As Criminal Minds just wrapped the finale of season 9, rumors of the release date for the next season have started to surface and producer Erica Messner also gave away minor spoilers in a recent interview.

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It is being rumored that the premiere of season 10 of the CBS show will be scheduled for sometimes between Sept. 20 and 26. 

Messner also dished about Jeanne Tripplehorn, who played Dr. Alex Blake on the show, exit and if the producers were looking for a suitable replacement, while speaking to TVGuide.

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The producer revealed that Tripplhorm did not want a "big, flashy exit episode" and Messner wanted to play off of the relationship between Alex and Reid.

"For me, the character she's been most connected to emotionally is Reid. Hotch and Rossi have known her longer, but she's closer to Reid - she was the first to know about Maeve and everything. And I just started wondering, "Why is that?" The more I thought about it and because I'm always wondering what makes these characters tick," she said.

That's how Messner came up with the idea about Alex's dead child who was afflicted with a disease "that wasn't named"

"As a linguist, that would drive you insane," she said. "All of these things started happening and because those two hours [of the two-part finale] are so big and the stakes are high, I felt like the quieter Blake story line would be nice juxtaposition."

But it doesn't seem like Messner and crew are in any rush to find a replacement and are taking a bit of a break from hyper-planning right now as season 9 only just wrapped.

"After the summer break, we can all talk about that and what it might be and the wish list and all that," she said. "Or maybe the show will continue on with six members. That is a big discussion with a lot of people that we'll have soon."

The second and final part of the finale, Demons, aired on Wednesday, May 14 on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Watch the preview for Demons:

Tags: Criminal Minds Season 10 CBS television