Why Ryan Tucker From Criminal Minds: Evolution Looks So Familiar
The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is back to hunt down more bad guys in the highly anticipated revival of "Criminal Minds," which is being branded as "Criminal Minds: Evolution." David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A. J. Cook), Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) are back in action in the first trailer for Season 16. This time, the team is focusing on serial killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), who built a network consisting of other serial killers during the pandemic. As Emily says in the show's trailer, it's up to the BAU to identify the patterns and take down this serial killing network. But it's not that easy, especially when the team finds that they're being set up by Elias throughout their investigation.
Elias isn't the only new character slated for Season 16. The original members of the BAU will meet a few other new faces, including the addition of Ryan Tucker, played by Johnny Cannizzaro. And this isn't the first time that Cannizzaro has stepped into the crime procedural genre.
Singing the tune of the big screen
Before booking guest roles on several popular crime dramas, Johnny Cannizzaro would share his talent with moviegoers and musical lovers alike, playing Nick DeVito in the 2014 film adaptation of "Jersey Boys," Clint Eastwood's take on the popular Broadway musical of the same name. Nick is the brother of Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza), who was one of the members of the popular 1960s rock band The Four Seasons, which included music icon Frankie Valli. The film dives into the origin story of The Four Seasons, their hit songs (including "Sherry"), and the personal struggles of the band's members.
Cannizzaro told the Jersey Boys Blog that he auditioned for the film a couple of years before the movie's big-screen release, noting that Clint Eastwood didn't pick up the project until about a year after Cannizzaro's first audition. He told the blog that this project was the perfect fit for him, given his New Jersey roots and passion for musical theater. While working on the film, he got to draw some inspiration from a real-life Jersey Boy. "I was trying to get some background on Nick and managed to contact Tommy DeVito. We spoke on the phone for over an hour about everything from robbing the jewelry store to 'The Variatones' to 'The Four Lovers' to the birth of The [Four] Seasons." He added that Nick DeVito's daughter also provided her own insight, offering photos and recordings of the band.
The wide-ranging roles that Cannizzaro has played on popular crime dramas
Since "Jersey Boys," Johnny Cannizzaro has been growing his small-screen credits by playing characters on different sides of the law in popular crime procedurals like "S.W.A.T.," "The Rookie," and "NCIS: Hawai'i." Cannizzaro recently served up a recipe for crime-solving on the CBS crime drama "NCIS: Hawai'i." In Season 1, Episode 16, "Monster," he plays Ryan Delucci, a sous chef working for a boss who has very high standards. As Delucci works to meet the demands of the kitchen, he helps Kai Holman (Alex Tarrant) go undercover as a chef in hopes of taking down a criminal kingpin who has ties to the restaurant.
When it comes to Cannizzaro's role as Ryan Tucker in "Criminal Minds: Evolution," the only detail that is currently being shared is the character's name. But all will slowly be revealed when "Criminal Minds: Evolution" premieres on Paramount+ on November 24, 2022, Thanksgiving Day.