Matthew Gray Gubler’s New Show Can Accomplish What Criminal Minds Failed To Do For Reid In 15 Years
Matthew Gray Gubler’s New Show Can Accomplish What Criminal Minds Failed To Do For Reid In 15 Years
Matthew Gray Gubler played Dr. Spencer Reid in Criminal Minds from 2005 to 2020 (he appeared in 15 seasons and 324 episodes total), but his next project will feature one element that separates the actor’s new character from Reid. The police procedural crime drama series followed the FBI’s BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) as they traveled around the country, solving crimes that required their expertise. Reid was notably the youngest member of the team, but he was also the smartest. As the show continued, Reid quickly became a fan-favorite Criminal Minds character, making many excited to see who Gubler plays next.
Matthew Gray Gubler is one of the few original Criminal Minds actors who haven’t reprised their roles in Paramount+’s revival series Criminal Minds: Evolution .
In October 2024, CBS announced that Gubler would be the face of an upcoming crime procedural TV series — Einstein (which is a working title, per Deadline). The actor is set to star as Lew Einstein, the great-grandson of Albert Einstein. Like his ancestor, Lew is a brilliant professor who uses his genius to help the police solve crimes. Gubler will also serve as a producer on Einstein, which CBS hasn’t officially ordered a full season of yet. But if it does get the green light, Criminal Minds fans should prepare themselves to watch Gubler play a character quite different from Reid.
Einstein Can Give Matthew Gray Gubler A Regular Love Interest
Rosa Salazar Was Cast As Maddie Paris In Einstein
Per Variety, Rosa Salazar has joined the cast of Einstein as Maddie Paris, the detective Gubler’s character works with in the police procedural series. She is only the second announced cast member, following in Gubler’s footsteps. Maddie’s character description reads:
“[Maddie is] a Detective Inspector for the New Jersey State Police, who went into law enforcement after the death of her husband. Sharp and disciplined, Maddie demands a lot from her colleagues and even more from herself and feels conflicted about working with Professor Einstein.”
Since Maddie is the female lead of Einstein and Lew is the male lead, it stands to reason that sparks will fly between them in the show. Work partners’ relationships in procedural series often turn romantic, leading one to believe that Einstein will likely feature a romance between Gubler’s Lew and Salazar’s Maddie. Maddie’s character description also teases tension between her and Lew. The opposite of hate is love, which has proven to be true time and time again in procedural TV shows (e.g. Castle and Beckett in Castle, Brennan and Booth in Bones, etc.).
While the possibility of Einstein having a central romance is exciting, it’s all the more thrilling when thinking about Gubler’s Criminal Minds character. Reid rarely had any love interests throughout the show’s 15 seasons. So, seeing Gubler play a character who is part of a series’ main love story is something new for Criminal Minds fans.
Why Reid Never Got A Long-Term Love Interest In Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds Wasn’t Exactly A Romance-Heavy Show
While Reid had a handful of love interests over the course of Criminal Minds‘ 15 seasons, he never had one who stuck around for very long. Gubler’s character had a crush on JJ for a short while before their relationship became more like that of a brother and sister. Then, Reid started dating Maeve in season 8, but she was murdered. Aside from those instances, Reid’s only other romance (not counting Cat Adams’ obsession with him) was with Max in the final season, which ended without revealing Reid and Max’s relationship status.
| Matthew Gray Gubler’s Movies & TV Shows | Role |
|---|---|
| Criminal Minds | Dr. Spencer Reid |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks | Simon Seville (voice) |
| (500) Days of Summer | Paul |
| Dollface | Wes |
| Einstein | Lew Einstein |
Reid never got a long-term romance in Criminal Minds for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the CBS police procedural series isn’t exactly a TV show that focuses much on its characters’ love lives. Reid was also a character who was socially awkward, and it would have been unrealistic for him to have the time or energy to date. However, things will drastically change for Gubler after starring as Reid in Criminal Minds for 15 years, when he starts playing Lew in Einstein.
