Matthew Gray Gubler’s presence has been dearly missed sinceCriminal Minds: Evolutionbegan, but CBS’ fall schedule means the iconic Dr. Spencer Reid could return with a bigger role. Although Reid was an invaluable member of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit inCriminal Minds, Gubler decided not to reprise his role when the continuation series (denoted by the “Evolution” subtitle) was announced. Only twooriginal BAU membersremain in the revival— Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) and Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook)— but no character’s absence has been nearly as palpable as Gubler’s Reid.
Nevertheless, there are many familiar faces in theCriminal Minds: Evolutioncastfrom the original series, including David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), and Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler). New characters have been added to supplement the missing agents, like attorney Rebecca Wilson (Nicole Pacent) and suspect-turned-rookie Tyler Green (Ryan-James Hatanaka), butReid being off on an undisclosed “special assignment”has taken its tollonCriminal Minds: Evolution. One bittersweet announcement from CBS, however, could bring Reid back to the BAU.
Matthew Gray Gubler’s Einstein Is Delayed To The 2026-2027 TV Cycle
CBS Held Off On Its Crime Procedural
Immediately, viewers ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionclamored for Reid’s return, but it seemed increasingly unlikely due toMatthew Gray Gubler being cast in an upcoming CBS crime drama calledEinstein. In the procedural, Gubler will portray a quirky professor and direct descendant of Albert Einstein who lends his genius to local law enforcement. Similar toCriminal Minds,Einsteinis expected to follow episodic murder cases and their eventual resolution. Though it was initially slated to premiere during the 2025-26 network television season,Einstein’s debut has been pushed back to 2026-27.
Thedelay of Matthew Gray Gubler’sEinsteinwas due to multiple factors, including the sheer volume of titles already present on CBS’ fall 2025 schedule. Additionally,the network claimsEinsteinrequires more developmentin order to live up to predecessors likeMonk, which shares the same creator-director duo of Andy Breckman and Randy Zisk. In a market filled with spinoffs and revivals,Einsteinis a promising standalone drama that CBS has high hopes for— sadly, those hopes will be held off until fall 2026.
Einstein’s Delay Allows Gubler To Return To Criminal Minds With A Bigger Role
Without Scheduling Conflicts, Reid Could Return More Meaningfully
Now thatEinsteinhas temporarily been put on the backburner for writers and casting to expand upon, Matthew Gray Gubler could feasibly return toCriminal Minds: Evolutionagain. Gubler will leadEinstein, meaning he will likely be unavailable when the procedural is actually underway, butany scheduling conflicts between the new CBS drama andCriminal Mindsare now temporarily obsolete, thanks to the delay. Production forCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 4(also known asCriminal Mindsseason 19) has already begun, but it’s early enough in the season to introduce a major change like Spencer Reid’s return.
Since both shows are CBS-affiliated, all episodes ofEinsteinandCriminal Mindswill be streamed on Paramount+.
Matthew Gray Gubler briefly returned inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3, episode 3, but that was a mere glimpse rather than a full appearance. If Matthew Gray Gubler wanted to return on a bigger scale,Reid could become a recurring character in season 4, leaving the door open for him to be phased out onceEinsteinpicks up or be retained byCriminal Minds: Evolutionif it falls through. Reid could return from his secret assignment, eager to rejoin the BAU. Conversely, Reid could decide he’s done with the FBI, leading his former coworkers to stage an intervention.
Why Reid Needs To Come Back To Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4
His Season 3 Cameo Was Criminally Underwhelming
Reid may have technically“returned”inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3, but his involvement was contained to a handful of mostly-silent scenes. In fact,Reid only had one line inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3, episode 3, and a mere sentence at that. Just seeing Matthew Gray Gubler may have been enough to satisfy some, but I know I felt somewhat robbed whenSpencer Reid’s highly-promoted return turned out to be nothing more than a quick hellowith no real goodbye.
Reid returned to attend the funeral for JJ’s husband, Will (Josh Stewart), but he left directly after the service without an on-screen send-off.
Criminal Minds: Evolutioncould make up for Reid’s lackluster cameo by bringing him back in a restricted capacity. Gubler doesn’t even have to commit to a permanent return, but Reid deserves a two or three-episode run similar to Jill Gideon (Felicity Huffman) inEvolutionseason 2. It would benefit the series as a whole, considering theCriminal Mindsepisodes directed by Matthew Gray Gublerare still vastly considered some of the best.Criminal Minds: Evolutionmay be trying to distinguish itself from the original, but without Reid, it will never feel quite right.
