With just days to go until the networks announce their 2013-2014 schedules at the upfronts, word is starting to travel around on which current shows are getting renewed and which have been cancelled. Fortunately, there’s good news for Criminal Minds — CBS has renewed the crime drama for season 9.
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According to Deadline, this news comes on the heels of a week of “intense negotiations” with the core cast members to continue on with the show. As part of their new deals, Thomas Gibson, Joe Mantegna, Shemar Moore, Kirsten Vangsness and A.J. Cook have signed two-year contracts. This doesn’t necessarily mean the show is guaranteed to return for at least two more years, but it’s a hopeful sign, and the network now has the cast in place should they renew the show again a year from now.
Vangsness and Cook sought pay increases on par with Moore and Gubler after rejecting an initial offer. And while their raises aren’t as high as they would have hoped, they still received “sizable pay increases.”
The two other main cast members, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jeanne Tripplehorn, are still with the show, though their contracts did not expire this year as it did with the other five actors. And last week, showrunner Erica Messer signed a new deal to return.
Even though Criminal Minds has been on the air for eight seasons, it still delivers a strong showing for the network, averaging 12.24 million viewers.
CBS will unveil their 2013-2014 schedule on Wednesday, May 15. And the Criminal Minds season 8 finale airs May 22 from 9-11pm.
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(Image courtesy of CBS)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
