Criminal Minds: Evolution season 18 featured a short appearance by fan-favorite genius profiler Dr. Spencer Reid, portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler, leaving viewers eagerly anticipating more.
During an interview with People published on June 11, costar Aisha Tyler avoided revealing whether Gubler might return for season 19, stating, “I can’t tell you that! You tried it! I can’t even talk to my family about what’s going on with him. I’m sworn to secrecy. I love Matthew so much.”
Despite the secrecy, Tyler, who plays Dr. Tara Lewis on the show, hinted at Gubler’s potential return by mentioning their ongoing communication, saying, “We also are always texting with him and, of course, we’re excited to have him back. He’s obviously somebody that the fans love very much, that we love very much, and so I think what people will feel is just all of that affection and that history. He’s family, do you know what I mean?”
Tyler said that Gubler, 45, is “such a light on set” and called him “such a fun, smart person.”
Gubler played Spencer, a socially awkward yet brilliant Supervisory Special Agent at the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), in all 15 seasons of Criminal Minds’ original run on CBS from 2005 to 2020. However, he has been mostly absent from the Paramount+ revival, Criminal Minds: Evolution, which premiered in 2022.
Fans begged to see Gubler back at the BAU for two seasons before he finally made an appearance in season 3 (a.k.a. season 18 of the original series). After the unexpected death of JJ’s (A.J. Cook) husband, Will (Josh Stewart), Spencer showed his support for his close friend and one-time crush at the funeral during the May 22 episode.
While Spencer remained silent for much of his cameo, he did speak one line during a sweet conversation with JJ, telling her, “I’m always here for you guys.”
Former BAU members Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) and Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) were also mentioned in the episode, as it was revealed that they sent flowers because they couldn’t attend the funeral.
After the episode aired, Gubler said in a statement, “It’s a joy to get to tell stories with people you love, so I will always cherish any moment, big or small, that I get to hug my Criminal Minds family or slip back into my dear friend Spencer’s oversized wingtips.”
Though the cameo slightly filled the void created by Spencer’s absence, many fans were disappointed that they didn’t get to see Gubler return in a larger capacity.
Prior to season 18’s release, showrunner Erica Messer exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2024 that there have been attempts to bring back Gubler, who is currently filming his upcoming CBS series, Einstein, but their schedules haven’t aligned.
“We love [Matthew] and he’s always going to be a part of the family,” Messer said. “We would love for an opportunity to arise to get him back. And we have tried — and he has tried.”
She continued, “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. I think the characters also are going to acknowledge it.”
