Criminal Minds Risks Repeating Law and Order: Organized Crime Mistake in Season 17
Will Sicarius' arc be as good next season as it was in the first?
The finale of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1 has aired, and fans were treated to an entertaining hour-long roller coaster of a ride that wrapped up most of the season's storylines and ended on an unexpected cliffhanger that serves as a jump start for the next season.
While some fans can't wait to see who stepped into Sicarius' cell to discuss Gold Star, others feel that dragging out Elias Voit's storyline could be a huge mistake.
The first season of the revival differed from all previous Criminal Minds seasons in several ways. And the biggest change was that Evolution introduced a main unsub for the season instead of the "case per episode" format.
Fans and creators alike fell in love with the Big Bad and his twisted games due to more time spent with him and Zach Gilford's brilliant performance. And it was this newfound love that secured Voit's place in the next season. Originally, the creators intended to wrap up his arc in Season 1.
"We didn't know we were gonna fall in love with Zach so much that we wanted to come up with a story that could continue," showrunner Erica Messer revealed to Variety.
Messer added that next season, Voit will continue to spin his web of intrigue from behind bars, Hannibal Lecter-style. And while some fans are excited to get more of Sicarius, others are worried that dragging his arc into the next season could ruin it. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that the creators of a procedural haven't said goodbye to a fan-favorite character in time, thus making their arc boring.
One of the most striking examples is Dylan McDermott's corrupt organized crime businessman Richard Wheatley, who appeared in Season 1 of the SVU spinoff as the prime suspect in the murder of Elliot Stabler's wife. The villain was so memorable that the creators decided to extend his arc into Season 2. And many fans were disappointed with how it played out.
At the end of Season 2, McDermott left Organized Crime to head another procedural, FBI: Most Wanted. And many fans breathed a sigh of relief because they didn't want to be stuck with a full 3 seasons of Wheatley.
Now Criminal Minds fans risk the same fate and can only hope that Sicarius' Season 2 storyline will not be as disappointing as Wheatley's.