Criminal Minds: Evolution Fans Are Not Pleased With The Stale FBI Takedown Storyline
"Criminal Minds: Evolution" opened with a bang by introducing a case involving a network of serial killers who connected through the Covid lockdowns. Add to that a grieving and obsessed David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) leading the team and some saltier language thanks to its new home on Paramount Plus, and you've got a show that is doing its best to stay as tense and original as it can more than 15 years after its debut on CBS.
While Rossi and his team are piecing together their tech-savvy target, there is a subplot involving the inner politics of the FBI that isn't coming across as all that original for many fans. FBI Deputy Director Bailey (Nicholas D'Agosto) is constantly pestering Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) and attempting to tighten the financial belt around the waist of the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit). In the premiere episodes of "Criminal Minds: Evolution" ("Just Getting Started" and "Sicarius"), it is explained that Bailey is a cost-cutter who is looking to move up as fast as possible, even if it means gutting the BAU.
It's a tad more low-stakes than the team chasing down a society of sorts of serial killers, and some fans are voicing their complaints about the subplot on social media.
Fans think the FBI takedown storyline is too been there, done that
In a Reddit thread about the premiere episodes of "Criminal Minds: Evolution," numerous fans noted that the bureaucratic threats to the BAU is a storyline "Criminal Minds" deployed before over its original 15-season run on CBS.
"I hate that they're using again the storyline of the FBI director wanting to bring down the BAU. I lost count of how many of those we had over the years," Reddit user Jess_UY25 posted. "Thank you I said the same thing. I'm like oh come on we've done that story line to death," Winter_Dragonfly_452 agreed. "When they mentioned that i was like here we go again," user 95blackz26 commented. It was a sentiment echoed by other users too.
Another complaint echoed by some fans is the absence of Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler). While most original cast members returned for the reboot, some didn't make the cut, including the beloved Gubler. "Criminal Minds: Evolution" showrunner Erica Messer chalked up the notable absence to simple scheduling conflicts, leaving the door open for a return.
"He's been doing other projects and a lot of those were lining up during our window. Our window of shooting was just August to December 2. It was the same with Daniel Henney, who was working on 'The Wheel of Time,'" Messer told Deadline.