‘Criminal Minds’ Season 12 New Promo & Spoilers: Luke Alves Introduced; Paget Brewster’s Emily Replacing Aaron Hotchner As BAU Chief?

A new promo for Season 12 of "Criminal Minds" assured viewers that some things never change though the series will introduce new characters to the cast. The sneak peek also welcomed back familiar faces.

The new "Criminal Minds" promo saw the debut of Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez, an FBI Fugitive Task Force member who will join FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) full-time to help David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) and his elite squad of profilers hunt for escaped serial killers, TVLine reported. Alvez helped capture eight of the 13 serial killers who escaped in the show's May finale.

Season 12 will also welcome back Paget Brewster's SSA Emily Prentiss. Brewster has been promoted to series regular in the wake of Thomas Gibson's untimely firing from the police procedural crime drama. The first episode of Brewster's comeback as Prentiss has a tentative air date of October 12, according to Deadline.

There are speculations that Gibson's "Criminal Minds" role, BAU Head Chief Aaron Hotchner, will be replaced by a female character on Season 12 and that's no other than Emily. The news was somewhat confirmed by Kirsten Vangness, who portrays tech wiz Penelope Garcia, during a recent interview with Starry Mag.

In that interview, Vangness said that the "Criminal Minds" crew is thrilled to have Brewster back, adding that it "makes a lot of sense" that Prentiss is now "the head of the team." Brewster first left the CBS series in 2012 at the end of Season 7, but she has since returned for several episodes as a guest star.

Speaking about Gibson's sudden departure, Aisha Tyler, who portrays Dr. Tara Lewis, believes that "Criminal Minds" fans "are going to miss him," People reported. Tyler revealed that she knows how the creative team will write out Hotchner's exit, but didn't divulge any details because she's "sworn to secrecy."

Shemar Moore also bid adieu from his "Criminal Minds" character, FBI agent Derek Morgan, in Season 11. Showrunner Erica Messer said that Alvez will indeed serve as Morgan's replacement, but the most interesting takeaway from this change is how Garcia, Derek's close friend, will react. Messer said Garcia will learn how to "warm up" to Alvez in the same way she opened up to Derek, TVLine reported.

"Criminal Minds" Season 12 debuts next Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9/8c on CBS. Watch the sneak peek below. The series also stars Matthew Gray Gubler as Spencer Reid and A.J. Cook as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau.