Criminal Minds Fans May As Well Say Goodbye To This Detective Now

Summary:

• Criminal Minds is an original CBS procedural drama that focuses on a team of criminal profilers who work for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU).
• Since season 2 and throughout the series, Josh Stewart has portrayed Detective William LaMontagne, who is a recurring character on the show.
• According to the actor, he will not return for an upcoming season 17.

Like fans of every other procedural in 2024, Criminal Minds fans are ready to celebrate the return of their favorite show to the small screen.

After a long hiatus, prolonged by the limitations of the WGA and SAG AFTRA strikes in 2023, BAU is finally ready to take on more cases and crack more criminals.

Season 17 is expected to be released this year, but the cast changes may overshadow the happy news.

Unfortunately, not everyone will be returning to the show this time around.

As Josh Stewart, who portrayed Detective William LaMontagne since the very second season of the series, recently announced on his social media, his run on Criminal Minds has come to an end.

All Criminal Minds fans are left to wonder what that will mean in terms of storyline, and how the writers are going to handle the exit.

What Will Happen To William LaMontagne In Criminal Minds S17?

Although all fans are hoping for a happy ending for his character, considering the storyline we got for LaMontagne in season 16, the chances of that happening are very slim.

The last thing the audience knows about LaMontagne is that he is facing a cancer scare. And while that turns out to be a false alarm, the panic mode is already hard to avoid.

The character's appearance and development were never linear, as Stewart was a recurring cast member, popping up here and there.

However, the stakes for his character became much higher after his blossoming romance with one of the leads, Jennifer Jareau, which eventually led to the couple tying the knot.

Not only has LaMontagne become a beloved character in his own right, but no matter what happens to him, it will definitely have an effect on JJ, and fans are already dreading it. What's worse, with no husband in the picture, the showrunners might go back to the idea of a romance between JJ and Dr. Spencer Reid.

Of course, this is too much of a glimpse into the future, which is otherwise completely unpredictable. The only person who can shed some light on the situation is showrunner Erica Messer, but judging by her response to TVLine, the team prefers to keep things vague for now:

“Next [season], hopefully, he’s going to be OK. But he’s not necessarily out of the woods forever,” she said.

Despite all the sadness, it's still too early to give up hope for Detective William LaMontagne. Keep your head up and make sure you keep an eye out for more important news and behind-the-scenes updates on the Criminal Minds season 17 release date.

Source: TVLine