In 2020, fans heard the heartbreaking news that one of their hit series, Criminal Minds, was canceled after 15 seasons. When the show was rebooted two years later, not all of the cast returned.
Criminal Minds: Evolution brought back some of our favorite profilers, all but one of whom had been with the show since its inception, as well as a few who replaced original team members who left before the show ended.
One of the biggest losses in the show’s history was the death of prodigy Dr. Reed Spencer, played by Matthew Gray Gubler.
During the fifteen-year run of the original Criminal Minds, Reed played a nerdy scholar with an uncanny memory and a talent for criminal profiling.
Fans love the bumbling genius that is Dr. Spencer Reid, whether it’s his close relationship with JJ (AJ Cook) and his sons, his bromance with former BAU member Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), or his The brotherly relationship with technology analyst Penelope Garcia (played by Kirsten Van Ness).
As the youngest, socially awkward member of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, Reed brings a family-like closeness to the team that was lacking in the “Criminal Minds” reboot.
His brilliance is often the missing piece of the case, often expressed through lengthy dialogue diatribes that educate the audience but bore his teammates.
Although Reed was a brilliant FBI agent and a lecturer after leaving the BAU to pursue other career opportunities, Reed was a better match for his mentally ill mother (Jane Lynch) Friend and son, she spends much of the play in a trance.
While Reed was working at the BAU, his fear of hereditary schizophrenia deeply affected him, sometimes causing him to make irrational behavior and out-of-character decisions.
When we often see Reed emotionally vulnerable, we’re reminded how young he is compared to the rest of the team.
But his aversion to technology—technophobia—also makes him seem like a man from a different time. It’s special for someone his age to see him still buried in dusty old books and crisp paper documents in stiff manila folders when everyone else is on iPads and email.
However, despite his youth, Spencer’s insight will be invaluable to the team. He helped solve dozens of crimes, first under the guidance of mentor Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), then under team leader Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) ) under the guidance of.
When “Criminal Minds” received cancellations, Gubler decided to retire Dr. Reed from the academic system to give the actor time to try other projects.
Due to Gubler’s scheduling conflicts, he was unable to return to the show when it was rebooted and aired on Paramount+ two years after it was axed.
However, everything finally came together to give fans the reunion we’ve been dreaming about since the beginning of Criminal Minds: Evolution. Reed is going home.
But before you get too excited, we have to note that his presence isn’t permanent. I’ll say it again, Dr. Spencer Reed will not be returning full-time on Criminal Minds: Evolution.
Sadly, our favorite tweed-clad wiseguy only appears once in a single episode. The reboot will see Reed make a special appearance in a storyline that will see him go on a special mission with another absent BAU agent, Agent Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney).
While we haven’t heard yet about Haynie (“The Wheel of Time”) returning to the show in any capacity, his storyline is open if he wants to appear in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 like Gubler .
Fans will have to make do with former Criminal Minds: Evolution team members Jennifer Jarreau (Cook), Garcia (Van Ness), Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), Luke Alves (Adam Rodriguez), David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) and lead author: Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster).
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 (Criminal Minds Season 18) will welcome a new character, Dr. Ochoa (played by Amy Garcia). Garcia is best known for her role as Ella Lopez in Lucifer.
While we’ll only get Reed back for one episode (so far), Gubler fans will also get to see his latest role in Einstein.
Gubler will reprise his role as Spencer Reid-like character Lou Einstein, a brilliant professor who forgets that he has to play by the same rules as everyone else, leading him to get into legal trouble. He is also the great-grandson of Albert Einstein.
But he’s not the only former actor to play a starring role on Criminal Minds. CM fans got their first taste of heartbreak as we said goodbye to Derek Morgan. Moore left to star as Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrison in the CBS reboot of “S.W.A.T.”
As SWAT enters its eighth and final season, Moore hopes to find some free time to briefly visit Criminal Minds: Evolution, allowing fans to catch a glimpse of Derek Morgan years after he left the BAU. style.
While we know Reed will return briefly, the news of how the show will handle his character’s return is still being kept under wraps. How fun, but what a pain in the waiting!
Since Spencer is on a secret mission, the show can incorporate him into new storylines by sharing the case. He can come to the BAU with a case that needs their help solving.
The team may also stumble upon a case he’s secretly working on, forcing them to work together.
Or maybe they end up with an old case that has to be re-examined, and Reed was instrumental in solving it. I can think of a few cases that would be good to revisit.
It would be more compelling if Spencer had to go against the BAU in some way. He might be undercover, or have a different mission outcome. The BAU may be going after one specific person, but Reed’s team wants to keep him hunting bigger bad guys.
A sadder storyline could be that Spencer’s character becomes the victim of a crime that the BAU must solve. Maybe we’ll finally see Dr. Reed’s death, which will certainly be a personal case for the BAU.
It could also set the stage for the return of other characters, such as Spencer’s mom (Lynch), Derek Morgan (Moore) or Dr. Gil Gideon (Felicity), the wife of Reed’s late mentor Hoffman).
It’s great to see Jane Lynch reprising her role as Reed’s mentally ill mother. She was great in Murder in the Building; however, something about her performance as Diana Reid has stuck with me for decades.
The biggest concern with bringing Reed back (aside from killing him off) is the reunion. Will we get an incredible (almost) complete team reconciliation? Or do we have to be content with seeing him with some members of the team, possibly agents with whom he’s not as close, such as Alvarez and Lewis?
Considering many networks manage their budgets by focusing on character-driven stories and limited characters per scene, this doesn’t bode well for our dream party.
Perhaps Reed will team up with dangerous serial killer Voight, who we know will return in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3. Or he might tap the BAU’s newest asset, Tyler Green, to help him with his secret project.
We have to see Spink and Garcia get together again. But more importantly, this viewer requested a touching scene between Spencer and JJ
Sources in the TV world say that Season 3 of Criminal Minds: Evolution will star Tara Lewis and Jennifer Jarreau.
If this is true, we’ve got to wonder how Reed’s presence will impact JJ’s story, especially knowing that we won’t be seeing her husband Will Lamontagne Jr. (Josh) on screen anymore. Stewart), who exited Criminal Minds after its 16th season.
Will we finally see a romance between these two after nearly two decades? Or will they keep their too-close friendship? How about Reed visiting JJ’s kids?
So, how do you think Spencer Reed will return to Criminal Minds?
How in-depth do you want their brief visit to be?
Are you a lover or a disillusioned one after he announced his brief return?
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