Kidnap, trauma and a female serial killer: 'Criminal Minds' season 14 has it all, says Kirsten Vangsness as she dishes on the intense season premiere

Kirsten Vangsness, who plays Penelope Garcia on the CBS crime drama, has a lot to say about what to expect from the new season after the shocker finale in the previous one

'Criminal Minds' is back for the 14th season and from the looks of it, it is the best one so far! While the show left us with a huge cliffhanger in April, little did we know that it would come back with a cure. FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) favorites Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) and Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) were abducted by a mass murderer with little to no hope of survival. These two are badasses in their own right but this time, the bad guy really got them. This shocker of an episode was followed with the news of a season renewal in May and we all breathed a little easy.

Although they still haven't been rescued, there's no need to worry about them, reveals actor Kirsten Vangsness in an interview with MEAWW. "I would say for sure that I wouldn't worry about us coming back because we are four episodes in and we are still there," says Vangsness reassuringly.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

With Season 8 set to premiere in 2027, the Netflix drama has already secured another chapter, with its first seven seasons already attracting more than 500 million views worldwide
2026-11-13T15:48:34.000Z
Ewan McGregor joins Claire Danes in the A24 thriller, which also stars Daveed Diggs and explores how a suspected hit-and-run threatens a marriage
2026-11-13T12:59:20.000Z
‘Happy’s Place’ Season 3 casts ‘Desperate Housewives’ star James Denton as Reba McEntire’s new love interest
2026-11-13T08:12:36.000Z
An unexpected rash turned out to be measles that might have been fatal for one character.
2026-11-13T07:46:24.000Z
Pavi and Nisha will follow separate paths before their journeys bring them back together in Book 2
2026-11-13T04:46:57.000Z
Mariska Hargitay’s reported ‘SVU’ paycheck includes acting and producing, while her estimated wealth reflects a career spanning more than four decades.
2026-11-12T20:43:49.000Z
'Marshals' Season 2 introduces a Texas cowgirl who joins Kayce Dutton at East Camp to help establish an equine therapy program.
2026-11-12T20:24:16.000Z
‘School Spirits’ Season 4 brings back Jennifer Tilly as Deborah Hunter-Price and Milo Manheim as Wally Clark while expanding its cast with four new additions
2026-11-12T20:05:26.000Z
Paul Wesley and Sara Canning reunite for Netflix’s college sports romance ‘Icebreaker,’ years after starring together in ‘The Vampire Diaries.’
2026-11-12T19:40:49.000Z
Peacock’s ‘The Good Daughter’ finale answers questions about the school shooting, Huck’s past and the buried secrets dividing Sam and Charlie’s family.
2026-11-12T16:29:59.000Z