Criminal Minds’ JJ Almost Turned Down Evolution Without Spencer Reid

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Criminal Minds: Evolution. JJ actor AJ Cook admits to almost turning down Criminal Minds: Evolution after learning that Matthew Gray Gubler wouldn’t be in it. FBI’s BAU returns on Paramount+ for the quasi-revival, and while Criminal Minds: Evolution brings back the core cast from the CBS show, it is missing two SSAs: Daniel Henney’s Matt Simmons and Gubler’s Spencer Reid. Simmons’ absence, while still disappointing, isn’t as big as not having BAU’s golden boy for the team’s ongoing case. While fans have been having a difficult time dealing with the fact that Reid isn’t in the Criminal Minds reboot, his former co-stars also struggled to come to terms with Gubler not partaking in the project.

Speaking with Buzzfeed in light of Criminal Minds: Evolution‘s special, two-episode premiere on Paramount+, Cook opens up about returning to the police procedural without her longtime castmate. Upon learning that Gubler wasn’t coming back to play Reid on the streaming show, the actor confesses that she contemplated turning down the offer to star in the series as well. Read Cook’s full quote below:

Matthew is one of the most charismatic, larger than life, yet very real, people I’ve ever met. It was actually really, really difficult for me when I found out he wasn’t gonna be able to come back. I considered not [returning]. I was like, ‘I don’t know how to do this without him. Like, how do we do this?’ [Spencer and JJ are] best friends. I kind of struggled with that at first. We all want him there. Hopefully, that will all come together because he’s so much fun to be around. He’s just that guy that you want to be around. Good energy.

Related: Criminal Minds Reboot Reveals What Happened To Matthew Gray Gubler’s Reid

What Happened To Reid In Criminal Minds: Evolution?

Initially, it was believed that Gubler’s decision not to partake on Criminal Minds: Evolution was rooted in wanting to try other things. For context, like Cook, Gubler appeared on all 15 seasons of the CBS police procedural, so it took up a majority of his time for a decade and a half. This made it difficult for him to pursue other endeavors, including directing. That said, showrunner Erica Messer recently clarified the real reason for Gubler’s Criminal Minds: Evolution absence, revealing that scheduling conflicts were the biggest hurdle with both of the missing stars.

In terms of narrative, however, Criminal Minds: Evolution has yet to explicitly reveal why Reid isn’t with the BAU. As previously teased by Messer, they’re actually leaning into this mystery by floating the idea that he and Simmons were assigned to a different case, although the reason why they have been separated from their original team remains unclear. The good news is that both SSAs are still technically part of the BAU. They still have their desks in the office, which means that they can return anytime when Gubler and Simmons’ respective calendars allow. From there, it would be fairly easy to reincorporate them into the story.

While Cook admits that it was difficult to return for Criminal Minds: Evolution, the show hasn’t explored how her character feels about Reid not being around anymore. Aside from being longtime friends, Reid and JJ almost had a romance in the original CBS show. The plot twist was divisive, so it was eventually scrapped, but it makes it more interesting to learn what JJ really thinks about Reid not being with the BAU.

More: Criminal Minds Reboot Is Already Doing 1 Thing Better Than The Original

Criminal Minds: Evolution drops new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+

Source: Buzzfeed