Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2: Cast, Premiere Date, Plot, and Everything Else There Is to Know

When Criminal Minds went off the air in 2020, it seemed like the door was closed on the BAU forever.

Thankfully, Paramount+ answered fans’ wishes everywhere when it ordered Criminal Minds: Evolution, a 10-episode follow-up that brought some of our favorite characters back to crack a season-long crime.

Now, all eyes are on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2. We’ve rounded up everything there is to know about the next season.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Renewal Status

Paramount+ shocked fans when it renewed the revival series for a second season in January 2023.

Bringing a beloved show back is no easy feat, but the series managed to flawlessly transition the narrative to streaming, where past episodes of the show had performed so well.

“We’re thrilled to bring even more twisted storylines to our loyal fans of Criminal Minds: Evolution with the order of another season,” Paramount Streaming chief programming officer Tanya Giles said in a statement.

“The series has always been a consistent top performer for Paramount+ and fans have quickly embraced this new season with its more serialized elements.”

“There are still many dark twists and turns yet to come for the BAU this season, and we can’t wait for fans to see what’s in store.”

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2: How Many Episodes Have Been Ordered?

An official episode count has not been determined, but if we look at shows like EVIL and SEAL Team, which moved from CBS to the streaming service, we should be in for another ten-part season.

The good news? Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1 introduced some excellent serialized elements that gave the franchise a new lease of life.

Ten episodes should keep the show fresh and exciting, with minimal filler.

For a show that’s been on the air since 2005, that’s the least we could ask for.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Cast: Who’s In? Who’s Out?

We can expect Joe Mantegna to return as SSA David Rossi, Paget Brewster as BAU unit chief Emily Prentiss, A.J. Cook as SSA Jennifer Jareau, and Kirsten Vangsness as tech analyst Penelope Garcia.

Also likely to return is Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewis, Adam Rodriguez as SSA Luke Alvez, and Josh Stewart as Detective Will LaMontagne.

At one point, it seemed like Zach Gilford would only be kept around as Elias Voit for one season, but showrunner Erica Messer revealed he would be back for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2.

“We didn’t know we were gonna fall in love with Zach so much that we wanted to come up with a story that could continue, really, until we started breaking those episodes,” she dished to Variety in February.

“We’re like, how do we keep Zach around? … We’re hoping to have Zach a lot in the season and sort of treat him — the simplest way to say it — as our Hannibal Lecter.”

The exciting news is that Gilford embodies Elias to perfection. It’s a change of pace for the actor, so it makes sense that fans have connected with the villain.

The big question that’s been asked since Criminal Minds: Evolution landed a pickup was whether Matthew Gray Gubler would reprise his Dr. Spencer Reid role.

Obviously, that didn’t happen on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1, so we can hope it might be in the cards for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2.

Plenty of other familiar faces could stage comebacks because the series had a rich tapestry of characters.

Hopefully, many returns are being kept under wraps, and we’ll be left in shock when the series returns.

Does Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Have a Premiere Date?

While the series secured a renewal in January 2023, filming has yet to get underway on fresh episodes.

Paget Brewster revealed in February that filming would be underway by April, but it was announced in May that filming had not commenced.

TV Line said the production date was shifted to June but is now “TBD” due to the uncertainty surrounding the Writer’s Guild of America Strike.

There’s also the SAG-AFTRA strike to consider. Without actors, the written episodes cannot be filmed, and vice-versa with writers.

There’s a good chance most of the season was written before the strikes because the cast had been vocal about the renewal news being expected for some time.

Sadly, all of the above means we have no idea when the series will return.

There was a fast turnaround when the show started filming its first season in 2022, so there’s a high chance it could be on the air early next year.

All of it will come down to when the strikes are resolved and whether the cast is available to film new episodes.

Is There a Trailer for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2?

With filming not underway, there is no footage in the can for the upcoming season, meaning we’ll be waiting quite a while for our first look at Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2.

We’re sure it will be worth the wait. We’ll keep this page updated with fresh news as it becomes available.

Where Can I Watch Criminal Minds: Evolution?

While the first 15 seasons of the original series aired on CBS, Criminal Minds: Evolution is a Paramount+ original, meaning that episodes will continue to be made available on the streaming service.

The series did get a DVD release, so you can get the episodes on home media if you don’t have Paramount+.

What are your thoughts on all the TV news about Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2?

Hit the comments.

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.