The eighteenth season of the American police procedural crime drama television series Criminal Minds, now subtitled Evolution, follows members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) as they are faced with a network of serial killers built during the COVID-19 pandemic. The season serves as a third season revival of the series after its original run on CBS ended five years earlier.
The season premiered on May 8, 2025 on Paramount+ in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other regions on June 10, 2025.
Cast The eighteenth season of Criminal Minds will see the return of every main character from the seventeenth season, including the multi-season suspect Elias Voit.
In January 2024, Josh Stewart announced that he would not return to the show after first appearing as William LaMontagne Jr. in the second season of the show in 2007. Showrunner Erica Messer revealed that the final scene featuring Stewart's character was shot "several seasons ago, long before Stewart's decision to exit the show." Stewart was not credited in episodes 2 and 3 for his appearances.
Many fans have been anticipating and pushing for the return of Spencer Reid, an original character of the series played by Matthew Gray Gubler who last appeared in the fifteenth season. The showrunner, Erica Messer, along with Gubler have both emphasized a willingness for Spencer Reid to return, yet it is unclear if and when that may occur due to scheduling conflicts. He was confirmed to reprise his role in one episode of this season, and returned in the third episode, "Time to Say Goodbye". Aimee Garcia recurred throughout the season as Dr. Julia Ochoa.
Main Joe Mantegna as David Rossi A. J. Cook as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewis RJ Hatanaka as Tyler Green Zach Gilford as Elias Voit Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss
Recurring Nicole Pacent as Rebecca Wilson Aimee Garcia as Dr. Julia Ochoa Geoff Stults as Evan Delray Ariel Jackson as Nurse Monica Luna
Guest Josh Stewart as Will LaMontagne Jr. (uncredited) Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid Linda Lavin as Connie LaMontagne Candy Clark as Sandy Jareau Kerry Knuppe as Ramona Havener LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Caroline Lewis Silas Weir Mitchell as Cyrus Lebrun Aaron Stanford as Kyle Mackey Mekhai Allan Andersen as Henry LaMontagne Phoenix Andersen as Michael LaMontagne
Episodes
Release The season premiered on May 8, 2025, and consisted of ten episodes.
References