Matthew Gray Gubler is returning to TV — but maybe not in the way Criminal Minds fans were expecting.
Multiple outlets reported on Thursday, October 3, that Gubler, 44, is set to star and produce a pilot for CBS under the working title Einstein. The series would follow Lew Einstein a.k.a the great grandson of Albert Einstein as he spends his days as a comfortably tenured professor. His bad boy antics, however, land him in trouble with the law so he uses his skills to help a local police detective solve the most puzzling cases.
The role sounds reminiscent of Gubler’s beloved Criminal Minds character, Spencer Reid. The procedural, which debuted in 2005, introduced viewers to a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime drama has kept exploring different fictional cases each season as cast members have come and gone.
After wrapping in 2020, Criminal Minds was revived by Paramount+ with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster returning as their fan-favorite characters.
Gubler, who played Spencer Reid from 2005 to 2020, has publicly discussed his interest in making a return. “I would be honored. I would absolutely love that,” he said of the series during an appearance on Ireland’s The Six O’Clock Show in September 2023. “They did a newer spinoff of the show, but it was filming during a time when I was shooting something else. But I can’t wait — hopefully it will soon work out.”
Showrunner Erica Messer recently told Us Weekly that there were conversations with Gubler about coming back in some capacity.
“We love [Matthew] and he’s always going to be a part of the family. We would love for an opportunity to arise to get him back. And we have tried — and he has tried,” she exclusively shared in July. “It just hasn’t worked out timing wise. I can’t speak to [season 3 of Criminal Minds: Evolution] because we’re not there yet. But it’s not for lack of trying. I think the characters also are going to acknowledge it.”
She continued: “We can’t not acknowledge who’s not here because they’re huge parts of why we’re all still here. But the trick is we have a much shorter window [now]. Back in the olden days, we had 10 months out of the year to shoot. Now we have four [months]. So it just actually can be a scheduling nightmare to try to get anyone.”
Fans have had to settle for small nods at Gubler’s character for now. The first two seasons of Criminal Minds: Evolution confirmed that Reid is currently on a sabbatical but his desk has remained in perfect condition waiting for his return.
