Big broadcast TV franchises are back in the spotlight lately, with many programs welcoming folks back to primetime viewing, and familiar faces are making their way to streaming. Unfortunately for some long-tenured fans, this interest in big ratings winners of the previous decade, like the "CSI" shows and NBC's connected "Chicago"-verse, has not brought every single massive star along for the ride. Imagine being a lapsed "Criminal Minds" fan who fell off following the show every week, but wanted to tune
in for the new seasons on Paramount+, and being confronted with the absence of Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan. He left the show back in season 11, and he did it to see what else he could accomplish in the acting space beyond being a fan-favorite on this long-running procedural.
"Criminal Minds" fans had grown to love Derek Morgan's steadying presence on the procedural during the middle of the show's run, and in some ways, the Behavioral Analysis Unit agent's progress directly mirrors "Criminal Minds" finding its footing on CBS. Morgan was a little too buttoned-up, then "cooler than you can imagine," followed by a sort of stoicism that accompanies becoming an institution. He made his way from being a part of the team to being the leader of the BAU, and then stepping aside after personal tragedy rocked him to his core. (As one would imagine when a sniper targets your significant other shortly after you get married!) All of those events led Morgan to inform Aaron Hotchner that he had to step away to ensure his family's safety and be there for his newborn son.
Shemar Moore actually does appear in episodes beyond his departure in season 11, as you really can't have any flashback material in "Criminal Minds" that doesn't rope in Derek Morgan in some capacity. It's a run to be proud of, and the show is a project he'll always have a soft spot for, but the former soap opera star thought it was time to switch it up.
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Shemar Moore Left Criminal Minds Behind To Challenge Himself As An Actor
After Derek Morgan's shocking departure in "Criminal Minds" episode 251, "A Beautiful Disaster," fans were wondering if this was a case of writing Shemar Moore off the show, or was it his choice. In an interview with TV Line, Moore clarified that he decided to step away of his own accord, as there were other challenges that were speaking to him at the time. He joked that writer Erica Messer had enough. "Erica said she was so tired of looking at me. She was tired of me being late in the morning. She was like, 'You've got to get the hell up!' No, I'm kidding," Moore chuckled.
He continued, "My mother sends me these great cards ... She gave me this one card and I'm looking at it right now and it says, 'Leap and the net will appear.' That's what she did her whole life. She thought outside of the box, and she never got too comfortable because she wanted to continue to grow." The star also shared, "There's been other people in my life who are like that too. I don't want to be ordinary. I don't want to follow. I want to be bold, and I want to see what I'm capable of. So yes, it was my decision."
"I've treated my acting career like school. "The Young and the Restless," eight years. [That was] high school. "Criminal Minds": college. Now I'm ready for grad school, a Ph.D., whatever you want to call it. I'm just ready to grow. I just want to leap," Moore argued. "And I don't know where I'm going to land, but I believe that I'm going to land. ... I'm not leaving to go be a big star. I'm not leaving to go make a bunch of money. ... I'm leaving because I just creatively want to be fueled and [am] excited to try new things and see what else I'm capable of," the star added. "But I'm always going to look back and salute. They did not kill me on 'The Young and the Restless' and I went back to say hello and thank the fans. Erica Messer refused to kill Derek Morgan. Those elevator doors closed. Am I going to sign a long-term contract? Probably not. But if they ask me to come back and dance, yes, I would be willing to do that. [But] not right away."
Shemar Moore Didn't Stray Far From Broadcast TV, And Ended Up Headlining S.W.A.T.
After that stint on "Criminal Minds," a lot of fans wondered what Moore would tackle next, and they quickly discovered it was a similar role. On CBS, he became the face of "S.W.A.T.," which also ran for a pretty long time on the three-letter network, at the same time as "Criminal Minds" was going on. It turns out his big move for the next step was being the face of the program rather than being an ensemble piece like he was during his start with the BAU. Seven seasons on broadcast is nothing to sneeze at, and "S.W.A.T." even has a spin-off series coming up, too, so the decision clearly ended up working out for all of the parties involved.
"Criminal Minds: Evolution" is currently running on Paramount+, and there are still fans holding out hope to see Derek Morgan cameo during an entire episode, despite the character only getting mentions here and there at this point. But, this current broadcast landscape is very different than the one he left the show in during the previous decade, and anything can truly happen. Moore is still on good terms with Erica Messer and hasn't said anything really negative about "Criminal Minds" in the meantime, so hope springs eternal. Maybe more important than anything is the fact that broadcast procedurals being so popular leaves the door open for just about anything; after all, he's already been fitted for the uniform.
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