‘Criminal Minds’ Leaving Netflix: Subscribers Packing Their Bags Too?

Criminal Minds is one of the biggest crime investigation shows of this century. Among a vast sea of other crime dramas, the show stood out with its notably dark and gritty tone. Combine that with storytelling and characters that get more depth than many of its contemporaries. The show has 15 seasons thus far and is one of the most popular shows currently in syndication. So it’s no surprise that the show has been one of the top performers on Netflix since arriving on the platform in 2014.

But after 8 years the show is finally departing. And in the wake of that news, fans are questioning whether or not to keep their Netflix subscription going.

No More Criminal Minds

12 of the show’s 15 seasons are currently on Netflix but will be unavailable starting June 30th. Criminal Minds’ Netflix departure is a part of CBS’s increasing efforts to get all of their programs onto their new streaming service Paramount+.

They’ve already begun to amass a large number of shows that were once available on other streaming giants. Shows like Survivor, Spongebob Squarepants, and South Park are now solely available with Paramount+. In the United States, at least. The lineup of programs available on different platforms varies with region.

The loss of Criminal Minds is a huge blow to longtime Netflix subscribers. It’s considered by many to be a highly “binge-able” show. One like The Office or Bojack Horseman that viewers feel they can watch over and over again. So will Netflix take a blow in subscribers to Paramount+ due to this transfer?

Netflix is bound to take a fairly major subscriber blow for a number of reasons. On top of their dwindling third-party content, many feel that their original content has been dropping in quality. Recently Netflix cut back on much of their creative staff, along with canceling many of their shows.

This in combination with their increasing subscription costs and the rumors of advertisements coming to the platform show a clear trend of the company looking to start turning a profit. Pair all of this with the loss of content like The Office to NBC’s Peacock and Criminal Minds to Paramount+ and things are looking to take a downturn over at Netflix.

The Future Of The Show

Criminal Minds supposedly put out its series finale back in early 2020. The original plan was for Season 15 to be the finale of the show. But recently an announcement for Season 16 came by way of Paramount+ as they look to expand the appeal of their original content. We don’t have the full information just yet on how many members of the original cast are returning. But we do know that longtime series favorite Matthew Gray Gubler has opted out.

All 15 seasons of Criminal Minds are available on Paramount+ now. The most recent 3 seasons of the show are also available to stream on Hulu.