The timeline ofCriminal Minds: Evolutiongets clarified by showrunner Erica Messer. With the show’s successful revival on streaming,Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3was renewed before the second installment even premiered. The early greenlight added assurance, considering the crime drama’s tendency to conclude with major cliffhangers. But the latest update from Messer hints that the series will take a somewhat different approach when it returns.

In comments toTVLine, Messer confirmed thatseason 3 will begin six months after the events of the season 2 finale. This is a relatively significant time jump for the Paramount+ revival series, which previously unfolded with just two weeks between seasons.

Rossi, JJ, Lewis, and Prentiss in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2

What The Criminal Minds Season 3 Timeline Means For The Show

Unresolved Questions Will Unfold Differently

Among the other major questions raised by theCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 finaleiswhether Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) is really dead. The original antagonist gets attacked by two men while behind bars, with uncertainty about whether he might’ve staged the attack. There are also the ways in which Voit impacted the BAU team, such as JJ (A.J. Cook) confronting Voit about the pornographic deepfakes he created and finding a way to rightly use it against him.

Is That Original Criminal Minds: Evolution Character Really Dead In The Season 2 Finale?

Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 finale ended with one original character’s life in jeopardy. But are they actually dead after the attack?

There are also smaller questions, such as Tyler (Ryan-James Hatanaka) applying for a profiler job, which will likely be impacted by the time jump. Rather than deal with the immediate aftermath, the time jump means that audiences will catch up withtheCriminal Minds: Evolutioncharactersafterthey’ve had some time to deal with these shifts. It means that the mystery of Voit’s stabbing will likely be solved. Although, in typical fashion for the series, it may open the door to an even larger mystery.

Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss, A.J. Cook as Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, and Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez in Criminal Minds_ Evolution

Our Take On Criminal Minds' Evolution Timeline

It’s One Of A Few Changes

Althougha release date is not confirmed forCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3, with overall plot details remaining under wraps, work is underway on the upcoming episodes.LuciferstarAimee Garcia has joined the crime drama in a recurring roleand is set to appear opposite Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez). With a plan to focus a bit more on the case-of-the-week structure, the timeline change is another shift that’s coming to the revival.

Criminal Minds: Evolution

Cast

InCriminal Minds: Evolution, the FBI’s elite team of criminal profilers come up against their greatest threat yet, an UnSub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. As the world opens back up and the network goes operational, the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time. Original cast members continuing their roles include Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Zach Gilford joins the dynamic cast as a recurring guest star in a season-long arc.

Criminal Minds Evolution