Criminal Minds: Evolution

*Criminal Minds: Evolution* continues the story of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit after the original *Criminal Minds* ended its 15-season run in 2020. The revival premiered on Paramount+ on November 24, 2022, with a darker, more serialized approach: rather than resolving a separate case each week, its first season follows one investigation across ten episodes. Erica Messer, an executive producer on the original series, returned as showrunner.

That investigation begins as the BAU confronts a network of serial killers assembled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its organizer is Elias Voit, played by Zach Gilford, who operates under the name “Sicarius.” Voit has supplied other killers with the means to commit murders while maintaining a family life that conceals his crimes. His network gives the team a problem larger than any single unsub: identifying its members does not necessarily reveal who recruited them or how they are connected.

Several familiar agents return. Paget Brewster plays Emily Prentiss, who leads the unit, while Joe Mantegna returns as David Rossi. A.J. Cook reprises Jennifer “JJ” Jareau; Aisha Tyler plays Tara Lewis; and Adam Rodriguez plays Luke Alvez. Kirsten Vangsness returns as Penelope Garcia, whose departure from the BAU was part of the original series finale. In *Evolution*, Garcia’s technical skills again become central to an investigation, even as she tries to maintain a life beyond the bureau. Matthew Gray Gubler’s Spencer Reid and Daniel Henney’s Matt Simmons do not appear in the revival’s first season.

The Sicarius case also makes the investigation personal for Rossi. He is grieving the death of his wife, Krystall, a loss that shapes his pursuit of Voit. Meanwhile, the BAU faces pressure from within the FBI, including Deputy Director Doug Bailey, played by Nicholas D’Agosto. Those conflicts place the team’s ability to keep working together at stake while Voit remains difficult to pin down.

The second *Evolution* season, released in 2024, does not simply replace Sicarius with an unrelated mystery. Voit remains part of the story as the BAU investigates “Gold Star,” a case linked to his knowledge of a secretive program. The season also introduces Felicity Huffman as Jill Gideon, a psychologist and the former wife of Jason Gideon, the BAU co-founder played by Mandy Patinkin in the original series. Her arrival ties the new investigation to the unit’s history while the continuing Voit storyline gives the revival a consequence that carries beyond its first finale.