‘Criminal Minds’ Season 18 Cast Updates: 8 Returning Actors, 1 New Star, 1 Exciting Cameo Revealed!
Criminal Minds will be returning with season 18 in 2025 and we have some details to share about the upcoming episodes.
The third season of Evolution, the continuation of the beloved CBS show, will premiere on Paramount+ later this year.
TVLine has confirmed that the action will pick back up “six months” after the end of the previous season.
Criminal Minds showrunner Erica Messer previously revealed that we are done with Gold Star in the upcoming season, but the next season won’t necessarily be a new case.
“Not 100%, because we still have Voit in our life. It’s a bit more hybrid. Remember, we didn’t solve Gold Star really until we caught Damien, so that was sort of an ongoing story for most of the season. This [next] season will feel a little different, where we’re solving standalone ‘Catch the Bad Guy’ cases,” she told TVLine.
So, which cast members are coming back? And who is joining the cast?
Joe Mantegna – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
Joe Mantegna joined the show in season three as Senior Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He remained with the series throughout the rest of the run and reprised his role in the Paramount+ revival.
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
Paget Brewster – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
Paget Brewster joined the show in seaosn two as Supervisory Special Agent / Unit Chief Emily Prentiss. She remained with the show until season seven, made guest appearances in seasons nine and 11, then returned in season 12 and remained with the show until the end. She reprised her role in the revival series.
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
Aisha Tyler – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
Aisha Tyler joined the show as a recurring star in season 11 as Forensic Psychologist Dr. Tara Lewis. She became a series regular in season 12 and remained with the show until the end. She reprised her role in the revival.
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
Adam Rodriguez – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
Adam Rodriguez joined the show as a series regular in season 12 as Fugitive Task Force Agent Luke Alvez. He remained with the show until the end and reprised his role in the revival.
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
Kirsten Vangsness – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
Kirsten Vangsness is one of the only original stars who has remained with the show throughout its 15-season run and reprised her role as Technical Analyst / Communications Liaison Penelope Garcia in the revival.
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
A.J. Cook – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
A.J. Cook is one of the other original stars who has remained with the show throughout its full run. She reprised her role as Communications Liaison / Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Jareau in the revival.
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
Zach Gilford – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
Zach Gilford joined the cast as a recurring guest star in season one of Evolution. He played “Elias Voit, an operations analyst for a global cyber-security firm who has a dark side and an obsession with death.”
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
Ryan-James Hatanaka – RETURNING CAST MEMBER
Ryan James Hatanaka was promoted to series regular in season two of Evolution, playing the role of Tyler.
Will be back for season three of Evolution!
Matthew Gray Gubler – RETURNING FOR SEASON 18 CAMEO
Matthew Gray Gubler joined the show in season one as Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid and he remained with the series until the final episode of the CBS run.
He has expressed interest in making a return over the years and now he’s finally coming back, but just for a cameo.
TVLine reports that he will only appear in “part of one Season 18 episode.”
Aimee Garcia – JOINS CAST IN RECURRING ROLE
Aimee Garcia has joined the cast of the show for the third season on Paramount+ and the 18th overall.
Deadline reports she will play “Dr. Julia Ochoa, one of the country’s leading neuropsychiatrists who is assigned to help a high-profile patient recover from his injury-induced brain trauma. She clashes with Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) who, by contrast, believes in a more aggressive approach than her gentle approach.”
