Per TVLine, the upcoming third season of Criminal Minds: Evolution is about to make a major jump forward. Reportedly, showrunner Erica Messer confirmed that the third season will take place six months after the conclusion of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2. This is a comparatively huge time jump for the series, which saw its first two seasons’ timeline separated by only a matter of weeks.
Criminal Minds: Evolution debuted in 2022 as the sixteenth season of the original Criminal Minds. Whereas the original series featured a largely monster-of-the-week style setup, Criminal Minds: Evolution featured an overarching story centered around Zach Gilford’s Elia Voit, a prolific serial-killer at the heart of a sprawling network of similarly-minded murderers. The followup series brought back a host of fan-favorite stars including Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez, A. J. Cook, and Paget Brewster, the latter two of whom had previously left the franchise.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Will Return for Season 3
Prior to the series’ second season finale, Messer opened up about how the series was affected by Cook and Brewster’s exits and subsequent absences, explaining that “It left a scar on all of us who experienced it.” Messer continued, “When you have a character really contemplating whether [she’s] going to quit so they don’t fire [her], how can we not talk about the elephant in the room, which is that these two [actors] were fired all those years ago? Let them fire you but don’t quit. We survive. We’re still here.”
While Criminal Minds: Evolution Season Three is set to see every main character from the previous season make their return to the series, it is also slated to introduce at least one new character who is already proving to be a favorite among fans. In September, it was confirmed that Aimee Garcia will be joining the cast as Doctor Julia Ochoa, a neuropsychiatrist whose less than heavy-handed methods will put her at odds with Agent Luke Alvez, played by Adam Rodriguez. Garcia is best known by fans as forensic scientist Ella Lopez on Lucifer starring Tom Ellis and Lauren German.