TV fans have been waiting for Matthew Gray Gubler to properly return to TV after Criminal Minds — but why is his attempt with CBS’ Einstein already so rocky?
Gubler has appeared in many projects over the years, but it’s his role as Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds that helped skyrocket him to fame. Despite the show’s gory content, viewers tuned in every week to see the lovable genius solve crimes.
Criminal Minds ran on CBS from 2005 to 2020 before being revived on Paramount+ with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster returning as their fan-favorite characters.
Gubler, for his part, was one of the few characters who didn’t come back — but he didn’t rule out a return.
‘Criminal Minds’ Cast: Then and Now
“I would be honored. I would absolutely love that,” he said of the series during an appearance on Ireland’s The Six O’Clock Show in September 2023. “They did a newer spinoff of the show, but it was filming during a time when I was shooting something else. But I can’t wait — hopefully it will soon work out.”
The actor’s busy schedule, however, kept him from reprising his role and he instead appeared on Dollface and in movies such as Horse Girl and King Knight.
In October 2024, news broke that Gubler would be back on our screens with a scripted series following the great grandson of Albert Einstein. The CBS series has since gone through several obstacles — and it hasn’t even premiered yet.
Keep scrolling for an explainer on Gubler’s TV return — and why it has already faced ups and downs:
The Key Players
Gubler quickly became a fan-favorite presence on Criminal Minds when the police procedural premiered in 2005. After more than 300 episodes, Gubler opted not to return for the revival on Paramount+. Instead, Gubler has focused on acting in other projects both on the big and small screen. He has also written children’s books including The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand.
The Gist
After taking a break from TV — three years to be exact — news broke that Gubler will make an appearance as Spencer Reid in part of one episode during season 18 of Criminal Minds: Evolution. His primary focus, however, is a pilot for CBS under the working title Einstein.
The project follows Lew Einstein, a.k.a the great grandson of Albert Einstein, as he spends his days as a comfortably tenured professor. His bad boy antics, however, land him in trouble with the law so he uses his skills to help a local police detective solve the most puzzling cases.
CBS picked up the show to series but it has been plagued with delays. In April 2025, it was confirmed that CBS was moving Einstein from its planned premiere during the 2025-26 TV season to the 2026-27 season.
CBS Cancels 2 Planned Spinoff Shows — But Which Could Still Premiere?
Why It’s a Big Deal
While this shift would allow the network a long production runway and more time to launch a promo campaign that can kickoff during March Madness 2026 — which worked for Tracker and Sheriff Country in the past — it caused some behind-the-scenes changes.
Deadline reported that the writing staff hiring process had been paused and that Rosa Salazar, who was meant to star opposite Gubler in the pilot, will not be continuing in the series. Salazar reportedly requested to be released from her contract after she learned about the delay in production.
What’s Next
Salazar was set to play Veronica “Ronni” Paris — a detective inspector for the New Jersey State Police who “went into law enforcement after the death of her husband,” a CBS synopsis read. “Sharp and disciplined, Ronni demands a lot from her colleagues and even more from herself and feels conflicted about working with professor Einstein.”
The role will be recast once production picks back up on Einstein. The series is not expected to have more than two series regular roles in the pilot, which is not unique for crime procedurals and is meant to model CBS’ Elsbeth, which has three.
There will still be an extra year-wait for Einstein to air.
