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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsSpencer Reid is absent from Criminal Minds Season 16 because Matthew Gray Gubler’s other projects and the revival’s short filming window made it impossible to fit him into the schedule. The show explained Reid’s absence in the story by saying he was away on an assignment. Neither explanation means the character was declared permanently gone.
Why Matthew Gray Gubler wasn’t in Season 16
Showrunner Erica Messer said the reason was scheduling, not a decision to write Reid out permanently. Gubler and Daniel Henney, who played Matt Simmons, had other projects, and the revival had a limited period in which to film. Messer told TV Insider on December 31, 2022 that the team filmed from August through December and could not fit the actors into that window. “It was literally logistics; we just couldn’t get them,” she said.
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Criminal Minds: The Complete Series | $88.78 | Buy on Amazon |
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Criminal Minds: Seasons 1-4 | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Criminal Minds: Evolution - The Seventeenth Season | $28.45 | Buy on Amazon |
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Criminal Minds: Evolution - The Sixteenth Season [DVD] | $25.19 | Buy on Amazon |
Messer said the team wanted both actors back and described their absence as bittersweet. Because the production could not know when the actors might be available, it left their characters’ assignments vague rather than setting a definite return date.
Where the series says Reid is
In the Evolution premiere, Deputy Director Bailey tells Emily Prentiss that Reid and Simmons are away on assignments he is “not at liberty to discuss.” He says whether and when they return is up to them, according to TVLine’s coverage of the premiere. The assignment is the fictional explanation for why the characters are not with the BAU; the behind-the-scenes explanation was the actors’ availability.
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- Genre: TV Crime
- Number of Discs: 85
- Number of Tracks: 0
- Rating: NR
- Number of Movies: 0
Did Matthew Gray Gubler leave Criminal Minds?
The available explanation for Season 16 does not say Gubler quit or that Reid was killed off. After the season finale, Messer said the actors’ other projects and the short filming window made future availability uncertain. She left open the possibility that the assignments could matter later, but did not promise a return in the next season. Her comments explain that season’s absence, not Gubler’s status in every later installment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the season is called Criminal Minds: Evolution
Season 16 follows the original series’ 15 seasons, which ran from 2005 to 2020. Paramount+ announced the revival in July 2022 and gave the season its official title, Criminal Minds: Evolution, on September 9, 2022. Its series-order announcement said the new episodes would be exclusive to the streaming service. The official title announcement named the returning cast members but did not include Gubler.
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