Exclusive: Esai Morales Joins "Criminal Minds" as New Section Chief
July 25, 2013
by Joyce Eng


The BAU has a new boss.

"NYPD Blue" and "Caprica" star Esai Morales has joined "Criminal Minds" as the new BAU section chief, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.



Morales will recur as Matt Cruz, a longtime FBI agent who gets promoted to work with the BAU and has a previous professional relationship with JJ (A.J. Cook) that will be revealed as the season progresses. Might they have worked together during her stint in the Department of Defense?

Morales will make his first appearance in the third episode of Season 9.



Season 9 premieres Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 9/8c on CBS.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Criminal-Minds-Exclusive-Esai-Morales-1068277.aspx

Keck's Exclusives First Look: "Criminal Minds" Explores J.J.'s Gap Year
Sep 16, 2013
by William Keck


"Criminal Minds'" ninth season, premiering Sept. 25, "is shaping up to be the season of J.J.," reports A.J. Cook of her character, who was written out of the CBS procedural during Season 6. (Fan backlash led to Cook's rehiring for Season 7.)

"We're going to use the serendipitous gift of Season 6 to explain with flashbacks what happened when she was working for the Pentagon and why she came back as a much tougher character. I've never had a chance to flex my acting muscles like this on the show!"



J.J.'s missing year involves new recurring character FBI agent Mateo Cruz (Esai Morales), who debuts this fall.

"They share a pretty dark secret that comes back to haunt them," says Cook, hinting that J.J.'s happy marriage to Will (Josh Stewart) could be threatened. "People are going to be confused and angry, but it's all going to make beautiful sense to our audience when we explain it in our 200th episode."

That show, tentatively scheduled to air Feb. 5, will also feature appearances by characters long absent from the series.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Criminal-Minds-JJ-Gap-Year-Kecks-Exclusives-1070362.aspx