'Criminal Minds' Subtly Mentions [Spoiler] After OG Cast Members' Exits
Criminal Minds found a way to mention several fan-favorite characters after the OG cast members' exits.
The Thursday, July 9, episode featured a moment where J.J. (A. J. Cook) shared Reid's (Matthew Gray Gubler) reaction to her son Henry's college acceptance. She mentioned that Reid, who is Henry's godfather, offered to put in a call to Caltech if needed. There was also mention of Witness Protection, which Hotch (Thomas Gibson) was placed under in the original show.
Criminal Minds: Evolution has previously acknowledged characters from the original show after making the move from CBS to Paramount+. The show, which debuted in 2005, introduced viewers to a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit.
Criminal Minds has continued to explore different fictional cases each season as cast members have come and gone. After wrapping in 2020, Criminal Minds was revived, with Cook, 47, Kirsten Vangsness, Paget Brewster, Joe Mantegna, Aisha Tyler and Adam Rodriguez returning.
Gubler, 46, publicly discussed his interest in making a return after playing Reid from 2005 to 2020.
"I would be honored. I would absolutely love that," he said of the series during an appearance on Ireland's The Six O'Clock Show in September 2023. "They did a newer spinoff of the show, but it was filming during a time when I was shooting something else. But I can't wait - hopefully it will soon work out."
Showrunner Erica Messer exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2024 that conversations were had with Gubler, saying, "We love [Matthew] and he's always going to be a part of the family. We would love for an opportunity to arise to get him back. And we have tried - and he has tried."
Messer noted that Gubler's busy schedule kept him from returning.
"It just hasn't worked out timing wise. I can't speak to [season 3 of Criminal Minds: Evolution] because we're not there yet. But it's not for lack of trying," Messer said before pointing out how the show has still featured mentions of Reid. "I think the characters also are going to acknowledge it."
She continued: "Even when [Felicity Huffman's character] Jill Gideon was like, ‘How are all these people doing?' They've all been gone for a long time - but she wouldn't not ask about them. That's who she remembers on the team."
Reid briefly returned in season 19 but didn't stick around. Gubler will be back on TV soon with CBS' Einstein. The upcoming series follows Lew Einstein, a.k.a the great grandson of Albert Einstein, who spends his days as a comfortably tenured professor. His bad boy antics, however, land him in trouble with the law, so he uses his skills to help a local police detective solve the most puzzling cases.
"There's only one person I went on from Criminal Minds and it's every single one," Gubler exclusively told Us at CBS Fest in April. "I feel lucky to be back on the tiny little TV screen again and I hope they'll all come back."
He continued: "I've already reached out to all of them. We gotta get Shemar [Moore] on there shirtless though, right?"
Criminal Minds: Evolution airs Thursdays on Paramount+.
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This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 9:01 AM.