Why Does Elias Voit Look So Familiar On Criminal Minds: Evolution?
Just when you thought you were out, they pulled you back in. CBS' popular series "Criminal Minds" was at one point one of the longest-running crime procedurals of its time. First starring Mandy Patinkin as BAU leader Jason Gideon, the series dives deep into the psychology of UnSubs in a race against the clock to stop them. Patinkin ultimately left the series after Season 2, but the series would go on for 15 years. This made it such a surprise when "Criminal Minds" ended in 2020. Procedurals such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "NCIS" have gone on for decades, but for some reason, "Criminal Minds" did not join them. Luckily it was not to last.
In just a matter of weeks, a new season will premiere: "Criminal Minds: Evolution." Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, and Aisha Tyler are just some of the agents returning to the spotlight in addition to the arrival of a villain behind a large network of serial killers. Also on the docket is Elias Voit, an analyst with a dark side, played by Zach Gilford. Though being kept under wraps, Entertainment Weekly reported that fans could be sufficiently creeped out when the season premieres and see the actor who portrays Voit as we've never seen him before.
Everybody fell in love with Matt Saracen on Friday Night Lights
Has there been a show with more heart, tears, and inspirational speeches than "Friday Night Lights"? Sure, the series largely grapples with the week-to-week high school football games, but none of us would be the same without the tough love of Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler). The devoted coach never stops believing in his team despite the personal trials of each player. We watched Jason Street (Scott Porter) grapple with paralysis and encouraged Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) to break out of the cycle of his upbringing. But there's no character with more emotional resonance than Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford). When he takes over Jason's role as QB1 in the first episode, the deck is already stacked against him.
With an absent mother and a father deployed in Iraq, Matt is tasked with taking care of his grandmother, who is in the throes of dementia. A boy with already far too much responsibility, he also takes on the dreams of an entire town depending on him to get the Panthers to state. And despite his missteps, Matt never turns bitter. He continues to be the shining light of the series, even when he endures things only adults would notice in "Friday Night Lights." Time and time again, Gilford proved how much he earned fan-favorite status (via Entertainment Weekly). The actor would go on to star in many celebrated projects, but he will always be remembered as the purest soul, Matt Saracen.
The Purge saved Shane's marriage but not his life
When James DeMonaco's sleeper hit "The Purge" first premiered in 2013, no one imagined the longevity that it would have. Set in a world where crimes are legalized for one night, each film in "The Purge" timeline is a social commentary pointing out all the glaring issues in America. Anti-capitalism sentiments are taken a step further in "The Purge: Anarchy," painting a disturbing portrait of government officials using Purge Night to eliminate poorer neighborhoods. One of these survivors is Eva (Carmen Ejogo), who runs into two other unlucky individuals on the unluckiest night of the year.
Though Shane (Zach Gilford) and his wife Liz (Kiele Sanchez) were certainly foolish to take a road trip just hours before The Purge, they also did not deserve their end. On their way to visit Shane's sister, Liz is insistent on breaking the news that they are separating. Shane is reluctant to separate from his wife when their car breaks down, and they are thrown into a nightmare. But through their horrific experience, they bond closer than before. They realize their true love for each other, only for it to be too late. In the final stand-off, Shane catches a fatal bullet when only moments later, they are rescued. While some of the characters decide to abstain from violence, the death of her husband turns Liz into a Purger. Violence begets violence, and there is no better example of this than "The Purge: Anarchy."
Gregg is the prototypical ex in Good Girls
Almost a decade after "Friday Night Lights" concluded, Zach Gilford returned to NBC, albeit in a slightly more humorous role. Gilford traded in the emotional traumas of "Friday Night Lights" for the comedic stylings of "Good Girls." The hour-long comedy follows Beth (Christina Hendricks), Ruby (Retta), and Annie (Mae Whitman), three down-on-their-luck women who decide that cheating the system is the only way to get ahead. Annie's decision to go through with the supermarket robbery is primarily due to her ex-husband, Gregg (Gilford). After the two had a child in high school, they parted ways but decided to co-parent. This was all well and good, but Annie constantly feels as though she never lives up to what a typical mother should be. Gregg and his new wife, Nancy (Sally Pressman), think they would be better custodians of Ben (Isaiah Stannard) and want to sue for custody.
Annie may not be perfect, but she loves her son and will do everything in her power to keep him. This may involve making morally gray decisions, but Gregg isn't perfect either. After pulling off the heist with Ruby and Beth, she and Gregg find it easy to fall into old patterns and start an affair. "Good Girls" was a delightful perspective about the specific pressures foisted onto women and how they can survive them. The cancelation of the series was a shame, even with Mae Whitman's perfect response to the end of "Good Girls."
Midnight Mass did not hold back on Riley's story of redemption
Any fan of horror will have heard the name Mike Flanagan by now. The creative mind behind "The Haunting of Hill House" and "Doctor Sleep" has made a name for himself in the genre. His material delves into the horrific elements of what it means to be human. In a recent limited series for Netflix, Flanagan released one of his best tales yet, "Midnight Mass." Taking place on the isolated town of Crockett Island, the series kicks off when a new priest comes to lead the church. Strange occurrences start to happen, such as mysterious deaths and everyone in the town being cured of their ailments. But the most moving parts of the series are not related to vampirism or mysticism. Zach Gilford pulls off an incredibly emotional performance as Riley Flynn, a man seeking redemption and purpose after accidentally killing a girl in a drunk driving accident. Riley's self-loathing and grasping for redemption resonates thematically in the religion-driven town.
"I think what's kinda cool about it is that you can take the yucky parts of us and really magnify them," Gilford pointed out to GQ about the series. "You can put them in an extreme and give it some sort of metaphor or symbolism around what's really going on." Without a doubt that there is no one better to pull this off than Flanagan, who even brought in Gilford for his follow-up series "The Midnight Club."