‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’: Explaining Those Reid and Hotch Mentions

Meredith Jacobs July 9, 2026, 9:00 am

A.J. Cook as Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau and Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss — 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' Season 19 Episode 8 'Requiem' — Michael Yarish / Paramount+

What To Know

The latest episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution features references to former team members Reid and Hotch.
One of those is a sweet callback to a Season 4 episode.

Criminal Minds: Evolution may not have brought back everyone from the series’ original run on CBS in its Paramount+ continuation, but the drama hasn’t shied away from mentioning those who didn’t return. Such is the case in the Thursday, July 9, episode, in small ways. Warning: Spoilers for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 Episode 8 ahead!

The team gathers in Garcia’s (Kirsten Vangsness) apartment to celebrate JJ’s (A.J. Cook) oldest son, Henry (Mekhai Allan Andersen), getting into college, to kick off the episode. “Spence told me that he’s happy for Henry but that he can still make that call to Caltech if he changes his mind,” JJ remarks to Prentiss (Paget Brewster).

It’s a callback to when JJ gave birth to her and Will’s (Josh Stewart) son in Season 4’s “Memoriam.” When she asked Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) to be Henry’s godfather, she remarked, “If anything should happen to us, it’s up to you and Garcia to make sure this boy gets into Yale.” “Yale,” Reid said, holding the baby. “Do you want to go to Yale, Henry? That was your godfather’s safety school. Don’t worry, I can get you into Caltech with one phone call.”

Elsewhere in the latest Criminal Minds: Evolution episode, the BAU becomes privy to the fact that The Fan (Justin Kirk) visited Voit (Zach Gilford) in prison. When Tara (Aisha Tyler) and Rebecca (Nicole Pacent) go to see Voit about just that, he tells them he wants them to break WitSec protocol to check on his family. Tara assures him that one of their own went into WitSec and it’s safe.

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That’s a reference to the former team leader Hotch (Thomas Gibson), who went into Witness Protection with his son Jack because of the threat of one of the original run’s recurring UnSubs, Mr. Scratch (Bodhi Elfman), in Season 12. That was when Prentiss became unit chief.

What did you think of these mentions of past team members? Let us know in the comments section below.

Criminal Minds: Evolution, Thursdays, Paramount+