Matthew Gray Gubler Is Returning to Criminal Minds — With a Twist

It’s the Criminal Minds moment fans have been waiting for with Matthew Gray Gubler making his return — but there’s a twist.

Gubler, 44, will make an appearance as Spencer Reid in part of one episode during season 18 of Criminal Minds: Evolution, according to TVLine. The Paramount+ hit series wrapped filming earlier this week.

Reid was one of the few characters who didn’t return when the show was revived. On screen it was established that Reid and Matt (Daniel Henney) have been away on an assignment.

Criminal Minds, which debuted in 2005, introduced viewers to a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime drama has kept exploring different fictional cases each season as cast members have come and gone.

After wrapping in 2020, Criminal Minds was revived by Paramount+ with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster returning as their fan-favorite characters.

Gubler, who played Reid from 2005 to 2020, publicly discussed his interest in making a return. “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 that they have spoken to Gubler about making an appearance, sharing, “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.”

Gubler’s busy schedule, however, has kept him from returning until now.

“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.”

Criminals Minds: Evolution still tried to mention Reid as best as possible.

“We can’t not acknowledge who’s not here because they’re huge parts of why we’re all still here,” Messer told Us “But the trick is we have a much shorter window 1734132183. Back in the olden days, we had 10 months out of the year to shoot. Now we have four [months]. So it just actually can be a scheduling nightmare to try to get anyone.”

Criminal Minds is currently streaming on Paramount+.