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When the popular series Criminal Minds ended in 2020, fans were sorry to see it go. But recently, it returned with a fresh reboot, Criminal Minds: Evolution. The newly revamped series is available for streaming on Paramount +, and viewers are looking forward to seeing where it will take them. But one thing about it is different; two of the beloved characters aren’t coming back. 

'Criminal Minds' actors Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Reid and Daniel Henney as Matt Simmons
Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Reid and Daniel Henney as Matt Simmons | Darren Michaels/CBS via Getty Images

The return of “Criminal Minds”

The original show debuted in 2005, and it stayed on the air for an impressive 15 years. The series featured the Behavioral Analysis Unit, an elite FBI team that was tasked with understanding the minds of the worst criminals. Using their insight, they helped capture these dangerous people before they could offend again. 

Viewers were devoted to the series, sticking with it for a decade and a half of twists and turns. Naturally, the end of the series was a blow. So when it was announced that the team was returning for a reboot, fans were delighted. According to Parade, showrunner Erica Messer is enthusiastic about the new series.

“The first year has 10 episodes and explores what our heroes have been up to since February of 2020, which is the last time you saw them, or, as we call it, ‘the before times,'” she explained. “The BAU, like a lot of workplaces, has had some change. These past few years have made the team count on one another a lot more.”

One of the important changes that have happened to the team is that two of their members are missing. 

Where are Spencer and Matt?

Matthew Gray Gubler, who played Dr. Spencer Reid, and Daniel Henney, who played Matt Simons, are not returning to the show. TV Line reports that Messer doesn’t want to say too much about what happened to the characters on the show. However, she doesn’t mind talking about the actors who played them. 

Messer suggested that the actors are just too busy to be a part of the reboot right now. But that doesn’t mean that she’s given up hope of having them return. Messer said:

 “Dr. Reid’s and I believe Matt Simmons’ desks are still there, still have stuff on it … Like, if any of you went back [to the office after the pandemic], you still have stuff on your desk that was there for two years. So we’re definitely playing that. But [Spencer and Matt] are not gone gone.”

Messer explained, “Our hope is that the team members we ended the series with on CBS will be able to come back and play at some point, but everybody does have other projects.”

What are the other projects keeping them busy?

According to Collider, Henney has been working steadily since the end of the original Criminal Minds. He went from one show to another, playing the role of Lan Mandragoran in the Amazon Prime series The Wheel of Time. He also made an appearance in a TV movie called Occult. 

Gubler, on the other hand, has been less active as an actor. He starred in the 2021 movie King Knight. He also had two cameo appearances, one in the Hulu series Dollface and the other in Netflix’s Horse Girl. 

No matter what is keeping the two actors busy, fans hope that they’ll find the time to return to Criminal Minds: Evolution. Whether they rejoin the team permanently or just make an appearance, viewers would love to see the whole crew together again. 

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