Deadline reports that Matthew Gray Gubler is returning to television, but unfortunately, it’s not the long-awaited return to Criminal Minds: Evolution that fans have wanted. Instead, Gubler is set to play the great-grandson of Albert Einstein in a new crime procedural for CBS, which is going by the working title of Einstein.
The series is from Andy Breckman and Randy Zisk, best known for Monk. It will be a drama with comedic undertones. Matthew Gray Gubler plays Lew Einstein, the brilliant but directionless great-grandson of the famed theoretical physicist. He’s a popular professor at Princeton, when he actually shows up, but the burden of his genius and famous name frequently weigh on him. When his bad-boy antics find him running afoul of the law, he’s forced to help a local detective solve her most puzzling cases, which finally gives his life some direction and purpose. Breckman penned the script for the Einstein pilot, which will be directed by Zisk.
Gubler played Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds for all 15 seasons of the original run. The series came to an end in 2020, but was revived just two years later and retitled Criminal Minds: Evolution. Much of the original cast returned, including Joe Mantegna as David Rossi, Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez, A.J. Cook as Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Aisha Tyler as Tara Lewis, Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss, and Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia. Gubler wasn’t able to return as he was in the middle of another project at the time, and scheduling proved difficult for the second season as well.
Criminal Minds showrunner Showrunner Erica Messer told US Weekly this summer that they’re still trying to get Gubler to return. “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,” Messer said. “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.“