TV Criminal Minds vet Josh Stewart exits revival: 'You guys have been the absolute best' The second season of "Criminal Minds: Evolution" will be down one longtime detective. By Jessica Wang Jessica Wang Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 18, 2024 02:29PM EST Det. William LaMontagne Jr. is handing in his badge. Criminal Minds veteran Josh Stewart announced Wednesday that he won't be returning for the second season of the revived Paramount+ series, also known as Criminal Minds: Evolution. "Sadly, my days of playing Will LaMontagne Jr. are over," he wrote on social media, telling fans, "You guys have been the absolute best." Representatives for Stewart and Paramount+ didn't immediately respond to EW's request for further comment. Josh Stewart on 'Criminal Minds: Evolution'. Michael Yarish/Paramount+ Stewart made his debut on the original Criminal Minds in season 2 of the CBS drama. A recurring character, LaMontagne began a romantic relationship with A.J. Cook's agent J.J. Jareau, and the couple married in the two-part season 7 finale. The hit police procedural, also starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Matthew Gray Gubler, Shemar Moore, Mandy Patinkin, and Kirsten Vangsness, aired for 15 seasons between 2005 and 2020 and spawned several spinoffs. Paramount+ revived the series last year, with saw Mantegna, Cook, Vangsness, Brewster, Aisha Tyler, and Adam Rodriguez reprising their roles. The debut season followed the beloved team of criminal profilers as they tracked down an unsub (series newcomer Zach Gilford) who built a network of serial killers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stewart also reprised his role in the revival, with his character experiencing a cancer scare that turned out to be an inflamed thyroid. Showrunner Erica Messer previously told TVLine that the plotline was inspired by a similar ordeal experienced by Cook's husband. "It's based on a true-life illness that we wanted to honor," Messer said. "We wanted to plant that seed now." He added of LaMontagne, "Hopefully, he's going to be okay," but cautioned that "he's not necessarily out of the woods forever." Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Penelope love triangle! Gold Star! Hannibal Lecter! Criminal Minds: Evolution boss previews season 2 Criminal Minds cast shares how the revival differs from the original series Criminal Minds: Evolution review: The faithful revival is grotesque and upsetting — and fans will love it