Criminal Minds: Evolution cancelled after Season 20 – The BAU is approaching its final case, with Criminal Minds: Evolution set to end after its already commissioned twentieth season.
The cancellation does not mean the series has disappeared immediately. Season 20 remains scheduled for release in the United States on Paramount+ in 2027, taking the franchise to five revival seasons and 20 seasons overall.
For Australian viewers, the important difference is where the programme can be watched. Although Evolution is a Paramount+ original in the United States, the current Australian home of Criminal Minds is Disney+. The official Disney+ Australia listing includes all 19 released seasons, including the four Evolution seasons screened so far.
Final season had already finished filming
Season 20 was renewed in March 2026, before Season 19 premiered. Production began in May and, according to Deadline, wrapped earlier in the northern autumn.
That timing matters. The decision to end the series was reportedly made only recently, after the episodes had been written and filmed. Season 20 was therefore not produced as a planned farewell season, and viewers should not assume its final episode will deliver the kind of definitive conclusion that could have been designed with advance notice.
The conclusion that Season 20 was completed before the cancellation comes from Deadline’s production reporting, not from Messer’s statement. In her separate reaction, Messer reflected on what the series had meant to the team.
It’s hard to put into words what Criminal Minds has meant to all of us.
Erica Messer, showrunner
Messer thanked the cast, writers, directors, crew and the fans who sustained the drama across two decades. She said the team looked forward to sharing Season 20 and celebrating the programme’s legacy.
Where Criminal Minds: Evolution streams in Australia
Paramount+ carries Criminal Minds: Evolution in the United States, but Australia operates under a different rights arrangement. Disney+ Australia currently lists Criminal Minds as one continuous 19-season series, with the revival beginning at Season 16.
Disney+ Australia also promotes Criminal Minds: Evolution in its local crime-drama guide. That confirms Disney+ as the Australian streaming home for the currently released episodes, rather than Paramount+.
An Australian release date and local streaming plan for Season 20 have not yet been announced. Based on the current arrangement, Australian audiences will be watching for news from Disney+, but the final season should not be described as confirmed for the service until a local announcement is made.
From CBS procedural to streaming revival
Criminal Minds began on CBS in 2005 and followed the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit as its profilers investigated serial offenders and other complex crimes. The original run ended in 2020 after 15 seasons.
Paramount+ revived the series in 2022 under the expanded title Criminal Minds: Evolution. Its shorter streaming seasons retained the weekly casework while adding longer, season-spanning investigations and a darker tone.
The current ensemble includes Joe Mantegna as David Rossi, Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss, A.J. Cook as Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia, Aisha Tyler as Tara Lewis and Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez. Matthew Gray Gubler also returned as Spencer Reid for a guest appearance during the revival.
The series is produced by CBS Studios and 20th Television. Season 20 will bring its combined CBS and streaming run to a milestone 20 seasons, although the late cancellation means the production team did not have the opportunity to shape the completed episodes around a known series ending.
For more TV Central Disney+ news, head to our Disney+ coverage. Australian viewers can stream the current 19 seasons on the official Disney+ Australia Criminal Minds page.