Each season of Criminal Minds: Evolution can obviously boasts the stellar ensemble cast that's been at the heart of the BAU's investigations for years (with some minimal turnover), but the streaming thriller is also quite dependable when it comes to recurring guest stars. Season 19 is hardly an exception, with both new additions and returning faves (like Paul F. Tompkins!) on the way, as well as a massive star on the rise in Heated Rivalry's Connor Storrie.
The book-to-screen adaptation of Rachel Reid’s hockey romance novel took the world by storm when it debuted in Canada and the U.S. in November 2025, introducing viewers to Connor Storrie's Ilya Rozanov. The show became a massive hit, putting the highly fashionable Storrie on the map to the point where his presence in Criminal Minds: Evolution's new season suddenly became a huge selling point.
Which seems like a brilliant move on the parts of the Criminal Minds casting team, but that's not quite the case. When showrunner Erica Messer spoke with CinemaBlend about the impending 19th season, she told me that was all incredibly lucky timing. As she put it:
Connor Storrie, who we met, and we cast him in Episode 4 of this season. So that was like in the summertime, and then by the time we wrapped in September, Heated Rivalry hadn't been out yet. Then when Heated Rivalry comes out, we're like, 'Connor?!? Connor??' So we were also very excited.
Erica Messer
That's gotta make all involved feel great, knowing that they worked with the talented actor before right before he became a household name. Not that Connor Storrie was a complete nobody before 2025 or anything, but the difference between then and now can't be denied. And I feel like we might need to watch out for Garcia getting flirty with him, regardless of his sexual preferences.
Unfortunately, Criminal Minds: Evolution didn't also cast Hudson Williams for Season 19. But we can look forward to seeing Storrie's character in the mix for more than just a single ep. As Messer told me:
Connor's in four episodes.
Erica Messer
Four out of ten episodes nearly makes him a recurring star, but we still have yet to be shown what we can expect from Storrie's arrival. I think the only time he's been show in trailers was mid-scream, which is hard to parse information from. But it's probably safe to assume he'll either be a total creepshow monster, or he'll be the victim of a total creepshow monster.
Will he be sharing the screen with any of the other big guest stars? It seems likely, just based on the math alone. Erica Messer excitedly shared a longer list of the new and returning actors, saying:
It's an insane season. It's Jeri Ryan, Jamison Jones, Rob Yang, Connor Storrie, Dash Mihok, Paul of course, Justin Kirk, Joseph Cross, Yvette Nicole Brown, Clark Gregg. We're spoiled, and that's not even everyone. But I mean, those are the names that I think we've maybe already announced, but we're just spoiled. We've got such a deep bench of talent, from our main cast to our guest cast. It's really pretty great.
Erica Messer
Well, hey, if there are indeed certain guest stars whose names haven't yet been revealed, maybe they DID get Hudson Williams for an arc. Unfortunately, that list doesn't include past series regulars such as Shemar Moore or Matthew Gray Gubler, so it's hard to know whether we'll see any of those past faves back on the small screen.
Check out the latest trailer for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 below!
With a renewed focus on Zach Gilford's Voit in the new season that will change up his role within the BAU's outskirts, Criminal Minds: Evolution is set to kick off its nineteenth season on THursday, May 28, via Paramount+ subscription.
