The most recent season of Criminal Minds: Evolution accidentally re-invigorated the giant, painful, gaping hole in our hearts that was left after the exit of Matthew Gray Gubler‘s Spencer Reid. He left the show at the end of Season 15, and fans held dearly onto the hope he would return again. Shockingly, it panned out. Gubler was set to make a cameo in Evolution Season 3, and we were rabid for even the slightest glimpse of him, though we didn’t think “glimpse” would be that literal. Turns out, it wasn’t enough, as Gubler did reprise his role as Reid in Season 3, Episode 3, giving us the briefest of cameos with one line.
After the shocking death of Will (Josh Stewart), Reid appeared at the funeral to support his best friend J.J. (A.J. Cook), and while it was a heartfelt moment, it wasn’t quite what we wanted from the curious genius who always gave new perspectives on a case. We wanted to see him in action in an investigation again, not as a mostly silent supporter. But the tides may be turning as the CBS fall schedule releases and, with it, comes news that sparks the hope that Gubler can return to Criminal Minds in a bigger capacity — and I don’t mean two lines. While Gubler is not likely to return to the show as a series regular, hopefully we can see him in the capacity as a guest star.
Matthew Gray Gubler’s Newest Project’s Release Was Delayed
One of the major reasons Gubler gave for not returning to Criminal Minds is due to schedule conflicts, as he has been working on other projects, though he has always been open to the prospect of re-visiting the BAU. Aisha Tyler (who plays Tara Lewis) has even talked about him still being connected to the cast and that she is not allowed to reveal any details about his potential involvement in the show: “I can’t even talk to my family about what’s going on with him. I’m sworn to secrecy. I love Matthew so much.” As such, wishing him back is not that much of a far-fetched idea, especially given the recent news.
Gubler’s current main project is as the lead of another CBS cop procedural, Einstein, where he plays the great-grandson of Albert Einstein, who ends up on the wrong side of the law and is forced to help a detective with her cases. This probably sounds pretty similar to Reid’s “boy genius” status, but where Reid is socially awkward, Einstein has a rebellious streak borne out of the pressure of living up to his legendary surname. It’s a compelling premise and CBS has drummed up some anticipation for it, but, interestingly, it wasn’t on the 2025-2026 schedule and instead was pushed back to the 2026-2027 season.
The network’s Entertainment President, Amy Reisenbach, told Deadline that the reason for the delay was partly due to the jam-packed schedule, but they also believed Einstein could benefit from a more long-term development to hone the finer points of the season. “We felt like Einstein could really benefit from this path, even if it means changing course,” Reisenback said. “We are not afraid to do that when it means that we are setting the show up for its best chances of success.” What this delay also means is that Gubler may have an opening for a potentially bigger role in the upcoming season of Evolution, which is currently in production.
‘Criminal Minds’ May Be Able To Bring Spencer Reid Back in a Bigger Way
Barring any background emergencies we are not aware of, Gubler is perfectly teed up to make the Criminal Minds return we wanted in the first place. Realistically, our dreams of him becoming a permanent fixture in the show again are not likely to happen, given that even though Einstein was delayed, it is still technically in production and may have future seasons depending on its reception. But we can settle for the next best thing: guest appearances with meaningful impact.
The most intuitive parallel we can make is how the show treated previous guest stars, specifically Jill Gideon (Felicity Huffman) in Evolution Season 2. She was only in a handful of episodes yet made a delightful impact on the show, having her own character arc, a torrid relationship with David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), and contributing to cases. Gubler may not be able to have such a prolonged and involved appearance in the show, perhaps only one or two episodes instead, but given his history with Criminal Minds, he can still make a similar, or even more of an impact, within a limited timeframe. If we’re going to get Reid back, it needs to at least rival the inclusion of Jill.
The best way to involve Gubler in the show as a potential guest star would be in the context of a case, not another character’s personal life.
We want to see him whip out a bizarre, unsettling fact from his back pocket and deliver it with deadpan precision that makes us yell, “Why on earth do you know that, Reid?” Criminal Minds has an invaluable opportunity to recover from the disappointed response of Gubler’s first returning cameo and re-earn the faith of its fan base, specifically the Reid fan base.
Criminal Minds
- Release Date
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September 22, 2005
- Showrunner
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Erica Messer
- Directors
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Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Rob Bailey, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, John Gallagher, Douglas Aarniokoski, Guy Norman Bee, Larry Teng, Nelson McCormick, Alec Smight, Charles S. Carroll, Rob Spera, Charles Haid, Diana Valentine, Rob Hardy, Tawnia McKiernan, Bethany Rooney, Karen Gaviola, Sharat Raju, Thomas Gibson, Aisha Tyler, Anna Foerster, Gloria Muzio, John Terlesky
- Writers
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Bruce Zimmerman, Virgil Williams, Edward Allen Bernero, Janine Sherman Barrois, Chris Mundy, Simon Mirren, Debra J. Fisher, Kimberly A. Harrison, Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Karen Maser, Oanh Ly, Stephanie Sengupta, Aaron Zelman, Kirsten Vangsness, Erica Meredith, Andi Bushell, Holly Harold, Alicia Kirk, Jeff Davis, Randy Huggins, Edward Napier, Jayne A. Archer, Chikodili Agwuna
