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Criminal Minds: Evolution (also known as Season Sixteen) is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It is a revival and sequel of the original television series, which ended in 2020, and follows members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) as they are faced with a network of serial killers built during the pandemic.

Plot[]

The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is forced to face "their greatest threat yet; an unsub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. As the world opens back up, the network goes operational, and the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time."

Cast[]

Main[]

Recurring[]

Guests[]

Episodes[]

Image Title Airdate Writer Director Season Episode Series Episode
Episode-Thumbnail 16x01 "Just Getting Started" November 24, 2022 Erica Messer Nelson McCormick 1 325
When a teenage girl is abducted from her home and her parents are killed, the Behavioral Analysis Unit believes the same perpetrator killed a family of four in Virginia. Meanwhile, Lewis investigates a number of bodies that were found in a storage container and developments in the abduction case bring former analyst Penelope Garcia back into the fold.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x02 "Sicarius" November 24, 2022 Breen Frazier Nelson McCormick 2 326
When two men in the Washington, D.C. area are killed with their spinal cords severed and both men are found to be "bulls" in cuckoldry, the team tries to find the killer. In the midst of the investigation, it is discovered that this case and the last are connected to a serial killer network led by a man dubbed "Sicarius", and Lewis's girlfriend informs the team that the Department of Justice is trying to disband them.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x03 "Moose" December 01, 2022 Matthew Lau Joe Mantegna 3 327
As the Behavioral Analysis Unit attempts to find the remaining kill kits, they try to locate a former army specialist who they believe is planning to detonate an incendiary device in a Washington, D.C. park. Their actions bring the team into conflict with the FBI's domestic terrorism unit.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x04 "Pay-Per-View" December 08, 2022 Christopher Barbour Adam Rodriguez 4 328
After learning that the army specialist, Tyler Green, was not a member of the network, but rather an undercover vigilante trying to find his sister, Lewis and Garcia try to convince him to help them find Sicarius. Meanwhile, the team investigates a pair of home invaders who lure security guards to residences with home security systems, before forcing the homeowners to watch their murders over security cameras.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x05 "Oedipus Wrecks" December 15, 2022 Jayne A. Archer Sharat Raju 5 329
The discovery of the bodies of two women employed in government jobs forces the team to confront the unsub, Benjamin Reeves; however, his position as the son of a prominent senator brings forth major political implications. Deputy Director Doug Bailey joins the investigation to keep the situation from imploding and, in the process, it is discovered that one of the victims was a former girlfriend he met on a dating site for government employees.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x06 "True Conviction" January 12, 2023 Chikodili Agwuna Bethany Rooney 6 330
The aftermath of the explosion threatens to end the Sicarius case unless the team comes up with a legitimate reason to keep it open. The search brings them to a prisoner on death row.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x07 "What Doesn't Kill Us" January 19, 2023 Sullivan Fitzgerald Aisha Tyler 7 331
As the investigation into Sicarius escalates, the team is forced to look into an unsub in West Virginia who killed one and kidnapped two others.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x08 "Forget Me Knots" January 26, 2023 Carlton Gillespie A.J. Cook 8 332
The team becomes closer to finding Sicarius after finding surveillance footage of him at a hardware store, while also investigating how a recently deceased North Carolina man could be involved. Their search leads them to a missing California real estate agent who they believe was kidnapped by Sicarius and a local follower of his.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x09 "Memento Mori" February 02, 2023 Breen Frazier Doug Aarniokoski 9 333
Rossi will go to any lengths to prove that Elias Voit is Sicarius - and Voit is prepared to turn Rossi into his worst enemy in an effort for self preservation. The entire ordeal puts his future at the Behavioral Analysis Unit in jeopardy.
Episode-Thumbnail 16x10 "Dead End" February 09, 2023 Chris Barbour Glenn Kershaw 10 334
Rossi finds himself in the deadly clutches of Voit and, with his personal life slipping through his fingers, Voit goes on the run. The team is forced to confront Voit at his most volatile with multiple lives hanging in the balance.

Production[]

Season 16[]

The rumors of a revival for Criminal Minds had begun only months after the series finale, but there was little evidence to support such claims until mid-pandemic when Deadline reported that Paramount+ wanted to produce a spin-off series with the original cast[1]. This excited longtime fans of the franchise and, eager for more information, the suspected returning cast was continuously asked for updates through social medial. On July 29, 2021 Paget Brewster delivered the disheartening news that they "[thought it was] dead", but that they "[would] let [the fans] know if there [was] any progress."[2] This led to extreme outrage, but with no further evidence to the contradict Brewster, the spin-off series was written off as "dead".

On February 1, 2022 Nicole Clemens, President for Paramount+ Original Scripted Series, announced that they “are still very much in development on Criminal Minds" with "more to share on that soon”.[3] This was the only information provided by both the network and suspected returning cast until later in the year (July 12, 2022) when Joe Mantegna posted a picture of himself on set via Twitter.[4] This provided definitive proof that the spin-off series would be going forward.

On July 14, 2022, over a year after the revival was initially announced, Paramount+ announced that the series would be going forward with the returning cast: Paget Brewster, A.J. Cook, Adam Rodriguez, Joe Mantegna,Aisha Tyler, and Kirsten Vangsness.[5] The fan favorites, Matthew Gray Gubler and Daniel Henney would not be returning.

On September 9, 2022, the showrunner, executive producer, and writer Erica Messer revealed that the spin-off series would be titled "Criminal Minds: Evolution" during the virtual Television Critics Association panel. It was also announced that the first two episodes would premiere on November 24, 2022 via Paramount+ which confirmed longstanding rumors that CBS was no longer producing the series.[6] In addition to this, a partnership with Disney+ was announced for international viewership (though the show would remain exclusive to Paramount+ in the United States of America). The most surprising announcement was the season's upcoming unsub, Elias Voit, who would be played by Zach Gilford.

Season 17[]

On January 12, 2023, Paramount+ announced that "Criminal Minds: Evolution" had been renewed for a second season with production expected to begin later in the year.[7] In November 2023, it was confirmed that season would be moving forward following the resolution of the SAG-AFTRA actor strike. On November 11, 2023, Paget Brewster stated that filming for the second season would begin in January 2024.[8] Brewster later confirmed on January 15, 2024 that filming would begin the following day. [9]

Trivia[]

  • "Criminal Minds: Evolution" is considered Season 16 in the series. It was renamed due to break in between seasons and change in production company.
  • The series begins two years after the conclusion of Season 15.

References[]

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