How Will Spencer Reid Return on Criminal Minds: Evolution?

In 2020, fans experienced the heartbreaking news that one of their top series, Criminal Minds, had been canceled after fifteen seasons. When the show received a reboot two years later, not all of the cast returned.

Criminal Minds: Evolution brought back some of our favorite profilers, only one of whom had been with the show since the beginning and a few who replaced original team members who had left before the show ended.

One of the most significant losses in the show’s history was that of boy-wonder Dr. Reid Spencer, played by Matthew Gray Gubler.

(Cliff Lipson/CBS)

During the fifteen-year original run of Criminal Minds, Reid played the nerdy academic with an eidetic memory and a brilliance for profiling criminals.

Fans adored the awkward genius that was Dr. Spencer Reid, whether it was his close relationship with J.J. (A.J. Cook) and her sons, his bromance with former BAU member Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), or his little brother vibes with tech analyst Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness).

(CBS/Michael Yarish)

As the youngest, socially awkward member of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, Reid gave the team a familial closeness that we lack with the Criminal Minds reboot.

His brilliance was often the missing piece in the case, usually delivered in a diatribe of long-winded dialogue that educated the audience and bored his teammates.

But while he was a fantastic FBI agent — and lecturer once he left the BAU to pursue other career opportunities — Reid was an even better friend and son to his mentally ill mother (Jane Lynch), who spent the majority of the show in a mental institution.

Reid’s fear of genetically inheriting schizophrenia deeply affected him throughout his time with the BAU, occasionally leading to irrational behaviors and out-of-character decisions.

(CBS/Cliff Lipson)

We often saw Reid when he was emotionally vulnerable, reminding us of how young he was compared to the rest of the team.

But his aversion to technology — technophobe — also gave him the air of a man from a different time. Seeing him still diving into dusty old books and crisp paper files in stiff manilla folders while everyone else used iPads and email was special for someone his age.

However, despite his youth, Spencer’s insights were invaluable to the team. He helped solve dozens of crimes, first under mentor Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) and then under team leader Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson).

When Criminal Minds received its cancelation order, Gubler decided to retire Dr. Reid to the academic system, leaving the actor with time to try other creative endeavors.

(CBS/Screen Grab)

Due to Gubler’s schedule conflicts, he was not available to return to the series when the show received a reboot to stream on Paramount+ two years after getting axed.

However, things have finally aligned to give fans the reunion we’ve dreamed of since Criminal Minds: Evolution began. Reid is coming home.

But before you get too excited, we must note that his appearance is not permanent. I repeat, Dr. Spencer Reid will not return to Criminal Minds: Evolution full-time.

Sadly, we’re only getting a single episode appearance of our favorite tweed-wearing brainiac. The relaunch sets Reid up for special appearances, with the storyline that he’s away on a special mission with another absentee BAU agent, Special Agent Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney).

While we haven’t heard anything about Henney (The Wheel of Time) returning to the show in any capacity, his storyline is open should he ever want to appear as Gubler will in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3.

Fans will have to make do with the return of former Criminal Minds: Evolution team members Jennifer Jareau (Cook), Garcia (Vangsness), Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) and led by Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster).

(Cliff Lipson/CBS)

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 (Criminal Minds Season 18) will welcome a newcomer, Dr. Ochoa (Aimee Garcia). Garcia is most known as Ella Lopez on Lucifer.

While we’ll only get Reid back for one episode (so far), fans of Gubler can also catch him in his newest role on Einstein.

Gubler is set to resume a role similar to Spencer Reid as Lew Einstein, a brilliant professor who forgets he has to follow the same rules as everyone else, leading him into trouble with the law. He’s also the great-grandson of Albert Einstein.

But he’s not the only former Criminal Minds actor to score the main role in a show. CM fans’ first taste of heartbreak came when we said goodbye to Derek Morgan. Moore left to star as Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson in the CBS S.W.A.T. reboot.

Since S.W.A.T. is in its eighth and final season, hopefully, Moore will find some free time to briefly visit Criminal Minds: Evolution to give fans a look at Derek Morgan years after his BAU exit.

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While we know Reid is returning briefly, news of how the show will approach his character’s return is kept secret. How fun, but how agonizing for the wait!

Since Spencer is away on a secret assignment, the show can incorporate him into the new storyline through a shared case. He could come to the BAU with a case he needs their help to solve.

The team could also stumble onto a case he’s secretly working on, forcing them to work together.

Or maybe they end up with an old case they must re-examine, one that Reid played a big part in solving. I could think of several cases that might make excellent revisits.

Even more appealing could be if Spencer has to work against the BAU in some way. He could be undercover or have a different mission outcome. The BAU could be after one specific person, but Reid’s team wants to leave him in play to get to the bigger bad person.

(CBS/Screen Grab)

A much sadder storyline could be that Spencer’s character becomes a victim of a crime that the BAU must solve. Perhaps we finally see Dr. Reid’s death, which is a guaranteed way to make a case personal for the BAU.

It could also make a great setup for other character returns, like Spencer’s mom (Lynch), Derek Morgan (Moore), or Dr. Jill Gideon (Felicity Huffman), wife of Reid’s deceased mentor.

It would be great to see Jane Lynch reprise her role as Reid’s mentally ill mother again. She’s been great on Only Murders in the Building; however, something about her performance as Diana Reid has stuck in my mind for decades.

The greatest concern about bringing Reid back (besides killing him off) is the reunion. Will we get an incredible (almost) full-team reconciliation? Or will we have to settle for seeing him with a few of the team, possibly agents with whom he’s not as close, like Alvarez and Lewis?

Given how many networks manage their budgets by focusing on character-driven stories and limited characters per scene, it doesn’t bode well for our dream gathering.

Maybe Reid comes in to work with the dangerous serial killer Voight, who we know will be returning for the third season of Criminal Minds: Evolution. Or maybe he’ll tap BAU’s newest asset, Tyler Green, for help with his secret project.

We must see Spenc and Garcia back together again. But even more than that, this viewer demands a moving scene between Spencer and J.J.

(Cliff Lipson/CBS)

Word in the TV world is that Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 will be character-centric on Tara Lewis and Jennifer Jareau.

If that’s true, we must wonder how Reid’s appearance will affect JJ’s story, especially after learning that we’ll no longer see her on-screen husband, Will LaMontagne Jr (Josh Stewart), who exited the show after Criminal Minds Season 16.

Could we finally see something romantic between the two after nearly two decades? Or will they retain their overly close friendship? How about Reid visiting J.J.’s boys, who he was close with while with the BAU?

So, how do you think Spencer Reid will return to Criminal Minds?

How in-depth do you want them to go for only a short visit?

Are you among the lovers or the disillusioned after the announcement of his brief return?

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