‘Criminal Minds’ Premiere: Luke Perry Returns — Plus, a Sneak Peek at the 300th Episode (PHOTOS)
Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss) and Joe Mantegna (David Rossi)
Aisha Tyler (Dr. Tara Lewis) and Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss)
Stafford Douglas (Theo Holston) and Michael Hogan (Benjamin David Merva)
Aisha Tyler (Dr. Tara Lewis), Daniel Henney (Matt Simmons), Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss), Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez), and Joe Mantegna (David Rossi)
Criminal Minds premiered way back in 2005 and it’s now about to celebrate its 300th episode.
To help commemorate the milestone, executive producer Erica Messer teased that fans will be seeing a few familiar faces in the episode — including Beverly Hills, 90210 alum and current Riverdale star Luke Perry.
“A lot of exploration of the history of the show in the 300th episode, right from jump,” she tells Entertainment Weekly. “Even when we would normally be doing a ‘previously on Criminal Minds, we give a little history lesson of the current team on the show.”
Perry is back as cult leader Benjamin Cyrus, who first appeared in the Season 4 episode “Minimal Loss.” However, in that episode, the character died… which begs the question, how will be return? We assume in a flashback scene.
Luke Perry as cult leader Benjamin Cyrus in 2008 (Karen Neal/ABC Studios)
Messer said the reason to bring back so many major players is a way of “acknowledging the talent and history of those people.”
We left off in the Season 13 finale with the lives of Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) in jeopardy. The rest of the BSU team must race against the clock to try and save them from another murderous cult leader Benjamin Merva (Michael Hogan).
Click through the gallery above for some sneak peek photos from the milestone premiere episode!
Criminal Minds, Season 14 Premiere, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 10/9c, CBS
