Criminal Minds
Rachel Nichols had a surprisingly brief stint as FBI agent Ashley Seaver onCriminal Minds , and here ’s why she left after season 6 . Over the course of its 15 season , CBS’Criminal Mindsexperienced a in force bit of sick changes . From actors Shemar Moore to Jennifer Love Hewitt , several memorable thespian passed through the door of the FBI ’s Behavioral Analysis Unit . The serial itself chronicled the BAU ’s many cases as its dedicated team investigate the worst kinds of malefactor the mankind had to extend .
Nichols ' Ashley Seaver was introduced during a tumultuous season forCriminal Minds . She first made her debut in the season 6 instalment " What Happens At house , " when she was still a cadet at the FBI Academy . Agent David Rossi ( Joe Mantegna)brought Seaver in on a subject set within a close - rumple gated biotic community ; as Seaver shortly break , her father was a notorious serial killer , and she has valuable insight into the patterns of liquidator wield a household . From that point on , Seaver worked with the BAU as she completed her training , and Nichols became a series regular for the balance ofCriminal Mindsseason 6 , from episode 15 until the finale .
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However , Nichols ' hiring came right whenCriminal Mindswas enduring one of its large mold excitement yet . At the start ofCriminal Mindsseason 6 , original dramatis personae member AJ Cook departed the show because of reported budget cuts behind the scenes . That move alone was controversial with sports fan , but whenactress Paget Brewsterwas written out ofCriminal Mindslater on that same time of year , the backlash rose . Nichols was largely brought in to fill Cook ’s absence seizure , and then Brewster ’s as well when she will in season 6 ’s eighteenth sequence . As a result , Seaver was something of a controversial character at first , as fans pretermit the other two women . However , Cook and Brewster did n’t persist away fromCriminal Mindsfor very long . Cook ’s Jennifer Jareau cameoed in the season 6 closing curtain to support she would be retort the BAU , and Brewster ’s Emily Prentiss returned to the squad full time in theCriminal Mindsseason 7 premiere . The return in the end led to Nichols ' exit .
devotee were delighted by the news , but their rephrasing did n’t come without some consequence . Their returns spelled the end for Nichols , asshowrunner Erica Messerconfirmed in an consultation withTV Guide(viaCriminal judgment Fanatic ) at the time . " Having eight case on Criminal Minds seemed unconvincing . Rachel is a real trooper and a pro , " she said . " She walk into an incredibly hard position and handled it with gracility . " Seaver was last see in theCriminal Mindsseason 6 finale , " Supply and Demand . " Then , in the season 7 premiere , JJ reveals Seaver transfer to a different unit within the FBI .
ThoughCriminal Mindswas able to bring back two fan - favored reference ( who then remained key member of the show until its end in 2020 ) , there was something dissatisfactory about Nichols ' situation . Save for her intriguing backstory , Seaver did n’t get much development during her clip with the BAU . However , she take for a tidy sum of potential . Between her complicated past and the bud mentee - mentor human relationship she had with Rossi , Seaver could ’ve grown to become anintegral appendage ofCriminal Minds . unluckily , that never came to guide . Should Paramount+ actually end up rebootingCriminal Mindsfor time of year 16 , perhaps the creative team can find a path to give Seaver a shoutout , so sports fan live what became of her after that spontaneous transfer .
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