If the first two episodes are any indication, the third season (season 18 overall) of Criminal Minds: Evolution may just be the best. Showrunner Erica Messer and her writing team have crafted stories that will have you scratching your head wondering how such nice people can get into the mindset of such torturous, psychotic unsubs, but they do.
“It’s all I talk about. I talk about everything starts with the writing,” Paget Brewster, who plays Emily Prentiss, told Parade. “I’ll do whatever they write. I love the turns that they take us on. We’re always excited reading the scripts.”
According to Brewster, the writers have a giant chalkboard with index cards on it that builds a world with the existing characters, new characters and new relationships, and what they’re going to experience.
“They are remarkable,” she continues. “You don’t keep a show on the air – and we’ve died – we got cancelled and then picked up because they’re that good.”
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In addition to Brewster, Season 3 will see the regulars back: Joe Mantegna as David Rossi, A.J. Cook as Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau, Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia, Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez, Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewis, and the newest member of the team Ryan-James Hatanaka as Tyler Green.
Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/Paramount+
But the two returns that are most talked about are that of Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), who apparently did not die after being brutally beaten in prison, and that of Matthew Gray Gubler, who will be reprising his role as Dr. Spencer Reid.
“Unfortunately, it is only for one episode,” Brewster says of Gubler’s return. “He’s showing up for a hot minute, but it’s a very important minute. I think the fans are going to be very happy to see him and understand why he’s there. I think it’s a very profound sort of gift to have Reid in that episode. Not just for us and for the team, but for the fans.”
Related: Fan-Favorite Star Returning to Criminal Minds: Evolution
That said, Voit will be around for the entire season, even though he’s unconscious in the hospital initially. But even in that comatose state, he’s able to wreak havoc through the network of serial killers he created during the COVID pandemic.
“He set up a network that aids unsubs that may not have been able to carry out their plans without his help. So that makes him such a diabolical big bad that he ends up being the worst serial killer ever because he’s responsible for the behavior of other serial killers,” Paget says.
Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/Paramount+
And that’s compared to the unsub who was a cannibal and the one who turned women into artisanal candles!
Related: Will Shemar Moore Return to Criminal Minds Now That ‘S.W.A.T.’ is Canceled?
“There have been a lot of unsubs that did terrible things. But Voit’s still with us, because instead of just being a bad guy for one season, everybody was like, ‘Can we keep Zach?’”
Photo Credit: Michael Yarish /Paramount+
And Messer said they could. Despite the initial intention that Voit’s stay on Criminal Minds was for one season, Voit became the BAU’s sort-of Hannibal Lecter character, who’s still trying to deal himself out of his prison sentence through his work with the FBI.
Criminal Minds: Evolution begins streaming Season 3 today on Paramount+.
Next, All the Intel on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3, Including the Shocking Twist
