Why Rachel Nichols Left Criminal Minds After Season 6
Rachel Nichols had a surprisingly brief stint as FBI agent Ashley Seaver on Criminal Minds, and here's why she left after season 6. Over the course of its 15 seasons, CBS' Criminal Minds experienced a good number of casting changes. From actors Shemar Moore to Jennifer Love Hewitt, several memorable actors passed through the doors of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. The series itself chronicled the BAU's many cases as its dedicated team investigated the worst kinds of criminals the world had to offer.
Nichols' Ashley Seaver was introduced during a tumultuous season for Criminal Minds. She first made her debut in the season 6 episode «What Happens At Home,» when she was still a cadet at the FBI Academy. Agent David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) brought Seaver in on a case set within a close-knit gated community; as Seaver soon revealed, her father was a notorious serial killer, and she has valuable insight into the patterns of murderers maintaining a family. From that point on, Seaver worked with the BAU as she completed her training, and Nichols became a series regular for the rest of Criminal Minds season 6, from episode 15 until the finale.
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However, Nichols' hiring came right when Criminal Minds was enduring one of its biggest cast upheavals yet. At the start of Criminal Minds season 6, original cast member AJ Cook departed the show because of reported budget cuts behind the scenes. That move alone was controversial with fans, but when actress Paget Brewster was written out of Criminal Minds later on that same season, the backlash rose. Nichols was largely brought in to fill Cook's absence, and then Brewster's as well when she left in season 6's 18th episode. As
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