New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution air every Thursday on Paramount+.
Executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer opened up to Good Housekeeping about season 19 and which storyline makes her the most proud.
Criminal Minds: Evolution is back on the air, and everyone is itching to find out which new cases the BAU will tackle next. But there’s one criminal profiler’s storyline that executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer is especially proud of.
Season 4 of the Criminal Minds reboot (and season 19 overall) premieres every Thursday on Paramount+, and viewers have already seen major plot points carry over from the previous season. The show jumps one year ahead to reveal how J.J. Jareau (A.J. Cook) is faring after the death of her husband, Will LaMontagne Jr. (Josh Stewart). As she continues to figure out her new normal, her oldest son, Henry (Mekhai Andersen, A.J.’s real-life son), prepares to head off to college.
Erica exclusively told Good Housekeeping in May that she has a lot of emotions about this storyline. Mainly, she feels a sense of pride to be able to share J.J.’s experience.
“What’s happening now with J.J is that she’s lost Will, and there are a lot of big life changes happening for her,” she told us over Zoom. “She’s doing it in a way that she never anticipated, and she always thought she’d have her partner by her side. Our goal was to be able to give that some space from the fresh grieving that was happening in season 18, and give some perspective on the lessons J.J.’s learned in moving differently after an emotional loss."
Erica has a personal connection to J.J. as a mom who has also sent a child off to college.
“Many parents send their kids to school, and it’s an emotional journey that parents and children go on,” she says. “I just feel really proud that we can do this for J.J., especially as the character gave birth to Henry on the show. We all remember when she had him, and now he’s going off to college. It’s personal for J.J., and I think for the fans who have been watching him all along. They remember when Henry was a baby, and it’s a full-circle moment for both J.J. and the viewers. This is kind of the warm hug I think everyone needed after losing Will, and hopefully we’ll get to see more of this dynamic in the future.”
We can’t wait to tune in!
