'Criminal Minds: Evolution' Showrunners Just Revealed Matthew Gray Gubler's Fate

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It won't be long until we hear the infamous "wheels up!" as our favorite crew of investigators team up once again for a Criminal Minds reboot.

Criminal Minds follows an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze and anticipate the moves of the country's most twisted, ahem, criminal minds. The CBS original aired for well over a decade with an impressive 324 episodes and two spinoffs, Suspect Behavior and Beyond Borders. Its compelling personalities captivated audiences for 15 seasons and continues to do so well after Criminal Minds' 2020 finale.

With much fan anticipation behind it, Paramount+ plans to reunite the mind hunters for new episodes in 2022. Here's what we have filed away for the Criminal Minds reboot, including the release date, cast, where to stream it and more:

Is Criminal Minds coming back with a reboot?

The BAU's back in business. And this time, it's called Criminal Minds: Evolution. On July 14, Paramount+ announced that it picked up the series for streaming audiences. “For 15 seasons, Criminal Minds was at the forefront of cutting-edge scripted drama as it explored the psychology behind crime — thrillingly,” said Nicole Clemens, President of Paramount+ Original Scripted Series.

She added: “The series never stopped evolving during its run, and we are beyond excited to bring it back into a new era with new stories for a new generation of viewers at Paramount+. Erica [Messer], the whole cast and creative team are building a season full of new twists that we are sure will electrify audiences.”

Its original creators were tapped to fill important roles: Erica as showrunner, executive producer and writer; Breen Frazier and Chris Barbour will serve as writers and executive producers; Glenn Kershaw is set to direct and executive produce; Mark Gordon also joins as executive producer.

When is the Criminal Minds reboot release date?

Criminal Minds: Evolution will premiere its first two episodes on Thanksgiving Day, November 24. What's more, the cast is already back filming. Criminal Minds vet Joe Mantegna teased the news on Twitter. He posted a photo of himself standing on set with a thumbs up. "Just doing a little inspection today for an upcoming project," he captioned it with the hashtag "Criminal Minds."

Who is in the Criminal Minds: Evolution cast?

The latest to join the BAU is Friday Night Lights actor Zach Gilford who will play Elias Voit, an operations analyst for a global cyber-security firm who has a dark side and an obsession with death, Variety reported. Fans of the original series know there's been some cast comings and goings throughout its legacy, but we can identify these confirmed returning members in the Criminal Minds reboot cast lineup (with some additional announcements still underway):

• Joe Mantegna as David Rossi

• A.J. Cook as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau

• Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia

• Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewis

• Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez

• Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss

File a missing persons report: Fans have already opened a line of questioning regarding a certain boy genius. Beloved actor Matthew Gray Gubler may not revive his role as Dr. Spencer Reid. As one of the only characters from the original cast who appeared in every single episode of the show to the very end, his absence disappoints many.

Paget Brewster admits that, like fans, she'd still like her co-star to return to the BAU, "I'm hoping he changes his mind." With that said, she supports his decision not to come back. "He did 15 years straight through," she told Looper. "From [age] 25 to 40, the guy was on one show ... He was never able to go do other stuff, so I understand."

The actor hasn't commented recently about his role in the upcoming reboot, but he hinted at it during a 2020 TVLine interview. "I know that everything has its time, and I’m in no way sad that the show is closing, because I feel like we’ve done it beautifully, and I feel like there are roots there for it to re-hatch later," he said amid the show's season 15 finale. "I kind of liken it to if you go to a concert, at a certain point the band has to leave the stage in order to have an encore. It’s just the natural progression." Perhaps, there's hope after all ...

Regardless, the showrunners assure fans that Dr. Reid isn't entirely "gone gone." “It’s a little bit of a mystery what Reid and Simmons are up to,” Erica told TVLine. “But they’re certainly not forgotten.” She added: “Our hope is that the team members we ended the series with on CBS will be able to come back and play at some point, but everybody does have other projects." Add on the layer of scheduling conflicts — as they began shoots in August, with plans to wrap in December, meaning a short time frame to get everyone involved.

How many episodes will Criminal Minds: Evolution have?

TVLine reported that the streamer has placed a 10-episode series order that continues the long-running CBS series, whereas the traditional show featured an average of 20-plus episodes per season. New episodes will release every Thursday through December 15 until they break for the holidays. The story picks back up in the New Year, on January 12, then speeds toward its season finale on February 9.

Any Criminal Minds reboot spoilers?

A break from its traditional M.O., Paramount+ revealed the reboot follows a serialized format, which focuses on one case throughout the entire season, rather than solving one case per episode. According to Deadline:

The next chapter sets a more gritty, unfiltered tone, too. Erica revealed during a Television Critics Association 2022 panel that Criminal Minds: Evolution will use "more authentic" dialogue, allowing the BAU agents to swear, especially as it's no longer under the restrictions of broadcast TV. "[Erica] adds that the graphics won't be worse or anything," a journalist reported on Twitter. "But there is some language that she thinks is 'very appropriate,' but that some people might find 'inappropriate,' Joe Mantegna's character 'especially.'" We'd expect nothing less from Rossi.

In other cast-related news, Paget recently dropped a special sneak peek into filming. The actress tweeted a photo on set, revealing a "grey-haired Prentiss," a step away from her iconic jet-black hairstyle. She captioned it, “Oh, hi Guys !! This is my first ⁦@criminalminds hair and make up from this morning ... I hope you’re all excited for a slightly older, sassier, no filters, grey-haired Prentiss. And if you aren’t, that’s cool, just tell someone else."

Fans seem ecstatic with all the reboot news and hyped up the actress' natural look. "I have missed you all together ... So happy," one fan reacted. "Sassier, you say?" another added, while Paget replied, "Babe, the older we get, the sassier ..." A fan reacted, "It's wonderful to see how excited you all are to get back to Criminal Minds. Thank you for giving us Prentiss!!"

Where can I watch and stream the Criminal Minds reboot?

Criminal Minds: Evolution episodes will be exclusively available to watch on Paramount+. If you don't have an account yet, you can try out the platform with a free one-week trial before choosing a plan. The essential plan starts at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year with limited ads, while the premium plan costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year with no ads and downloading capabilities.

Want to revisit the bureau's chronicles? Check out old episodes on both Paramount+ and Hulu. Good news for Netflix subscribers: The BAU's back on the streamer, with its first 12 seasons available once again.

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