Showrunner's Latest On Reid's Return To Criminal Minds Is Not Promising
Hope is slowly leaving Criminal Minds fans.
Summary
- Criminal Minds: Evolution is airing its second season fully devoid of Spenser Reid.
- Despite this, fans are still not giving up hope that they will see the beloved profiler in the future.
- But the latest update from the showrunner casts serious doubt on that.
The second season of Criminal Minds: Evolution has seen the return of the core cast playing fan-adored criminal profilers, as well as the big bad of the previous installment, Elias Voit, portrayed by Zach Gilford. But as the BAU tries to unravel Voit's tangled web of lies, there is one face that absolutely every fan is missing.
While Emily Prentiss and her team manage to keep viewers glued to their screens with the new case of Gold Star, the absence of Matthew Gray Gubler as genius profiler Spencer Reid feels like a huge void. While it has been confirmed that the beloved team member will not be appearing on screen this year, fans have good reason to believe that he will return in the future. After all, the revival has already been renewed for Season 3.
However, the latest update from showrunner Erica Messer doesn't sound very hopeful.
Reid's Comeback a Sure Thing?
Since Matthew Gray Gubler and another original cast member, Daniel Henney, who plays Matt Simmons, couldn't join their co-stars on the set of the first season of Evolution, allegedly due to scheduling issues, the in-universe explanation was that the two agents were on some extra secret assignments and could return at any moment.
In addition, Gubler expressed hope of returning to the show in the near future while chatting with the hosts of The Six O'Clock Show last year, much to the delight of fans.
It all makes you feel like the return of the boy genius is a safe bet, right? Well, Reid-less Season 2 proves otherwise. Plus, we have Erica Messer's latest statement.
Showrunner's Hint is Disturbing
In the latest interview with TVLine, Messer explained that any appearance by an original character will only be for personal, not professional, reasons.
'At this point, what could bring anybody back [Reid and Matt included] would be an emotional draw versus any case work,' she said.
That makes sense for cast members like Shemar Moore (as Derek Morgan) or Thomas Gibson (as Aaron Hotchner). Their characters left the BAU team years ago and could only join an investigation if it touched them personally. But for Gubler and Henney, such an update doesn't sound good at all, hinting at guest roles (at best) rather than a full return.
And that's definitely not what the fans of Criminal Minds have been hoping for.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 5 will land on Paramount+ on June 27, with five more episodes to follow every Thursday through August 1.
Sources: The Six O'Clock Show, TV Line.