Fans who have been begging for Derek Morgan to return to the BAU in “Criminal Minds” season 12 will be happy. At least, they’ll be happy for a short time. Shemar Moore is returning to the show, but only for the season 12 finale. This is despite the actor deciding to leave last year and making the suggestion that he had no intention of reprising the role.

Could it be the saving grace ‘Criminal Minds’ season 12 needs?

“Criminal Minds” hasn’t had the strongest of seasons. Part of that is due to the unexpected and very public exit of Thomas Gibson, who played the role of BAU chief Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner.

Fans rallied behind their favorite character, believing his suspension and later firing to be unjust. The campaign #NoHotchNoWatch spread across social media and is still going strong.

There was an attempt to win fans back by bringing Agent Emily Prentiss back to the show. Paget Brewster has long been an actress fans have begged to return, but it wasn’t good enough. Even with her as a familiar face leading the team, fans have turned away. Is it possible that Moore’s reprisal of Derek Morgan will help to save things?

Why is Shemar Moore returning?

Moore made it clear that he was ready to leave “Criminal Minds” before season 11. However, he stuck around to create a good storyline for the exit of the character – a favorite for many.

While fans were disappointed, they were happy to see that he exited on good terms. He decided to put his wife and newborn first.

Now he will return to help capture Mr. Scratch, a criminal who escaped at the end of season 11. He is thought to be the one who framed Spencer Reid for murder, and was written in as the reason Hotchner left the BAU.

Now it’s all hands on deck to stop him from terrorizing any more people, and Derek Morgan seems to have a connection to do that.

Moore will reprise his role in the “Criminal Minds” season 12 finale. This could be a series finale, as CBS and ABC haven’t confirmed if the show is going to be renewed yet. The season finale will air on May 10, 2017 at 9pm on CBS.
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