Although Criminal Minds originally ended less than three years ago, it didn’t take too long for the CBS procedural's streaming revival to come to fruition. When Criminal Minds: Evolution was announced, the majority of the cast was revealed to be coming back for the more serialized new story arc. One notable absence, of course, has been Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid, but showrunner Erica Messer has cracked open the door to hoping for the possibility of Reid’s return.
The premiere of Criminal Minds: Evolution explained where Reid and Daniel Henney’s Matt Simmons are, in small part, saying they’re off on an assignment that can’t really be discussed in full. Messer told TV Insider that general lack of info is purposeful, and spoke to the idea that fans will get to hear more about Reid and Simmons in the future, which may not be all. In her words:
I can’t talk too much about it. We won’t hear a ton more about what they’re up to this year, but it’ll come into play next year what they’ve been doing. We wanted them both back, and they both had other projects, and we only had a very short window to shoot this year. It was literally logistics; we just couldn’t get them.
While fans may not actually see Reid in the flesh here in this initial season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, getting more information on his whereabouts should hopefully keep everyone at bay for now. He hasn’t been mentioned very much in the first five episodes, outside of memories being shared, but it sounds like the team getting closer to cracking the serial killer network could bring more information about Reid and Simmons’ assignment, in whatever capacity that is. Or maybe it'll be someone from Deputy Director Doug Bailey's team who coughs up more info about the duo.
It’s definitely a disappointment that Matthew Gray Gubler wasn’t able to return for Evolution, but Eric Messer is staying hopeful that something could work out in the future, and seems to imply that fans should hold onto that same hope. Should schedules align in the best of ways, and should Paramount+ order up a second season of the revival, Reid's return could very easily come to life. Even if it doesn’t happen, though, she says that she and everyone are rooting for him and Daniel Henney for their respective projects post-Criminal Minds. Here's how she put it:
But we are all talking regularly, and fingers crossed we can make something work out, but we’re cheering on what Matthew and Daniel are doing when they’re not with us. And so it’s definitely bittersweet that we haven’t been able to have them for the big arc this season.
Matthew Gray Gubler is definitely missed on the Criminal Minds: Evolution set. His former co-star and fan-favorite ship-mate A.J. Cook had a sweet response to a recent Instagram post of his, as well as Aisha Tyler, with each clearly missing the actor while still supporting him in his recent ventures. It’s unknown if MGG will return to his beloved role in the future, but it’s nice to know that he still keeps in touch with some of the cast, if not all, and Erica Messer and the crew tried their hardest to make his return work.
Despite Gubler and Henney not being on Criminal Minds: Evolution, fans have still been loving the Paramount+ series. With episodes being longer on the streamer than on CBS and the season being as disturbing as ever, Criminal Minds’ comeback has definitely been refreshing. It should be interesting to see how the remainder of the season goes and how exactly Reid and Simmons’ secret assignment will play into the remaining episodes.
Stream the first five episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution now with a Paramount+ subscription, with new episodes returning on Thursday, January 12!
