‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 19 Will Feature Time Jump — What to Expect
Criminal Minds was a hit on CBS for 15 seasons. And now it’s become a hit again, on Paramount+.
Criminal Minds: Evolution wrapped its 18th season on Thursday, July 10, and the good news is not only do we already know that it will be back for more, but the cast is already back to filming!
Read on for everything we know about the drama’s future, from its cast to a Season 19 premiere date and more.
When was Criminal Minds: Evolution renewed for Season 19?
Criminal Minds: Evolution was renewed on March 5, two months ahead of the Season 18 premiere date. The series was renewed for Season 18 one day before Season 17’s premiere. And the first renewal for Evolution came the day it returned from its midseason break for Season 16.
Is it Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4 or 19?
In case you’re confused since it is also called Season 4, Criminal Minds‘ original run lasted 15 seasons on CBS. Then, this next chapter, Evolution, was picked up on the streaming service Paramount+. Technically it’s going to be coming back for the fourth season of Evolution but 19th season overall for Criminal Minds.
How did the Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 finale set up Season 19?
Just like the first two Evolution seasons ended in such a way that teased the following one, such is the case once again, in a way. The question remains how much of his serial killer Sicarius side remains in Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), who is, after he was attacked in prison, no longer a psychopath (the brain scans prove it!). In the Season 18 finale, he helped the BAU take down his former network, led by one of Cyrus’ (Silas Weir Mitchell) victims, Tessa (Jordana Spiro), then on his way to prison, he imagined himself killing another prisoner.
Who will star in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19?
Thanks to a photo from set (below), we know that returning for Season 19 are Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss), A.J. Cook (JJ Jareau), Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez), Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia), Aisha Tyler (Dr. Tara Lewis), and RJ Hatanaka (Tyler Green). We also know that Zach Gilford will be back as Voit, as the actor himself confirmed to TV Insider in June.
“The end of this season, I was like, ‘Well, what are we going to do next season? I’m under contract. What are you going to do with me?’” he admitted, having read three scripts at the time. “It’s cool, it’s good, and it’s different. And I get to show another kind of side of Voit again — nothing drastic, but it is later and he’s been through some stuff and now he’s in a place… to be as vague as possible. But you’ll see me, I can tell you that.”
Matthew Gray Gubler returned as Dr. Spencer Reid for one episode of Season 18, and he’ll have Einstein on CBS in the 2026-2027 season, so we’ll have to wait to see if pops up again. Showrunner Erica Messer told TV Insider that there aren’t any appearances from him or other past cast members like Shemar Moore or Daniel Henney planned just yet, due to timing of the writers’ room and scheduling.
We know we won’t see Josh Stewart again as JJ’s husband, Will, after his shocking death at the end of Season 18 Episode 2. As AJ Cook told TV Insider, her character’s grief will continue to play out.
“We definitely touch on a lot of the grief phases. And it is not like we shoot one episode and she’s gone through all of it and it’s tied up neatly with a nice bow. That’s not how grief works. So this is going to be something that we’re going to see throughout the whole season. And then beyond that,” she shared. “This never goes away. This now has shaped her into this new single mother, and it will continue shaping her as she now learns to work through life this way. So I’m excited to see what that looks like for her. It’s been a journey already, and it’ll continue to be a journey in Criminal Minds form.”
Is Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 filming?
Yes! The cast is back on set, and Paramount+ shared a photo of them with filming officially underway on Friday, May 30. See the photo below.
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When will Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 premiere?
It’s a bit too soon to speculate. The premiere dates for Seasons 16, 17, and 18 are November 2022, June 2024, and May 2025 respectively, so Paramount+ isn’t sticking to a specific part of the year.
What will Season 19 be about?
Voit’s network is off the board, but he is now “a household name,” Messer revealed to TV Insider after the Season 18 finale. “He’s as famous as Ted Bundy. So what do we do with that character? And again, always reflected in, how are our heroes dealing with this new challenge? And now they’re dealing with a guy who’s essentially got celebrity status as a killer. He doesn’t like the spotlight. I think even old Voit wouldn’t have necessarily liked the spotlight, but the new Voit who’s struggling with these instincts that he has to kill, but he’s also got this conscience that’s louder than the instincts right now, it felt like we had another 10 episodes to explore that.”
As for the BAU and Voit’s dynamic going forward, the team “wants to get inside his brain and dissect it a little bit and do these interviews with him, which is what the BAU actually does with convicted killers,” the showrunner previewed.
She added, “Because of that sort of unwanted attention that he has, there’s darkness that sort of lurks in and becomes a part of this season. And our plan right now is that that darkness that sort of comes in that’s not network related but is sort of, Voit is a celebrity now, that would be finished by the end of this 10-episode run.”
There is going to be a year time jump between seasons. (No word yet on if we’ll see Tara and Rebecca’s wedding.) “In that year, there’s been healing, there’s things to celebrate,” Messer teased. “There’s always having to learn how to navigate something new. We’re all challenged every year with something we haven’t done before. So those things will happen. But I think it’s more like stepping a little bit into the unknown.”
For example, JJ is going to be dealing with her oldest son preparing to go off to college at the end of the season. “She didn’t have a chance to prepare when losing Will because that was sudden. But now what does that look like when you do know to cherish every moment?” according to Messer.
Michael Yarish/Paramount+
The showrunner also revealed that, like Season 18 focused on JJ and Tara, Season 19 will turn to Alvez. He “has a lot going on this season, and it really kicks off in the second episode of the season, which we’ve already shot. I think it’s his year to sort of grow and shine a little bit more. And Adam’s so good. I think there wasn’t a dry eye when we screened the second episode.”
Is there a Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 trailer?
Not yet.
Will there be a Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 20?
It’s too soon to say, but given the success of the show so far, it’s definitely a possibility.
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