Criminal Minds Nearly Lost One Of Its Best Characters After Episode 1

screenrant.com:

Criminal Minds is notable for its revolving cast, but one of the best main characters was nearly lost after only the pilot episode. The first episode of Criminal Minds introduced viewers to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), which consisted of Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini), and tech analyst Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). While two of the main cast members would be gone before Criminal Minds season 3, the rest of the original characters were able to establish themselves as beloved figures throughout the majority of the 15-season series.

One of the best aspects of Criminal Minds that was established within the first two episodes is the dynamic between enelope Garcia and Derek Morgan, who would remain on the show until season 11 and the series finale, respectively. While the series would be missing an incredible part of its character relationships after Shemar Moore left, Criminal Minds still maintained the great presence of Penelope Garcia until the series’ final moments. As one of only three cast members to remain on the show from the pilot until the finale, Kirsten Vangsness’s Garcia is considered one of Criminal Minds’ best characters, but she wasn’t originally supposed to have such a substantial arc.

Related: Matthew Gray Gubler's Reid Has To Return For Criminal Minds S16 (But How?)

Vangsness revealed that she was originally only slated to appear in Criminal Minds’ pilot episode (via Parade), which would have meant losing out on not only the beloved Garcia-Morgan banter, but also on one of the show’s best characters after just one episode. Thankfully, the producers of Criminal