The 17th season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, will return with the same cast as the previous season, with the famous FBI profilers– Jennifer Jareau, portrayed by AJ Cook (Night Skies, Final Destination Two, The Virgin Suicides), Dr. Tara Lewis, portrayed by Aisha Tyler (Ghost Whisperer, Friends, Archer), David Rossi, portrayed by Joe Mantegna (The Godfather Part III, Baby’s Day Out, House of Games), Emily Prentiss, portrayed by Paget Brewster (Friends, Grandfathered, Huff), Luke Alvez, portrayed by Adam Rodriguez (CSI Miami, Ugly Betty, Jane The Virgin) and Penelope Garcia, portrayed by Kirsten Vangsness (Phil Of The Future, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Criminal Minds). Fan-favorite characters Spencer Reid, portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler (Hot Air, 68 Kill, Dollface), and Matthew Simmons, portrayed by Daniel Henney (The Wheel Of Time, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Criminal Minds), were written off in the previous season for being “on assignment.” Still, it’s unclear when they will actually return, to fans’ dismay. In an interview with Comicbook.com, Rodriguez shared his thoughts on the upcoming season.

“Oh, man, well first of all, thank you, because we feel the same way. I mean, we’re just so reinvigorated to be doing the show on Paramount+ now in more than one way,” Rodriguez explained via Comicbook.com.

“I mean, it’s obviously Criminal Minds: Evolution. So it’s slightly different from what Criminal Minds was. But we’ve got these characters that have been around for all of these years, and have built up this relationship with the audience that we now get to explore in a new way. So it lends itself to feeling more cinematic just in the amount of breath, time, and space that we have to do that kind of exploration. I think another big part of that is the addition of Anthony Pietro, who’s our Director of Photography now, is amazing and just has a has a great eye and a great feel for the show. And on top of all of that fits into the culture of the show as well.”

“Yeah, I mean, we really just have such a great group of people there. And that starts with our boss, Erica Messer [Criminal Minds’ showrunner], who is incredible, and just knows how to pick the people that are going to be invited to play in this space,” Rodriguez continued via Comicbook.com.

“Her decision making along with our feedback has really gotten us to a place that like, you just can’t be more happy than we are to show up at work. It’s just amazing every day. So, that I think is, of course, part of what all translates to the screen. And the fact that now our writers have the latitude that they have to be able to write on a streaming service versus writing on a network, you know, they’re able to dig into their talents and their craft and do things in ways that they weren’t able to do before. And we have really the pleasure of getting that kind of material to work with and doing what we do with it. I’m so happy that you feel that way because that’s what we’re going for. I mean, we keep saying on set, ‘this is the best season of this show ever.'”

“We know the show has graduated, it’s evolved, its Criminal Minds: Evolution. We were also resistant to the title change at first, that little edition of the subtitle, we’re like, ‘it’s still Criminal Minds, what are they talking about?’ But as we’ve gotten into the second season, it’s really fitting because the show has truly evolved,” Rodriguez concluded via Comicbook.com.

“It’s evolved even in what we’re getting to show, not just the look and the material that we’re doing. But the way we’ve evolved now from wrapping up each serial killer in a 142 minute package, we’re now spreading that out over the course of two seasons, and inside the mind of a serial killer for two seasons where the audience is getting to see things in a way they never have. So I know that was a long winded answer, but there’s so much to be excited about.”

The plot twist shown in last season’s finale, when Volt has been taken into custody by the BAU after he killed deputy director Bailey, the 17th season of Criminal Minds: Evolution reprises with the team investigating the mystery of Gold Star. The synopsis, according to Comicbook.com, states that “As the conspiracy unfolds, the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is met with an unexpected complication when serial killer Elias Voit negotiates a deal that transfers him to federal custody in the BAU’s own backyard. The team faces its biggest threat yet and cannot emerge unscathed from the mind-bending consequences.”

The first two episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 17 premiere June 6 on Paramount+.