Matthew Gray Gubler was a regular fixture on television for well over a decade thanks to his years as Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds, and he's been set to return to his old CBS stomping grounds since late 2024. Alas, he won't be back in primetime by the end of the 2025 TV schedule due to some delays with his new show, but fans can at least look forward to seeing him back with his old Criminal Minds castmates in the not-too-distant future.
Spencer Reid Is Coming Back To Criminal Minds
News broke back in late 2024 that Matthew Gray Gubler would be reprising his role as Spencer Reid for the third season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, which arrives streaming with a Paramount+ subscription in May. Fans who have been missing the character can look forward to seeing him in the flesh after the Easter egg in Season 2 and what showrunner Erica Messer told us.
That said, Gubler's reveal suggested that he'd only be back for one episode of Season 3, so fans shouldn't count on seeing him back on a weekly basis to make the most of all the violence and F-bombs that are possible with Criminal Minds streaming on Paramount+ instead of airing on CBS. Whether it could lead to more down the road remains to be seen, and a lot could depend on what brings Reid back in the first place, but we can only speculate for now.
What we don't have to wonder about is whether we can expect Gubler back on CBS before the end of the year.
Einstein Delayed By CBS
Matthew Gray Gubler landed the lead role of CBS' Einstein back in 2024 to play Lew Einstein, the great grandson of the famous physicist. The new crime procedural received a series order and was set to premiere during the 2025-2026 TV season. Now, TVLine reports that Gubler's return to CBS has been delayed until the 2026-2027 season.
This isn't due to any problems with the Einstein production, though. The outlet reports that Einstein was simply edged out because CBS has more shows than available primetime slots, despite the cancellations of FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International, and Blue Bloods.
Einstein was reportedly chosen for the delay to 2026-2027 because a longer pre-production window could benefit the new series. I'm a little bummed about the premiere being pushed back after seeing what CBS has done with Watson and its twist on medical procedural stories. Why not Einstein with its twist on crime procedurals?
CBS is expected to announce the full fall schedule with the shows that did make the cut for the 2025-2026 TV lineup on Wednesday, May 7. Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 – or Season 18 overall – will premiere on Paramount+ on May 8. It hasn't been confirmed at the time of writing which episode will feature Spencer Reid, but the showrunner's plans for Voit after how Season 2 ended combined with the early renewal for Season 4 suggest a bright future for the streaming series, Reid or no Reid.
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