Evolution’ Renewed for Season 3 on Paramount+
Paramount+ is keeping Criminal Minds: Evolution on the case for another season.
The streamer has ordered a third season of the drama, a continuation of CBS’ long-running Criminal Minds that features much of the original show’s cast and is headed by long-time showrunner Erica Messer. The renewal comes a day before Evolution’s second-season premiere.
The show’s second season (and 17th in the main Criminal Minds franchise) begins shortly after the events of the season one finale (though in the real world, it’s been 16 months since it last aired), with the BAU team investigating what (or who) the mysterious Gold Star is. “As the conspiracy unfolds,” the season two logline reads, “the BAU is met with an unexpected complication when serial killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) negotiates a deal that transfers him to federal custody in the BAU’s own backyard. The team faces its biggest threat yet and cannot emerge unscathed from the mind-bending consequences.”
Series regulars Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness and Aisha Tyler return, as do Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Gilford and Ryan-James Hatanaka have been upped to series regulars; guest stars for the season include Clark Gregg, Felicity Huffman, Liana Liberato, Paul F. Tompkins, Tuc Watkins and Brian White.
Criminal Minds is a regular presence on Nielsen’s streaming charts (the original series streams on Hulu as well as Paramount+, while Evolution is exclusive to the latter). The series has made the rankings in 11 of 18 weeks for which there’s data so far this year.
ABC Signature and CBS Studios produce Criminal Minds: Evolution. Messer is th showrunner and executive produces with Breen Frazier, Chris Barbour, Glenn Kershaw and Mark Gordon.
