This sexuality change lacks strong narrative justification from prior seasons and is celebrated by queer media as finally delivering LGBTQ+ representation, while drawing backlash from fans on Reddit, Facebook, and X who decry it as unnecessary 'woke' insertion turning the procedural into a soap opera. The show shifts toward more serialized storytelling with personal arcs emphasizing relationships, grief, therapy, and pandemic-era conspiracies, but retains core focus on FBI profiling unsubs without overt lectures on systemic issues, patriarchy, or identity politics.

Casting sticks to the original diverse ensemble (multiple women leads, POC like Aisha Tyler as Tara, Adam Rodriguez), feeling organic rather than forced. Showrunner Erica Messer states the series avoids politics, though some perceive agenda in character changes and modern therapy focus. Audience reception is mixed: vocal anti-woke complaints about ruining characters and adding romance over crime, but sufficient popularity for renewals; Tara's focused episode is the series' lowest-rated, amplifying perceptions of prioritizing representation over plot.