Goodbye, Prentiss: Criminal Minds Boss Promises A Bittersweet Finale

Goodbye, Prentiss: Criminal Minds Boss Promises a Bittersweet Finale Seattle Post-Intelligencer Copyright 2012 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 06:19 a.m., Wednesday, May 16, 2012 Criminal Minds executive producer Erica Messer knew very early this season that she wanted to do something out of the ordinary for the season finale. [...] in February, Messer learned that longtime cast member Paget Brewster had opted to not renew her contract and would once again be leaving the show. (Brewster departed last season to shoot a comedy pilot, but returned when it wasn't ordered to series.) "We thought, 'How do we keep the spirit of the finale alive - ending on a happy note - given this sad news?'" Messer says. While some writers suggested killing off Brewster's character, Agent Emily Prentiss, Messer held firm to her happy ending. Before she leaves, however, Prentiss and the rest of Behavioral Analysis Unit will have to contend with Izzy Rogers (Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer), the leader of a bank-robbing gang who has taken hostages in D.C. "Ultimately, she is a serial killer masquerading as a bank robber," Messer says. Ultimately, one of the team members will risk everything by entering the bank and trying to talk Helfer's character down. [...] fear not - we're pretty confident everyone makes it to the wedding - including a cavalcade of familiar faces, such as JJ's beau Will (Josh Stewart) and a returning Strauss (Jayne Atkinson). Criminal Minds Boss Promises a Bittersweet Finale at TVGuide.com