grand return.

Viewers of the original Criminal Minds remember seeing Shemar Moore portray SSA Derek Morgan for 11 seasons. But in 2016, fans were shocked when the actor left the show to star in the CBS procedural drama S.W.A.T., which ended after eight seasons in May 2025.

So, with this in mind ... is there a chance Shemar could make his way to Criminal Minds: Evolution? When Paget, who plays BAU section chief Emily Prentiss, spoke with Good Housekeeping back in May 2025, she got candid about the possibility.

"I don't know!" she said. "That's something that I have no control. I mean, none of us have any control over any situation ... I don't know if he would come back. I don't know if he's got another show. I'm excited to see what the future holds, but I don't know if it's with us."

criminal minds evolution shemar moore return paget brewster comment
Monty Brinton//CBS
Paget Brewster and Shemar Moore on Criminal Minds.

Although Shemar hasn't exactly revealed what's next for his career, we know fans wouldn't mind if he came back to portray Derek Morgan again on Criminal Minds: Evolution. After all, the reaction to Matthew Gray Gubler's return as Dr. Spencer Reid in season 3 was enormous.

criminal minds it takes a village in the seventh season premiere, the members of the bau are questioned by a senate committee for their retaliatory actions after the assumed death and disappearance of emily prentiss, but a familiar face could help them win their case and keep the team together, on criminal minds airing on cbs on wednesday, september 21 (9:00 10:00 p.m., et). (photo by matt kennedy/disney general entertainment content via getty images studios via getty images)shemar moore, paget brewster, thomas gibson
Matt Kennedy

In 2024, Shemar said he was open to a return to Criminal Minds but was keeping busy.

"All I need is an invitation," he told TV Insider at the time. "I never forget where I came from. I’ve gone back to the soap opera that started my career three or four times. It started with The Young and the Restless, and then it was Criminal Minds. And that’s my evolution. Without The Young and the Restless, there’s no Criminal Minds. And without Criminal Minds, there’s no S.W.A.T. If they asked me to come visit, I would definitely do that."

We'll certainly be crossing our fingers to see Shemar back on our screens!