After leaving the “Criminal Minds” cast at the end of season seven and returning as a special guest star for the show’s 200th episode, Paget Brewster is officially returning to the show for a guest starring role in an episode that will air later this season.
The actress confirmed her return Feb. 10, tweeting “Dusting off my boots and badge to run ‘n gun with my pals one more time ! #CriminalMinds.” She followed the tweet with an article from TVLine, confirming her return to the show.
According to TVLine, Brewster’s character, Emily Prentiss, will return to ask for help on a case that she believes has picked up in the United States. Prentiss, a former member of the BAU, the division of the FBI the show is based off of, now works for Interpool.
The article also says that she was asked to come back to the show over summer, when cast member AJ Cook temporarily left the show to go on maternity leave. However, she was unable to return due to “Grandfathered” getting picked up for the current TV season.
Brewster joined the “Criminal Minds” cast in the second season after star Lola Glaudini left the show. She remained with the cast through the sixth season, when she was let go from her contract and her character was killed off.
At the beginning of the seventh season, it was discovered her character hadn’t actually died and she returned to the show. She left at the end of the seventh season, when her character joined Interpool and took over for someone she worked with when she was a part of the CIA.
Prentiss was last seen in the season nine episode, “200,” in which she guest starred for the 200th episode. She was seen still being a part of Interpool and helped the team figure out what happened to team member JJ, who was abducted in the episode before.
Brewster remained friends with the cast since departing the show. When she got married in 2014, costar Matthew Gray Gubler was the officiant at her wedding to Steve Damstra. Gubler is also good friends with Damstra.
Brewster’s role on “Criminal Minds” is one of her most well-known roles. In addition to playing Emily Prentiss, she has guest starred on “Friends,” where she played Kathy, who first dated Joey, then dated Chandler in the fourth season of the popular sitcom. She also had a guest starring role on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.”
She currently stars on Fox’s “Grandfathered,” playing Sara, and stars in Comedy Central’s “Another Period.”