If there’s one thing that now 17 seasons of watching the profilers of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) hunting down serial killers and the like has taught us, it’s that there’s no shortage of UnSubs out there.
Criminal Minds, after running 15 seasons on CBS (2005-2020), returned with a new iteration, Evolution, in 2022 on Paramount+. In this revival, the BAU continues to do what they do best, but as the first two seasons have shown, there’s also one major UnSub they’re searching for (Zach Gilford‘s Elias Voit in the first, Gold Star in the second). A third season of Evolution and 18th overall of Criminal Minds was picked up by Paramount+ on June 5, one day ahead of the second and 17th (depending on how you count) premiering.
But what do we know about Season 18 of the Paramount+ drama? Read on for what we know about the cast, plot, and more, and keep checking back for updates.
How Did Season 17 Set Up Next Season?
Season 16 ended with Voit teeing up the Gold Star mystery, but as showrunner Erica Messer had told TV Insider (and now we’ve seen), Season 17 left off with “more of a, ‘uh-oh, now what?’ cliffhanger.” Voit was stabbed in prison, with his fate unknown when the finale ended.
Who Will Star in Season 18?
All the series regulars will be back, Messer told TV Insider. That means: Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), A.J. Cook (JJ Jareau), Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia), Aisha Tyler (Dr. Tara Lewis), Zach Gilford (Elias Voit), and Ryan-James Hatanaka (Tyler Green), with Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez) and Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss). Gilford and Hatanaka joined the series for the revival, with the rest part of its original run.
Is Voit Alive? How Much Will Gilford Appear in Season 18?
“I can promise you that we will see Voit all season,” Messer told TV Insider. Furthermore, expect a changing dynamic between Rossi and Voit. Yes, Rossi did have some closure to hallucination Voit by the end of Season 17 (with Garcia’s door closing on him), “but it really does open the door for a whole ‘nother Voit-Rossi relationship in the next season,” the EP shared.
Who Will Be at the Center of Season 18?
Season 16 focused on Rossi’s trauma, while Season 17 was mostly about Prentiss (with some stuff for Rossi and JJ as well). Looking ahead, “it’s everybody, I would say right now. We’ve not fully broken this season yet, but JJ and Lewis have really big stories this season,” Messer revealed to TV Insider.
Could Past Characters Return?
That remains up in the air and all comes down to scheduling, so chances are we wouldn’t know anything until much closer to filming (or after it’s already started). Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney), who were both with the BAU when the original run ended, have been off on an assignment we know nothing about. Speculation began ahead of Season 17 that Gubler was returning because of a photo of Reid’s name plate on social media, but Messer explained to us, “I’m keeping that desk there and I’m keeping that nameplate there. It’s always staying there as far as I’m concerned. So that’s why you saw it. You’ll see it throughout the show. It’s like, there’s his desk.”
What’s going on with Reid and Simmons will remain as it is now (vague). “Once we know we could have them, then we can play with whatever. But it’s like, until we know, it’s hard to say,” the showrunner said. That remains true at the end of Season 17.
Season 18 could also see a return from Josh Stewart as JJ’s husband, Will. Prior to Season 17, he wrote on social media that his days of playing the character were “over.” But that doesn’t necessarily mean for good. “We’ll figure out what that means for future seasons. But for this year, the timing, none of it worked,” according to Messer, ahead of the Season 17 premiere (and renewal).
And Messer hasn’t ruled out a return from Felicity Huffman, who recurred as Dr. Jill Gideon, Jason’s ex-wife, in Season 17. The “work part” of her character was wrapped up with the end of the Gold Star case, “but she’s part of our world and it doesn’t mean we can’t bring her back in the personal setting,” the showrunner told TV Insider.
When Will Season 18 Begin Filming?
Production has begun! The show’s official X (formerly Twitter) account shared the good news on August 20, with photos from set. See that below.
We’re back, Profilers! #CriminalMinds pic.twitter.com/WuYZsKkyeR
— Criminal Minds: Evolution (@criminalminds) August 20, 2024
And that’s what we expected, since Brewster had previously teased the summer for filming to resume. “We start back up for 10 more episodes of @criminalminds in late August SO IT’S GOING PRETTY GREAT !!! Thanks to all of you,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a fan asking “how’s it going” on June 7.
When Will Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Premiere?
That is unknown. The first Evolution season premiered November 24, 2022 (filming began in August that year), and the second just debuted with the first two episodes on June 6, 2024 (filming began in January of the year). That means with Season 18 filming beginning in August, new episodes could possibly premiere as early as winter 2024, though an early 2025 date might be more likely.