Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 is done and, while no more new episodes of the Paramount+ revival will be airing on the 2025 TV schedule, there's still good news. The series has already been renewed for Season 4, meaning the BAU will be back for more adventures at some point. The team won't be alone, either. Zach Gilford’s Elias Voit is also returning to the fold and, after showrunner Erica Messer teased what's in store for him, I’m excited about the promise she made.
Voit has been causing trouble for the team since the start of Evolution and, despite Season 3 finally moving back into the unsub-of-the-week format, Voit still didn’t go away. He remains the only unsub who has been on the show consistently for three consecutive seasons, whether he’s an asset for the FBI or working against the organization. He’s certainly become a character that viewers love to hate and maybe even hate to love. On that note, Messer recently told Entertainment Weekly how Voit will be involved in Season 4:
The more we talked, we thought we had one more season to really explore some other stuff with him and the team. You're going to see him in every episode of season 19. He is a prisoner again, but in a very different way than he was in season 17. He will be a resource for us.
So the EP promised that Voit will be in every single episode of Season 4, and that's certainly a game-changing development! That's especially true when you consider what he was still capable of in Season 3 when he was in the hospital. Viewers saw him help the BAU in a Hannibal Lecter arc while in prison, but it sounds like things will be different moving forward.
What makes this all very interesting is that the team knows what to expect from Voit and how to get under his skin in order to really use him. While there's not telling what exactly will be in store come Season 4, Messer name-dropped a notable serial killer while teasing Voit's further development in future episodes:
The trajectory of that character was that he was off the radar, nobody even knew he existed as a killer. He literally buried all of his secrets in the ground. He's now like Ted Bundy, and that's going to get some attention that he wishes he didn't have. We've got Voit in custody now as a celebrity, essentially.
At this point, fans are likely familiar with Voit's twisted nature and manipulative tendencies. He's done so many horrible things, and the BAU has him at their disposal. However, it probably won’t be so easy getting to to the bottom of the many secrets that he holds, including the details about this whole serial killer network. Still, with the character appearing in every episode next season, the writers should have plenty of time to really dig into the various aspects of Voit, which is a prospect that excites me.
Production on Season 4 of Criminal Minds: Evolution, which is the 19th overall season of Criminal Minds, kicked off in May, with plenty of returning stars on hand. As for any returning guest stars, that may be a bit trickier, as Messer previously explained how complicated it is locking down actors months in advance. As the producer explained, it's tough to write for a specific character (played by a major actor) months in advance when you don't know what their schedule will be when filming begins.
It might still be a while until a premiere date for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4 is announced but, for right now, I'm just satisfied knowing that Elias Voit's role is about to grow. In the meantime, fans can stream all seasons of Criminal Minds, including Evolution, with a Paramount+ subscription now.
