Paramount+ has finally unveiled the official title for its upcoming “Criminal Minds” revival: “Criminal Minds: Evolution.” The continuation of the CBS original hit will premiere this fall exclusively on the streaming service and even welcome a new guest star.
Zach Gilford (“Friday Night Lights”) is set to join the cast as a recurring guest star in a season-long arc. Gilford will play Elias Voit, an operations analyst for a global cyber-security firm who has a dark side and obsession with death.
“Criminal Minds: Evolution” will continue and expand the franchise for streaming audiences, blending serialized elements into the series’ format. CBS’ original “Criminal Minds” series, which ran from 2005-2020, followed the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, the best of the best who profiled the worst of the worst.
In “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” the FBI’s elite team of criminal profilers come up against their greatest threat yet, an UnSub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. As the world opens back up and the network goes operational, the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time. Original cast members reprising their roles include Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster.
As of Q2, Paramount+ has grown to 43 million global subscribers. Executives are likely hoping the upcoming “Criminal Minds” revival can help convert additional customers, considering the original was the most-viewed TV show among U.S. streaming platforms tracked by Nielsen in 2021.
“Criminal Minds: Evolution” is produced by ABC Signature and CBS Studios. Erica Messer, who worked on both “Criminal Minds” and spinoff “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” serves as showrunner, executive producer and writer. Breen Frazier and Christopher Barbour will serve as writers and executive producers, Glenn Kershaw will direct and executive produce and Mark Gordon will also serve as executive producer.
