Huge news today for Paramount+’s Criminal Minds: Evolution. Deadline reports that the sequel series has been renewed for a third season right before the premiere of its second season. Production will begin at the end of this year. The first two episodes of the second season of Criminal Minds: Evolution have been released on the streamer today. All other episodes will be released every Thursday.
According to Deadline, the second season picks up after the events unfold as the BAU continues investigating the mystery of Gold Star. Now, the FBI elite team has to accept the deal with serial killer Elias Volt since he knows more about Gold Star than what he leads on to know. The BAU transfers him to their headquarters, as the team faces one of their biggest threats yet: they have to resurface without any consequences.
This season’s returning cast includes A.J. Cook (Final Destination Two, Tru Calling, Criminal Minds), Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds, The Godfather Part III, Airheads), Kirsten Vangsness (Phil Of The Future, Criminal Minds, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior), Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights, Good Girls, The Midnight Club) Aisha Tyler (Friends, Ghost Whisperer, Modern Family), Ryan-James Hatanaka (My Babysitter’s A Vampire, A Simple Wedding, The Fairy OddParents: Fairly Odder), Paget Brewster (Friends, Modern Family, Agent 15) and Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami, Ugly Betty, Jane The Virgin). Guest stars for season two include, according to Deadline, Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives, The Good Lawyer, American Crime), Clark Gregg (The Avengers, Iron Man, Florida Man), Liana Liberato (CSI: Miami, Sons Of Anarchy, Light as a Feather), Tuc Watkins (Black Monday, The Mummy, UnCoupled), Paul F. Tompkins (BoJack Horseman, Tangled, There Will Be Blood) and Brian White (Ray Donovan, Ambitions, The Family Stone).
In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Rodriguez shared his thoughts on this 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 shared 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 new way,” Rodriguez continued via Comicbook.com. “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.”
According to Deadline, Criminal Minds: Evolution is produced by CBS Studios and ABC Signature. Erica Messer (Criminal Minds, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, The Biggest Little Farm) is the showrunner and one of the executive producers alongside Chris Barbour (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Arlington Road, Species II), Mark Gordon (Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Ray Donovan), Breen Frazier (Criminal Minds, Roswell, Alias) and Glenn Kershaw (Twisted, Criminal Minds, Sister Act Two: Back in the Habit).
Both seasons of Criminal Minds: Evolution are available to stream on Paramount+, and all 15 seasons of the Criminal Minds series are also available to watch on the streamer.