'Criminal Minds' Fans, Here's Why Spencer Reid Isn't in New 'Evolution' Reboot Episodes

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It's been almost three years since the final episode of Criminal Minds aired on CBS, and fans have been itching to dive back into the world of their favorite BAU agents. Luckily, Paramount+ heard their pleas and a reboot of Criminal Minds is officially here.

On November 24, the first two episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution lands on the streamer and it'll be hitting the ground running. The official log line reveals that the FBI team will "come up against their greatest threat yet, an UnSub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. As the world opens back up and the network goes operational, the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time."

What's more, the Criminal Minds reboot will feature the return of familiar faces, including Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. But folks have also been asking about whether Matthew Gray Gubler will appear in the CBS revival, as his character Dr. Spencer Reid continues to be a fan favorite.

Why isn't Matthew Gray Gubler a.k.a. Dr. Spencer Reid in Criminal Minds: Evolution?

Viewers who tune into Criminal Minds: Evolution may notice that neither Dr. Spencer Reid nor Agent Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney) are nowhere to be found. Despite Matthew's character playing a pivotal role in the original show, which debuted in 2005, it didn't mean the actor was up for a comeback.

As Deadline announced in early February, Matthew isn't slated to make a grand return, leaving Spencer in the dust ... for now. That said, just because he isn't in the first two episodes, it doesn't mean his presence won't be felt in the reboot. When speaking to TVLine back in September, showrunner Erica Messer addressed this idea, including whether the other characters will see little nuggets of the boy genius throughout the new spinoff.

"It’s a little bit of a mystery what Reid and Simmons are up to, but they’re certainly not forgotten," she told the outlet. “Dr. Reid’s and I believe Matt Simmons’ desks are still there, still have stuff on it."

The showrunner continued: "Like, if any of you went back [to the office after the pandemic], you still have stuff on your desk that was there for two years. So we’re definitely playing that. But [Spencer and Matt] are not gone gone."

So, Spencer will be seen in the Criminal Minds reboot —just not in the way fans were hoping. As far as Matthew's opinions about the Criminal Minds reboot, that's unknown. Seeing how he's somewhat active on Instagram at the moment, it may only be a matter of time before he gives his two cents. But at least we know Spencer lives on in the BAU ... even if Matthew isn't a part of it.

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