Criminal Minds has struck gold with one captivating season 19 plot, but it ironically exposes the crime drama’s biggest weakness. Countless fans of the original Criminal Minds rejoiced when Paramount+ unexpectedly revived the long-running series in 2022 under the name Criminal Minds: Evolution. Most of the beloved FBI agents in the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) returned as main characters, from fan-favorite technical analyst Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) to late but welcome additions to the team like Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) and Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler). Besides the familiar faces in the ensemble cast, however, Evolution undoubtedly marked a new era.

Compared to Criminal Minds’ original CBS run, Evolution has been much darker— both literally and figuratively. Low-lit scenes of grisly murders add a gritty sense of brutality that indicates the modern era of Criminal Minds is, in a phrase, no holds barred. Yet, the most important switch arguably lies in the character of Elias Voit (Zach Gilford). Part of the original’s charm was its procedural format, wherein new unsubs were introduced each episode and cases were closed swiftly. Conversely, Voit’s time as the notorious Sicarius killer left the BAU scrambling for an entire season— and very little has changed since.

The Fan Is Everything Voit Should Have Been As A Criminal Minds Unsub

Season 19 Has Finally Achieved A Truly Terrifying Unsub

In the four years Criminal Minds: Evolution has been airing, Voit has remained the focal point of nearly every major storyline. As soon as it seems like the series has milked the character for all he’s worth, somehow Criminal Minds finds a new way to spotlight Elias Voit. When the Gold Star killers started their rampage in season 17, they were conveniently connected to Voit’s Sicarius network. After losing his memory in season 18, The Disciple emerged to try and awaken the “real” Voit. Time after time, Voit helped save the day— but season 19 is already noticeably different.

Criminal Minds introduced The Fan (Justin Kirk’s Joshua Ryan) in the very first episode of season 19, but the viewer knew nothing about him personally until “The Furies” (season 19, episode 7). For the bulk of the season, The Fan moved in calculated silence, always one step ahead of the BAU, and— more importantly— one step ahead of Voit. Whenever it begins feeling like the FBI is onto something or Voit is successfully manipulating him, Joshua flips the script with a chilling nonchalance. Consequently, for the first time since Criminal Minds: Evolution began, the main unsub is genuinely scary.

The unnerving Sicarius murders should have sent chills down viewers’ spines, but the audience knew too much about Voit from the start. Instead of fulfilling the role of a true unsub, Voit was a character of his own, with independent arcs and cutaway scenes that developed a feeling of personhood. In stark contrast, The Fan has been an underlying mystery, known only by fragmented puzzle pieces of a profile. Unquestionably, his demeanor is the most unsettling part— there is no smugness, no erratic outbursts or palpable rage. Rather, Joshua is a seemingly ordinary man with an extraordinarily disastrous plan underway.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Must End The Elias Voit Saga In Season 20

The Crime Drama Can’t Keep Using Sicarius As A Crutch

If Voit’s only crime was failing to terrify, the vast majority of viewers would have forgiven him. The glaring issue is that Criminal Minds: Evolution apparently doesn’t know what to do with itself if it doesn’t involve the Sicarius case. The shift from episodic to serialized plots was a bold move, but it becomes exponentially more obvious each year that the crime drama put all of its proverbial eggs in Elias Voit’s basket. Frankly, Voit seems to be the foundation of Evolution‘s entire identity. Of course, not all hope is lost.

Criminal Minds season 20 has already been confirmed, and if its recent streaming success continues, the Paramount+ crime drama could have a long, bright future ahead. If it hopes to retain a devoted fandom, however, Evolution has to evolve. That starts with letting go of Elias Voit and the Sicarius case at large so that fresh unsubs can have the time to properly shine. Luckily, The Fan’s stint in Criminal Minds season 19 is already a wildly effective change that will hopefully set a new standard for the iconic series.

Release Date

September 22, 2005

Showrunner

Erica Messer

Directors

Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Rob Bailey, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, John Gallagher, Douglas Aarniokoski, Guy Norman Bee, Larry Teng, Nelson McCormick, Alec Smight, Charles S. Carroll, Rob Spera, Charles Haid, Diana Valentine, Rob Hardy, Tawnia McKiernan, Bethany Rooney, Karen Gaviola, Sharat Raju, Thomas Gibson, Aisha Tyler, Anna Foerster, Gloria Muzio, John Terlesky

Writers

Bruce Zimmerman, Virgil Williams, Edward Allen Bernero, Janine Sherman Barrois, Chris Mundy, Simon Mirren, Debra J. Fisher, Kimberly A. Harrison, Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Karen Maser, Oanh Ly, Stephanie Sengupta, Aaron Zelman, Kirsten Vangsness, Erica Meredith, Andi Bushell, Holly Harold, Alicia Kirk, Jeff Davis, Randy Huggins, Edward Napier, Jayne A. Archer, Chikodili Agwuna

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  Kirsten Vangsness

  Penelope Garcia

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  Matthew Gray Gubler

  Dr. Spencer Reid