When Does Prentiss Come Back to Criminal Minds?

Criminal Minds experienced significant cast turnover throughout its 16-season run, resulting in the departure and return of main characters. Paget Brewster‘s character, Emily Prentiss, had a complex and dramatic journey on the show, including faking her own death, returning briefly before leaving the Bau again, and later returning to take over the Bau team after Hotch’s departure. Brewster‘s return to Criminal Minds was mostly prompted by the fan’s outrage and disappointment at Brewster’s treatment in the series, a testament to how popular Emily Prentiss was.

Criminal Minds suffered from notorious cast turnover, beginning in Season 2 with the departure of the primary protagonist, Jason Gideon, brought to life by Mandy Patinkin, and the subsequent loss of Lola Glaudini‘s Elle Greenaway. Despite a huge amount of fan support and a 15-season network run, main characters came and went at an alarming rate on the CBS procedural. However, one of…