Published May 28, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
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JJ is moving on in Criminal Minds season 19.
As great as the current ensemble is, it's safe to say that the original BAU team will always be special for long-time fans. Luckily, Evolution season 4 has a few legacy players left in its roster, led by AJ Cook's JJ. Having been in the procedural for nearly its whole run, the former BAU media liason has gone through so much, both professionally and personally. That said, she's coming out of arguably her most difficult year, as Criminal Minds season 18 saw the death of Wil LaMontagne, leaving her unexpectedly widowed.
Dealing with Elias Voit continues to be at the heart of Criminal Minds: Evolution's run. While the show has been able to maintain most of its DNA from the original network TV show, the format and platform change allow a few shifts with its storytelling approach. The 10-episode seasons allow Criminal Minds to really dig deep into the personal lives of its main characters, and season 18 happened to be JJ's turn. Unfortunately, instead of a cause for celebration, it was defined by her biggest loss thus far — something that will continue to shape her arc moving forward.
In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns, showrunner Erica Messer discussed what's next for JJ a year after Wil's death. As seen in the two-episode premiere of Criminal Minds season 19, AJ Cook's character finally moves out of the house that she shared with her husband alongside her two boys. As she finds her footing again as a widow, she's once again faced another major life change, as she gets ready to send Henry to college. Read Messer's full quote below:
Yeah, it's interesting, while JJ had the big, big thing happen in season 18, we're playing a year between the seasons, and now she's a year out of that immediate grief of losing her husband. But now she's embarking on this new journey of sending her kid to college, and how that is a very real thing that a lot of us behind the scenes were embarking on that journey as well. So, it all came from a very personal space, I guess, of what your expectations are for that. And of course, JJ would've expected Will to be a part of that journey with her, and to be there to eventually be in an empty nest, and all of that stuff. So, it just felt really important to acknowledge that part of her journey now as she's a widow, but always a mother, and now embarking on those things by herself.
So, we see her and the family moving out of the family home in the premiere. And then by the end of the season, we will have felt that whole journey of the ups and downs of a kid's decision on where do they want to go, and how far away and all of those things. So, that really becomes a big thing for her.
But yeah, I think those are sort of the biggest ones. We really wanted to give Adam/Luke Alvez — I feel like he's been patiently waiting for these stories. So, it allows Alvez and JJ to really bond over grief. We see that friendship in a different light, too, because they have this common bond now.
Admittedly, the death of Wil in Criminal Minds season 18 came out of nowhere. Josh Stewart had been one of, if not the most important supporting characters in the show's history, having been a presence in the series since its early days on CBS. His love story with JJ was the most enduring romance in Criminal Minds' history, and the pair's marriage was proof that BAU members can have a happy personal life without being consumed by their work, the same way it did with Hotch or to an extent, even Morgan.
With Criminal Minds already renewed for season 20, there's guaranteed time to continue developing this new path for JJ. It's difficult to imagine her jumping into a new relationship just a couple of years removed from the death of Wil. While it has happened before in the show, their relationship is just particularly special, considering how long they were together. One of the most divisive plots that the CBS show tackled was suggesting a romance between JJ and Reid, which could now happen with Will dead, but would likely draw a much bigger backlash.
For now, the focus is on JJ getting used to not just having Will around, but also letting go of Henry. As her firstborn grows up, he will inevitably have his own life separate from hers. Thankfully, she has her trusted BAU friends, but it's curious what the long-term plan is when it comes to her personal arc in Criminal Minds.
Criminal Minds season 19 drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
Release Date September 22, 2005
Showrunner Erica Messer
Writers Bruce Zimmerman, Virgil Williams, Edward Allen Bernero, Janine Sherman Barrois, Chris Mundy, Simon Mirren, Debra J. Fisher, Kimberly A. Harrison, Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Karen Maser, Oanh Ly, Stephanie Sengupta, Aaron Zelman, Kirsten Vangsness, Erica Meredith, Andi Bushell, Holly Harold, Alicia Kirk, Jeff Davis, Randy Huggins, Edward Napier, Jayne A. Archer, Chikodili Agwuna
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Kirsten Vangsness
Penelope Garcia
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Matthew Gray Gubler
Dr. Spencer Reid
English (US) ·