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She was only on set half a day for the Criminal Minds season finale, but it was still a very sweet homecoming for A.J. Cook. "Everyone was so happy," she tells TVGuide.com. "They were like, 'Finally! OK, good, let's get back to what we do here. We missed you. We're glad you're back.' I love everyone over there. It was so great to see the camera operators and everyone you know and love."A.J. Cook to return to Criminal MindsThe brief appearance — Cook's bare-legged JJ ("It was so Mrs. Robinson, right?" the actress says) cryptically accepts an offer from Rossi (Joe Mantegna) to rejoin the BAU — was only a guest spot, but the actress will return to the procedural as a regular this fall. CBS dropped her a year ago only to rehire her last month. Fans who launched a tireless campaign aimed at bringing back both Cook and Paget Brewster, who has an option to come back, are excited for Cook's return, but she says it wasn't ...
She was only on set half a day for the Criminal Minds season finale, but it was still a very sweet homecoming for A.J. Cook. "Everyone was so happy," she tells TVGuide.com. "They were like, 'Finally! OK, good, let's get back to what we do here. We missed you. We're glad you're back.' I love everyone over there. It was so great to see the camera operators and everyone you know and love."
A.J. Cook to return to Criminal Minds
The brief appearance — Cook's bare-legged JJ ("It was so Mrs. Robinson, right?" the actress says) cryptically accepts an offer from Rossi (Joe Mantegna) to rejoin the BAU — was only a guest spot, but the actress will return to the procedural as a regular this fall. CBS dropped her a year ago only to rehire her last month. Fans who launched a tireless campaign aimed at bringing back both Cook and Paget Brewster, who has an option to come back, are excited for Cook's return, but she says it wasn't an easy decision to sign a new two-year deal. See what else Cook, who will appear with Mantegna on Sunday's National Memorial Day Concert special (8/7c on PBS), has to say about her "rollercoaster" year, what's next for JJ and what she wants to make for the fans.Shemar Moore re-ups Criminal Minds deal
Did you say "yes" right away or did you think about it?
Cook: No. [Laughs] I did a lot of thinking and a lot of stressing. At the end of the day, it just happened to be the right decision for my family right now. I guess one thing to make clear to everyone is that I wasn't sitting around waiting for them to come back. I had other offers. There were other things that could've been great, but I wasn't willing to pick up my family and move them out of the country or out of state to pursue something that I didn't completely love. It just made sense for my family and my second family — Criminal Minds! ... I did a lot of talking to several of the cast and producers and writers. ... I am excited to get back there, from an acting standpoint too. I think this is a different JJ than we've seen in the past, so I'm excited to see where she goes.
She seems much more confident. I almost didn't recognize you in Paget's last episode — in a good way.
Cook: I know! Yeah, she's a different woman — a confident, "I've been working in the State Department" woman. But that's what I like. If I was going to come back, I didn't want to go back to what I was because apparently it wasn't deemed important enough to have me there in the first place! [Laughs] I wanted to make sure the character was going somewhere else and was going to be utilized. ... We've been talking a lot, me and Erica [Messer], who's now the new showrunner. ... What I love about them is it's open dialogue. It's always been that way with writers and actors. I guess fans are kind of freaked out that I'm going to turn into this huge ball-buster!
Some think you may be the new Unit Chief.
Cook: I know, right? I have no idea. The new Strauss? I don't know!
Criminal Minds: Will the BAU be split up?
When they wrote you out, they made it seem like there was no other choice but for you to leave. So how are you talking to Rossi behind Hotch's back and accepting an offer he made when there are budget cuts?Criminal Minds: The top 8 JJ moments
A lot of fans were riled up about Seaver (Rachel Nichols) "replacing" JJ.