Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know

Summary Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 is confirmed and will continue the beloved procedural with its gritty storytelling and focus on characters.

It has been confirmed that the entire main cast will be returning for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2.

Viewers can expect the same familiar cast to return, with the possibility of some new supporting characters.

Revived on Paramount Plus after 15 seasons on CBS, Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 news indicates the show will continue the beloved procedural for at least one more year. Following the investigations of the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, Criminal Minds: Evolution puts criminal profiling at the forefront of its story and explores the psychology of stopping crime. Often praised for its gritty, ripped-from-the-headlines stories, Criminal Minds is unique among the slew of procedural shows because of its clever writing and focus on characters.

Even after a decade and a half on the air, the show proved to be popular enough to warrant a full-scale revival a few years after its cancelation. Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 brought back most of the familiar characters from the original series and continued their arcs. Though the cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution looked the same, the shape of the show had changed into a serialized format, and the season spanned 10 episodes. No longer shackled to the strictures of network TV's schedule, Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 was able to put more emphasis on each story, and that trend will continue as it returns for season 2.

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Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Latest News

Four New Cast Members Are Added

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As the sophomore season looms, the latest news sees four new cast members join Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2. Besides the returning stars from season 1, the upcoming second outing will now see Clark Gregg appear as FBI Director Ray Madison. Furthermore, Paul F. Tompkins will be reprising his role as the wacky conspiracy theorist Brian Garrity alongside newcomer Frank Church who is playing an unnamed children's advocate. In an intriguing new role, Brian White will be playing Vincent Orlov, an attorney representing the controversial Elias Voit.

Season 2 Returns In June

After considerable delays caused by the 2023 Hollywood strikes, Criminal Minds: Evolution has finally set a release date for its sophomore season. Season 2 of the hit continuation is slated to premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, June 6, 2024. The season will consist of 10 episodes that will premiere weekly on the streaming service.

The WGA writer's strike was resolved on September 27th, 2023, and the SAG/AFTRA strike was resolved on November 9th, 2023.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Cast

The BAU Team Returns For Season 2

Procedural series generally keep the same actors from season to season, and it was confirmed in a report by TV Line that the entire main cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution would be returning. However, that original announcement was seemingly counteracted by the news that Josh Stuart would not return as Will LaMontagne Jr. Additionally, Tyler Green, played by Ryan-James Hatanaka, will become a series regular after playing a supporting role in season 1.

Desperate Housewives alum Felicity Huffman will appear as Dr. Jill Gideon. Dr. Gideon is the ex-wife of former BAU head Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) and an accomplished biological psychiatrist who assists the team in catching the Gold Star. Other names were added including returning star Paul F. Tompkins who reprises his role as conspiracy theorist Brian Garrity. New FBI Director Ray Madison will be played by Clark Gregg, and Elias Voit's attorney, Vincent Orlov, will be played by Brian White. Frank Church will play an unnamed children's advocate.

The known cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 includes:

Actor Criminal Minds: Evolution Role Joe Mantegna David Rossi Paget Brewster Emily Prentiss AJ Cook Jennifer "JJ" Jareau Kirsten Vangsness Penelope Garcia Aisha Tyler Dr. Tara Lewis Adam Rodriguez Luke Alvarez Ryan-James Hatanaka Tyler Green Zach Gilford Elias Voit Felicity Huffman Dr. Jill Gideon Clark Gregg FBI Director Ray Madison Brian White Vincent Orlov Paul F. Tompkins Brian Garrity

Related Why Paget Brewster's Emily Left Criminal Minds And Returned (Twice) Criminal Minds said goodbye to Paget Brewster's Emily Prentiss on two occasions, and she left and returned to the BAU for different reasons.

Will Reid & Morgan Return For Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2?

The Fan-Favorites Were Absent In Season 1

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Though Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 cast was largely a reunion of the characters from the CBS series, two notable omissions couldn't be ignored. Firstly, Matthew Gray Gubler's beloved Spencer Reid was not included, and Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan was also not mentioned. Though Shemar Moore left Criminal Minds during season 11, the door was left open for the character to potentially make a cameo appearance in the Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 cast. Similarly, Reid left the show when it ended after season 15, and there is no reason why the character couldn't come back.

The cliffhanger ending of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 didn't reveal the identity of the agent who was going to interview Voit, and that seemed to indicate that the mysterious figure was a character known to audience members. With Shemar Moore's series S.W.A.T. being canceled by CBS after its seventh season which begins in 2024, the long-time TV star could have stepped back into his role as Morgan. Gubler's series Dollface ended in 2022, making it possible for him to reprise his Reid role, which he played for over 300 episodes.

Related Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Update Makes Derek Morgan's Return More Likely A big Shemar Moore career update just made Derek Morgan's long-awaited reunion with the BAU in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 much more likely.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Story

What Happens Next For The BAU?

The serialized nature of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 was a complete departure from the episodic format of the original series, but the new structure has allowed for bigger ongoing storylines. Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 will be a hybrid version where some episodes will continue an ongoing story while others won't (via TV Line). On-set images have revealed that Voit is somehow out of custody in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, which suggests the team is forced to work with the mastermind to catch Gold Star.

The death of Deputy Director Bailey will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the team, and Rossi's near-death experience might change the seasoned veteran. Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 story details suggest that Bailey's death will have an especially large impact on Prentiss' storyline, and Paget Brewster will take a more centralized role. While few details are confirmed so far, a mixed approach to the Criminal Minds: Evolution story will make for an interesting change of pace from the original series.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Trailer

Watch The Full Trailer Below

To get fans excited for the upcoming sophomore outing of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, a full trailer was released in May 2024. The lengthy teaser catches up with the characters in the aftermath of season 1's finale, and shows that they are still on the Gold Star case. Even as the BAU reels from the actions of Voit, they know that he is also their only hope in catching the Gold Star.

Criminal Minds: Evolution

In Criminal Minds: Evolution, the FBI’s elite team of criminal profilers come up against 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 and the network goes operational, the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time. Original cast members continuing their roles include Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Zach Gilford joins the dynamic cast as a recurring guest star in a season-long arc. Cast Joe Mantegna , A.J. Cook , Kirsten Vangsness , Aisha Tyler , Adam Rodriguez , Paget Brewster , Zach Gilford Seasons 2 Streaming Service(s) Paramount+ Franchise(s) Criminal Minds Writers Erica Messer Showrunner Erica Messer Main Genre Crime Creator(s) Erica Messer Prequel Criminal Minds Where To Watch Paramount+ Expand Watch On Paramount Plus