Most of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is again working the season-long case in opposition to UnSub Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) and his community of serial killers in Criminal Minds: Evolution. But two profilers with the staff on the finish of the sequence’ authentic run on CBS (2005-2020) are noticeably absent.
Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney) are off on assignments that Deputy Director Bailey (Nicholas D’Agosto) mentioned to Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) within the premiere he wasn’t “at liberty to discuss,” including, “if and when they return is entirely up to them. Sadly, we don’t have a say.” But how a lot will we hear about these assignments?
“I can’t talk too much about it,” showrunner Erica Messer just lately advised TV Insider. “We won’t hear a ton more about what they’re up to this year, but it’ll come into play next year what they’ve been doing.”
It got here right down to actor availability, she defined. “We wanted them both back, and they both had other projects, and we only had we had a very short window to shoot this year,” she mentioned. (They filmed from August by means of December.) “It was literally logistics; we just couldn’t get them. But we are all talking regularly, and fingers crossed we can make something work out, but we’re cheering on what Matthew and Daniel are doing when they’re not with us. And so it’s definitely bittersweet that we haven’t been able to have them for the big arc this season.”
That’s additionally why they’ve been obscure about what the lacking brokers are doing. Besides these preliminary mentions within the Evolution premiere, we’ve solely heard how the others miss them and info Reid has shared with Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) prior to now, as associated to the continued case.
“We were still hoping there might be a window, and the reality is just other projects that they’re in first position on and all that stuff,” Messer defined. “It was great that everybody’s busy, right? So we have to just celebrate that. But we have definitely missed them.”
Furthermore, the showrunner added the season doesn’t span that lengthy. “When you look at this season as a whole, even though it’s 10 episodes story-wise, I think we only cover about six weeks,” she shared.
Criminal Minds: Evolution, Winter Premiere, Thursday, January 12, 2023, Paramount+