“Criminal Minds” fan favorite Matthew Gray Gubler set to appear in “Evolution”

The prodigal Supervisory Special Agent returns.

Matthew Gray Gubler, who starred for 15 seasons on Criminal Minds before it was retooled as Criminal Minds: Evolution, is finally slated for an appearance on the upcoming third season of the revival series.

Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Gubler will reprise his role as the awkwardly charming, preternaturally brilliant Dr. Spencer Reid for part of a single episode. The series officially wrapped production on season 3 (season 18 if you're counting the full run of the show) this week, which means fans can start the clock on the days until they're reunited with Spence again.

Criminal Minds aired its explosive season 15 finale on CBS in 2020. Longtime executive producer Erica Messer spoke with EW on the occasion of what was then presented as the series' final episode and gave no indication that there was any life left in the project. "Some people love telling procedural stories and especially serial killer stories. So some plan to keep pursuing that. Others like myself wanted to step away from it a little bit and look for the light in the world instead of all this darkness," she said.

But just two years later, CBS' streaming home Paramount+ announced a revival of the series with most of the cast returning. Paget Brewster, Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook, and Aisha Tyler were all aboard for Criminal Minds: Evolution, but not Gubler.

Related: Case solved: Criminal Minds cast shares how the revival differs from the original series

In another conversation with EW, this time from 2022, Messer explained that notable absences — including Gubler, Shemar Moore, and Daniel Henney — shouldn't be taken for full character departures.

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"Their desks will still have stuff on them. They haven't gone away," she said. "Dr. Reed's desk still has all of his books on it and all of his belongings... We want that connection still with Dr. Reed and Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney), who is on another assignment as well. It's something we can't really discuss. But if and when they return, it's up to them. It's dependent on their schedules. I can't promise anything right now. But it's the hope."

Related: Zach Gilford on making his directorial debut with Criminal Minds and improvising lines to 'break' his costars

Henney appeared on both seasons of the spinoff series Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. But neither he nor Moore have returned for Evolution. Since departing the show, Gubler has starred in Jeff Baena's Horse Girl as well as appeared in a recurring role on two seasons of the Hulu comedy series Dollface, starring Kat Dennings and Brenda Song.

Dr. Reid's desk has indeed remained populated with the character's belongings, signaling that he's gone but not forgotten. All that wishing and hoping will finally pay off when Gubler returns for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 18, which does not yet have a premiere date.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly