Criminal Minds: Evolution Fans Are Hopeful For A Matthew Gray Gubler Cameo After The Latest Reid Mention

"Criminal Minds: Evolution" may be giving longtime "Criminal Minds" fans plenty of entertaining and nostalgic content to sink their teeth into, but the revival show is nonetheless missing a very important element from the original series. Matthew Gray Gubler's Dr. Spencer Reid, a mainstay member of the Behavior Analysis Unit and the "Criminal Minds" character that fans think was the best developed, is unfortunately nowhere to be found in the sequel.

While "Criminal Minds: Evolution" has acknowledged Reid's absence and has even taken the time to clarify what he's doing in-universe at the moment — he's off on his very own mysterious, top-secret assignment — that doesn't mean fans haven't keenly felt the character's absence during this new chapter for the team. However, a certain mention of Reid in one of the latest episodes of the series has fans getting their hopes up about the character possibly getting a cameo in one of the upcoming installments.

Season 1, Episode 7 of "Criminal Minds: Evolution," titled "What Doesn't Kill Us..." features the BAU team in a pretty tough spot. Still hot on the trail of the murderous Sicarius (Zach Gilford), the team encounters a major roadblock when the case is officially closed by the Attorney General. Unsure of how to best move forward, Rossi (Joe Mantegna) suggests that the team calls up Dr. Reid for assistance.

While the team didn't end up phoning Reid, just the mention of the character was enough to get many fans champing at the bit for a cameo. "THEY MENTIONED REID," @reidstheory tweeted. "YES. ROSSI YOU SHOULD IN FACT CALL REID. HE WILL EASILY SOLVE THE CASE." The fact that Reid has been mentioned once again has also given some fans more confidence that the fan-favorite doctor will show up eventually. "Maaaaybe for season 2, they can have him back???? PLEASE????" @ryuu_311 tweeted.

The odds of Reid showing up in the already-confirmed "Criminal Minds: Evolution" Season 2 are actually looking pretty solid. In an interview with TV Insider, showrunner Erica Messer confirmed that Matthew Gray Gubler's absence has been due to his commitments to other projects, but that they're hoping to get him back on-board. She also teased that Reid's assignment is going to factor into the future of the show, so it seems fans have a good chance of seeing the long-awaited return of the doctor they've been hoping for.