Criminal Minds: Evolution Star Not Returning for New Season

Production on Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 officially began this week but it seems a fan-favorite character won’t be returning for the upcoming season. Josh Stewart, who plays Will LaMontagne Jr. revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that he will not be returning as the beloved husband of JJ A.J. Cook). “No sadly, my days of playing Will LaMontagne Jr. are over. You guys have been the absolute best,” Stewart wrote.

Stewart has played Will since season 2 of Criminal Minds, first introduced as a detective for the New Orleans Police Department. He took over a case that was formally his father’s who tragically passed away during Hurricane Katrina. When he inquires about getting assistance from the BAU he meets JJ and they form an affinity for one another. He is seen on an off throughout the following seasons, including in the “series finale” of season 15, “And in the End.”

Of course it ended up not being the last time fans would get to see the characters together as Criminal Minds: Evolution was confirmed to be in development shortly after. In February 2022 it was confirmed to still be in development and received a series order that July. Main cast members Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss), Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia), Aisha Tyler (Tara Lewis) and Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez) and Cook all returned for the series. Production on season 16 began in August of 2022 and episodes began airing that November through February of 2023. Will had a huge part in season 16 as he went through a cancer scare after getting a routine physical for his insurance, a storyline that reflected a real-life situation between Cook and her husband Nathan. Will ended up having a treatable, inflamed thyroid but showrunner Erica Messer revealed that he’s “not out of the woods forever.”

Production on Season 17 of Criminal Minds Begins

The BAU are back together once again sharing teases of the upcoming 17th season of the series. The cast and crew were set to begin production over the summer but the writers and actors strikes significantly delayed their original plans. “We start filming mid January at a break neck pace to get episodes to you ASAP!” series star Paget Brewster wrote in response to a fan. “We all hope you will watch and love them!” Criminal Minds: Evolution was picked up for a new season last January ahead of the season 15 finale. Following its Thanksgiving Day premiere in 2022, the 10-episode season became one of the streamer’s top five originals and the Criminal Minds franchise had seen an increase of nearly six times in month-over-month viewership.

Stay tuned to Comicbook for updates on Criminal Minds: Evolution.