As the nineteenth season of Criminal Minds hits the U.S., actress Paget Brewster clearly took a (slightly) negative review rather hard.
Definitely, everyone hates… the criticism. In a recent video (below), we were trying, in fact, to explain that it’s quite rare for critics to actually tank a show’s ratings or box office, but what can you do, it seems too few Hollywood stars subscribe to ScreenRant. Earlier this June 2026, Hugh Laurie replied (in a rather funny way) to a negative take on his series House. It seems the heatwave is getting on everyone’s nerves, because a similar clash is resurfacing this week.
In fact, on the occasion of the release of the 19th season of Criminal Minds in the United States, the American outlet ScreenRant published an article about the differences between the first 15 seasons and the last four. For context, after CBS canceled the show in 2019, it was “picked up” by Paramount+. And from one distributor to another, Jeff Davis’s creation has tweaked its formula a bit, notably by switching from seasons of 22 episodes to 10. These (slightly) modified aspects drew some criticism, which did not at all please the actress Paget Brewster.
BAD SPIRIT
Following ScreenRant’s publication of an article titled “Paramount+’s Criminal Minds Format Change Finally Backfires,” Paget Brewster, who plays Emily Prentiss on the series, posted a tweet (now deleted) that let her anger show. She directly targeted the author of the piece, Shealynn Scott:
“Hi, critic Shealynn Scott. You’re young. You don’t realize that bad photos and bad reviews can cost jobs for 350 people. Sell vintage clothing. Work at a shelter. Do something better than what you’re doing now. Because right now, you’re awful.”
A hostile message that immediately prompted responses, as Variety reports. Andy Behbakht, ScreenRant’s editor-in-chief, naturally defended his employee, and David Rooney, the Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic, weighed in against Brewster on social media:
“That’s very ugly. An actor from a hit series going after a young critic who contextualizes her respectful critiques with obvious subject knowledge. It says a lot more about your defensiveness than about her professionalism. ‘Working in a shelter,’ really?”
That remark apparently did the trick. A few hours later, the American actress posted an apology message, still on X:
“Hi everyone, I was mean to Shealyn Scott last night and I deeply regret it. I’m ashamed and I deeply regret insulting a person who was doing their job. I’m truly sorry, Shealyn. And I apologize to my followers who had to witness that behavior from me. In the end, last night I was the one who was awful.”
All’s well that ends well, then even if one can’t help but think this circus could have been avoided with a touch more common sense. Paget Brewster clearly feared that an article could jeopardize her show, which had been on the brink before, as in 2019. In that sense, while the weight she places on the power of criticism is certainly exaggerated, it’s not hard to see her tweet as a disguised compliment. For some, criticism still matters.
The 19th season of Criminal Minds premiered on May 28, 2026 on Paramount+ in the United States. No release date has yet been announced for its arrival in France on TF1.
