Matthew Gray Gubler will finally be making his debut on Criminal Minds: Evolution.
According to TVLine, schedules have finally aligned and Gubler, 44, will join the cast — but don’t expect to see too much of him in the Paramount+ series. He is only going to appear in a single season 18 episode. The outlet also confirms that Criminal Minds wrapped filming on season 18 earlier this week.
PEOPLE has reached out to Paramount+ for comment.
Gubler, who plays Spencer Reid, is a Criminal Minds franchise fan-favorite who has been notably absent from the sequel series since its debut in November 2022. In the storyline, it was established that Reid and special agent Matt Simmons (played by Daniel Henney, another notably missing cast member) have been away on an assignment.
“It’s a little bit of a mystery what Reid and Simmons are up to,” showrunner Erica Messer told TVLine ahead of Evolution‘s premiere. “But they’re certainly not forgotten. Dr. Reid’s and I believe Matt Simmons’ desks are still there, still have stuff on it. [Spencer and Matt] are not gone 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 all returning as their characters.
Gubler played Reid from 2005 to 2020 and appeared in more than 300 episodes of the hit show. On Feb. 19, 2020, he shared a heartfelt goodbye on Instagram that featured a photo of his most-cherished props.
“I’ve carried these 3 props with me almost every day for the last 15 years. After tonight I’ll just carry them in my heart where I will forever keep memories of the best crew, the best cast, and the best fands (fans/friends) a fictional crimefighter could ever have,” he wrote in the caption.
Gubler did tease his interest in returning to the show back in September 2023.
“I would be honored. I would absolutely love that,” he said of appearing on Criminal Minds: Evolution during an interview on Ireland’s The Six O’Clock Show, per Screen Rant. “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.”
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Criminal Minds: Evolution is now streaming on Paramount+.
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