Revived on Paramount Plus after 15 seasons on CBS, Criminal Minds: Evolution is the continuation of the beloved procedural and has been renewed for a season 2. Following the investigations of the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, Criminal Minds: Evolution puts criminal profiling at the forefront of its story and explores the psychology of stopping crime.
Often praised for its gritty, ripped-from-the-headlines stories, Criminal Minds is unique among the slew of procedural shows because of its clever writing and focus on characters. Even after a decade and a half on the air, the show proved to be popular enough to warrant a full-scale revival a few years after its cancelation.
John Wick 4: Inside the Infamous Paris Subway Station
Serving ostensibly as Criminal Minds season 16, Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 brought back most of the familiar characters from the original series and continued their arcs. Though the cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution looked the same, the overall shape of the show had changed into a serialized format, and the season only spanned 10 episodes. No longer shackled to the strictures of network TV's exhaustingly long air schedule, Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 was able to put more emphasis on each story, and that trend will continue as it returns for season 2.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Latest News
Rossi hugs an abduction survivor with team members behind him in the Criminal Minds Evolution premiere
Though Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 was officially confirmed in January 2023, the latest update regarding the series came in early May 2023 with news of the WGA Writers Strike. The strike delayed Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2's filming, and that will likely have a profound impact on when the new episodes will drop on Paramount Plus. Initially, the production had been slated to begin in the spring of 2023, but the ongoing strike has continued to push back when principal photography can begin. Criminal Minds: Evolution isn't the only major series caught up in the strike, as shows like Saturday Night Live, Yellowjackets, and Cobra Kai are all impacted.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Confirmed
The Attorney General in Criminal Minds: Evolution
Though the production of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 is delayed indefinitely because of the WGA Writers Strike, it is still confirmed to be happening and was officially renewed in January 2023. Mirroring its decade-and-a-half run on CBS, Criminal Minds: Evolution has proven to be just as popular as its predecessor and was never really in any jeopardy of being canned on Paramount Plus. With less pressure to rush out a complete network TV-length season, Criminal Minds: Evolution has the chance to continue beyond season 2 and blaze a trail for other procedurals by becoming a bona fide streaming institution.
David Rossi sitting in Criminal Minds: Evolution
The first season of Criminal Minds: Evolution debuted on Paramount Plus in November 2022, and season 2 was likely also slated to make its return around that same time. However, the ongoing delays caused by the WGA Writers Strike will make a winter 2023 release date an impossible feat. Though shows like Criminal Minds have fast turnaround times regarding production and post-production, a 10-episode slate still takes a handful of months to shoot, and then even more time to edit. Assuming the strike doesn't go on through the summer, the earliest that Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 could make it to Paramount Plus would be spring 2024.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Cast
The BAU in Criminal Minds: Evolution
Procedural series generally keep the same actors from season to season, and there's no reason to think that the cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 won't feature many of the stars from the first. With no news to the contrary, viewers can expect to see Joe Mantegna reprise his role as David Rossi, and Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss. Additionally, AJ Cook will likely return to her role as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, as well as Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia, Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewis, and Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez.
The supporting cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 is less certain, though characters like Tyler Green (Ryan-James Hatanaka), and Will LaMontagne Jr. (Josh Stewart) could be expected because of their connections to the main cast. The shocking death of Deputy Director Doug Bailey, played by Nicholas D'Agosto, likely means he won't return, but his mysterious connection to Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) could see him appear in flashbacks. While the season ended with Voit in custody, he will likely return because his tangled web of serial killing was only starting to be untangled in season 1.
Will Reid & Morgan Return?
Criminal minds BAU reid and morgan
Though Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 was largely a reunion of the characters from the CBS series, two notable omissions couldn't be ignored. Firstly, Matthew Gray Gubler's beloved Spencer Reid was not included, and Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan was also not mentioned. Though Shemar Moore left Criminal Minds during season 11, the door was left open for the character to potentially make a cameo appearance in Criminal Minds: Evolution. Similarly, Reid left the show when it ended after season 15, and there is no reason why the character couldn't come back.
The cliffhanger ending of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 didn't reveal the identity of the agent who was going to interview Voit, and that seemed to indicate that the mysterious figure was a character known to audience members. With Shemar Moore's series S.W.A.T. being canceled by CBS after its seventh season in 2023, the long-time TV star could step right back into his role as Morgan with relative ease. Also, Gubler's series Dollface ended in 2022, making it possible for him to reprise his Reid role, which he played for over 300 episodes.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Story Details
Zach Gilford in Criminal Minds Evolution
The serialized nature of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 was a complete departure from the episodic format of the original series, but the new structure has allowed for bigger ongoing storylines. Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 will likely deal with the fallout of Voit's apprehension and probably see the agents begin to unravel the strange conspiracy surrounding the mysterious Gold Star. The death of Deputy Director Bailey will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the team, and Rossi's near-death experience might change the seasoned veteran. Though no story details are confirmed so far, even a serialized Criminal Minds: Evolution will likely follow a similar trajectory as its more episodic predecessor.
0 Comments