The tried-and-true network reign of procedurals has yielded several lengthly (and continuing) franchise runs with spin offs. Upcoming attractions include NCIS: Tony and Ziva (coming to CBS and Paramount+) but also more of Law and Order: Organized Crime (supplementing NBC’s long-lived shows over on Peacock). Then there’s CBS’ Criminal Minds, which ran for fifteen seasons before graduating into another form, Criminal Minds: Evolution, which revived much of the gang for Paramount+.
The only downer with that latter series is that Matthew Gray Gubler (who has portrayed the Dr. Spencer Reid for over a decade) was seemingly no longer part of the Behavioral Analysis unit due to being on “a special assignment.” Word surfaced a few months ago, however, that Gubler would make a third-season appearance to bring his lustrous hair back for the masses. Gubler, as well, has been busy with his next procedural series, Einstein, so let’s open the book on what to expect.
Plot
Last year, CBS revealed their intent to remake a German series, also called Einstein, which starred Tom Beck, ran for three seasons, and is currently available to stream on Prime Video/Amazon. Gubler, of course, was an automatic pick to portray a genius after doing the walking-encyclopedia thing on Criminal Minds for so long.
In Einstein, Gray will flex his procedural muscles again with dramatic tones. In doing so, he will portray a mess of a lazy and tenured college professor, Lew Einstein, who happens to be the great grandson of the great Albert Einstein. Lew is a pain in the butt, and according to CBS, he is “[i]rreverent and misguided,” but his “genius and famous name weighs heavily on him, but using his gift to help solve homicides may – finally – offer his life some direction and purpose.” Lew has also, until now, been able to earn a comfy living at Princeton University, but those days of coasting are over when “his bad-boy antics land him in trouble with the law and he is pressed into service helping a local police detective solve her most puzzling cases.”
Variety recently updated with word that this detective shall be Maddie Paris, portrayed by Rosa Salazar (Captain America: Brave New World, Brand New Cherry Flavor), who is “a Detective Inspector for the New Jersey State Police, who went into law enforcement after the death of her husband. Sharp and disciplined, Maddie demands a lot from her colleagues and even more from herself and feels conflicted about working with Professor Einstein.”
For now, the project has only been ordered to pilot, although that could change at any time, especially with Gubler’s presence being front and center.
Release Date
The Ontario Creates industry website pinpoints February 27 for a starting date on filming on Einstein. If everything goes well with a full season order, Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 could be a realistic timeline.
Cast
Gubler and Rosa Salazar are the only confirmed cast members at present.
Trailer
Since Gubler devotees haven’t been graced with footage or a trailer yet, here’s a Criminal Minds compilation video of Gubler’s Reid bromancing with Shemar Moore’s Morgan for seven minutes straight.
