New Criminal Minds Series Gets A Title
Paramount+'s new Criminal Minds series is Criminal Minds: Evolution.
CBS had a relative TV goldmine from 2005 to 2020 when the FBI Behavior Analysis Unit traveled the country, bringing to justice the worst criminals within the borders. Criminal Minds revolutionized the murder mystery on TV with a stellar cast of characters that used their expert talents in human nature to chase after the worst the country had to offer. Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, David Rossi, Aaron Hotchner, and Emily Prentiss captivated audiences for a decade and a half before the show came to an end in 2020. Fans didn’t have to wait long for news of a revival, as the team couldn’t stay away from a new series premiering this Fall on Paramount+. The latest iteration of the series has now found its title. Deadline reports the new series will appear under the title Criminal Minds: Evolution.
Just before the pandemic began, fans saw the BAU chase after The Chameleon to close out a series that had to create 15 years of diabolical murderers without allowing it to get stale. The series ended with Spencer Reid in a coma and traversing the memories of agents he worked with in the past. Now, Criminal Minds will return to face off against their gravest threat, yet in an unsub who spent the pandemic building a cabal of serial killers to strike once the world opens up. It feels like the series will follow the same killer-of-the-week format, with the difference being that all of these killers are now connected. With one overarching villain now in charge of all the killers the team faces, there will be an added level of peril and intrigue the series may have started to lack as it came to a close.
One of the aspects that made Criminal Minds successful was the cadre of agents that chased the unsubs. Everyone from Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) and Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) to Penelope Garcia (Kristen Vangsness) and Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) spent years pursuing serial killers across the country. Returning to the fold for Criminal Minds: Evolution as of now is a team consisting of David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Penelope Garcia (Kristen Vangness), Jennifer Jareau (AJ Cook), Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), and Luke Alverez (Adam Rodriguez). Adding to the cast is Zach Gilford, who is playing Elias Voit. Voit is listed as an analyst for a global cyber security firm with a dark side and an obsession with death. Whether or not that means he will be the unsub who organizes the murder cabal is unknown.
The crew of analysts will undoubtedly bring the same level of intrigue that they always have, but this spien-off will have a leg up on the rest of them by utilizing a large portion of the BAU fans of Criminal Minds has become enamored with. As of yet, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Thomas Gibson have yet to confirm cameos, but the showrunners have found creative ways to bring back people in the past. Ben Savage appeared as a young Jason Gideon, and don’t be surprised if they employ similar tactics to get the return of fan-favorite characters.
