As filming begins on Season 3 of Criminal Minds: Evolution, I look back at what the showrunner told us about Reid and Hotch

The second season of Criminal Minds: Evolution ended with a thrilling finale that had Prentiss' life in danger from the beginning to almost the end. Thankfully, all the good guys were alive and well when the credits rolled in early August and Voit got the bloody cliffhanger. Now, filming on season three has officially begun, and seeing the behind-the-scenes photos made me think of what showrunner Erica Messer told CinemaBlend about those nods to Reid and Hotch in season 2.

Criminal Minds: Evolution was renewed for season 3—or season 18 of the series overall—before season 2 even premiered in June of the 2024 television schedule for fans with Paramount+ subscriptions, so there was no reason to worry about the show's future when the new episodes were released. Filming on the new season has begun less than a month after the season 2 finale ended on a huge Voit cliffhanger (which showrunner Erica Messer explained to us), and the cast is beaming in the BTS pics. Check it out for yourself:

While it's safe to assume those smiles won't extend to their characters in Season 18 unless Prentiss gets her snacks out again, it's great to see the stars of such a dark show so bright and cheerful behind the scenes. Of course, those stars aren't the entire cast of the original series, as actors like Matthew Gray Gubler, Shemar Moore, and Thomas Gibson have been absent from the reboot so far.

Gibson's absence as Hotch isn't entirely surprising following his dramatic exit from the popular TV series in 2016, although Hotch wasn't killed off or assigned a permanent fate when he was written out at the start of season 12. Moore's Derek Morgan had already left the BAU, so his absence isn't too upsetting either. Spencer Reid, however, is still part of the FBI; Gubler just didn't show up due to scheduling conflicts. All three characters were mentioned by Jill Gideon (Felicity Huffman) in season 2, with Prentiss confirming that Reid was on “sabbatical.”

And two of the series' former regulars got special attention. There was a notable Easter egg for Reid during the season, and Hotch was clearly on Prentiss' mind for at least the first few episodes. When I spoke to showrunner Erica Messer about evolution In Season 2, she explained how important it is for the show to include references to the characters who played such an important role in the series in previous years:

That's really important to me. I've been here all this time. I always say it took us all these years to get the year we're having. Especially since Jill has a history with the team, it would be weird if she didn't ask about these people that were on the team twenty years ago, right? So it's really important to me to acknowledge that these people are part of our family, even if we don't see them every day.

If anything, it would have been bizarre if Jill hadn't mentioned Reid, Hotch and Morgan. Her questions about them reminded me that we have a lot more closure for Morgan than the other two, as he had a pretty grand exit on his own terms. Hotch's exit had to be abrupt as the actor was fired in real life, so there may never be grand closure for the character. And as for Reid… well, we can always hope he comes back as evolution continues.

When it comes to Jill being the right person to ask about these characters, Erica Messer had nothing but high praise for Felicity Huffman and her scenes with Joe Mantegna. The showrunner said:

Felicity had known Joe for about 40 years, so when they were in scenes together, there weren't many people calling Joe “Joey,” but she did. And so she was in scenes with Joey, and there might have been nervousness, but I didn't sense it. They just went with it like they'd always done it. She's incredible. I mean, she came in, and this isn't a show she would normally be on. This isn't dialogue that she's known for, and I believed every word that came out of her mouth. I was just in awe of her.

Huffman is probably best known for her eight seasons in the Desperate Housewives Cast and Desperate Housewives is definitely not in the same genre as Criminal Minds. The actress is not pictured in any of the BTS pictures, but that is by no means a confirmation that she will not be there evolution Season 3. For now, we can only wait for news on casting as filming begins.

Personally, I would be happy to get at least a cameo appearance from Reid, but I also think that the first two seasons of evolution worked well enough on their own that the series can really continue indefinitely. While there are no details at the time of writing on when exactly to expect the next episodes, you can now rewatch all seventeen seasons of the entire series streaming on Paramount+.

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As filming begins on Season 3 of Criminal Minds: Evolution, I look back at what the showrunner told us about Reid and Hotch

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