"Criminal Minds" Season 12 is all set to premiere this month but there will be big changes to the series following Thomas Gibson's exit. Gibson has been part of the crime drama series since day one playing as Behavioral Analysis Unit's (BAU) chief, Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, and fans are devastated after he was fired for allegedly firing a set writer. Gibson will still be part of the series for only a few episodes and it's a relief he will have a graceful exit.
According to TVLine, Hotch will be sent on a special assignment in the third episode of "Criminal Minds" Season 12. Showrunner Erica Messer confirmed to the news outlet that the character will be sent to a temporary duty that the FBI director had assigned him to. This will also prepare for the return of Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), who will be on temporary duty with the BAU, Messer added. It was recently announced that Brewster will be back to do multiple episodes for the CBS series.
Prior to Gibson getting fired, Messer also said at that time that Hotch will appear in a "couple of episodes" of "Criminal Minds" Season 12 and fans will soon find out what this "special assignment" is about. However, it turns out that Hotch will be off-screen for good and fans will just have to stick around to find out more about this special task.
More details about Hotch's exit from will be revealed at a later date, as confirmed by CBS and ABC. But according to MoviePilot, Hotch will most probably retire as his job being the BAU leader has worn him down. He already lost his wife in earlier seasons, but he has left a teenage son, with whom he wishes to give more time to. Fans will just have to wait to see Gibson play the last of Hotch in "Criminal Minds" Season 12, which premieres on Sept. 28 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
