A recurring character will grace "Criminal Minds" Season 12 set to premiere next week. Jane Lynch will return to her role as the schizophrenic Diana.
The news came from TVGuide.com, with Lynch returning as Reid's (Matthew Gray Gubler) mother for two episodes that will air in early 2017. "Criminal Minds" showrunner Erica Messer said that the episodes will both be a "heavy Reid story," though it's bound to be a "fun" story as well. Lynch's portrayal of Diana will first be showcased in Episode 11.
Lynch's debut as Diana occurred in the long-running police procedural crime drama's Season 1 finale. She returned to the role in back-to-back Season 4 episodes, a time when the BAU team headed to Las Vegas for a case, where Diana resides in.
Despite Diana's long absence, "Criminal Minds" made sure that viewers didn't forget about her. In Season 9, Diana sent a postcard to Reid about her supervised trip to the Grand Canyon and in Season 11, Reid filed a leave of absence to visit her at the Bennington Sanitarium after her condition worsened, TVGuide.com noted.
After that visit, Reid revealed that Diana has onset dementia and she didn't recognize him immediately upon seeing him. By the end of Season 11 of "Criminal Minds," Reid disclosed about his plans to take a vacation in Paris along with his mother, who appears to be doing fine.
A new promo was recently unveiled for Season 12 of "Criminal Minds." The sneak peek introduced Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), an FBI Fugitive Task Force member who just joined FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) full-time. He will serve as Derek Morgan's (Shemar Moore) replacement, Parent Herald previously reported.
"Criminal Minds" Season 12 will also welcome back Paget Brewster's SSA Emily Prentiss. Brewster, who left the show in Season 7 but returned as a guest star in several episodes, was promoted to series regular in the wake of Thomas Gibson's firing from the series.
There are speculations that Prentiss will replace Gibson's Aaron Hotchner as the BAU's head chief. The news was somewhat confirmed by Kirsten Vangness, who portrays tech wiz Penelope Garcia, during a recent interview with Starry Mag. Vangness said that it "makes a lot of sense" that Prentiss is now "the head of the team."
Vangness also said that she will dislike Luke at first, but will eventually warm up to him just like what she did to her close friend, Derek. "Criminal Minds" Season 12 premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9/8c on CBS.
