Yesterday, CBS broke the news that Paget Brewster is leaving Criminal Minds after six seasons. And while I'm sure we all wish Brewster well in whatever projects she pursues in the future, her departure does beg the question for fans: What happens now?

Brewster and fellow co-star A.J. Cook were written out of the series in season 6, after both actresses were fired by the network brass. While Cook's JJ was transferred out of the unit, the writers had Prentiss fake her death and go into hiding so they had the option of bringing Brewster back at some point. And with Cook and Brewster's returns, JJ and Prentiss reunited with their team, and all was well once again. But now that Brewster is set to exit at the end of the season, what will happen to Prentiss? And how will her departure affect the rest of the team?

The writers have plenty of options when it comes to writing off the character, but which will they choose? When Brewster was fired back in 2010, she asked the writers to kill her character off, but they chose to leave things open-ended instead. Will the writers follow-through on Brewster's original request and kill Prentiss? Has the actress changed her mind about her character's fate? We all saw how greatly Emily's 'death' affected the team the first time around. Will they be able to survive losing her again? Or will the writers come up with a different send-off for the character, in the hopes that Brewster might one day revisit the role?

In season 6, Emily Prentiss faked her death after a brutal attack by terrorist Ian Doyle. Though Doyle was killed in the season seven premiere, the writers could have Prentiss go back into hiding after one of Doyle's old contacts comes looking for her. Or, like JJ and Seaver (Rachel Nichols), Prentiss could transfer to another team/another job. Prentiss could also resign due to personal or professional difficulties or she could be fired. I imagine if she were to leave the Bureau, whether voluntarily or not, it would be under extreme circumstances, as Emily seems very happy at the BAU.

Whatever the writers decide, they have a tough challenge ahead of them. Thanks to the cast changes, season 6 of Criminal Minds struggled quite a bit creatively. But with the cast back intact for season 7, there seemed to be a new energy about the show. The writing has been fresher, the performances more passionate and the behind-the-scenes dynamic much more pleasant than it had been during the previous season. Yet with Brewster's exit, the show could hit another rough patch, especially if the writers bring in another new character.

Now, Prentiss herself was a new character, as Paget Brewster did not join the series until season 2. Joe Mantegna's David Rossi was also successfully introduced into the series at a later date. But last season's debacle with newcomer Rachel Nichols was a different story. Nichols' character Ashley Seaver did not make a good impression with the fanbase, and Nichols was not invited back for the current season. Should the show bring in a new character to replace Prentiss in season 8, there is no way to tell if he or she would make a successful transition like Brewster and Mantegna, or fall flat with the audience. If, on the other hand, the writers do not introduce a replacement for Brewster's character, the team would be down a member and the cast would be much less balanced in the male-to-female ratio.

Yet, for the moment, this is all just speculation. We do not know how the writers will deal with the latest cast change, or what Prentiss' final storyline might entail.

We do not know what factors the powers-that-be will take into consideration when writing Brewster's exit, so everything is a bit up in the air right now.

What we do know is that Paget Brewster delivered six seasons of strong, dynamic performances as Emily Prentiss, and she will be greatly missed.

Megan Cole
Contributing Writer

(Image courtesy of CBS)