Every Returning Star and Guest Cast Member Confirmed for ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 19

The BAU is back, and it is bringing more talent than ever to Paramount+. ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 19 premiered on May 28, 2026, returning the beloved core cast while introducing a wave of new faces to the long-running crime procedural. For a franchise that has sustained itself across nearly two decades, the new season signals that the show’s appetite for bold storytelling and high-profile casting remains very much intact.

The season arrives carrying significant emotional weight from its predecessor. Josh Stewart will not be returning, after his character Will met a shocking death at the end of Season 18, leaving A.J. Cook‘s JJ Jareau to navigate life as a single mother. That storyline anchors much of what makes this season feel meaningfully different from earlier chapters in the ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ run.

The Returning ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 19 Cast

The core ensemble remains largely intact heading into the new chapter. The regular cast of ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ consists of Joe Mantegna as David Rossi, A.J. Cook as Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewis, Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia, Ryan-James (RJ) Hatanaka as Tyler Green, Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez, and Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss.

A fixture since Season 3, Joe Mantegna returns as the BAU’s veteran profiler and team patriarch, David Rossi, whose stoic charisma has grown darker in recent seasons as he has contended with grief and the sinister network of Sicarius UnSubs. Paget Brewster‘s Section Chief Emily Prentiss continues to serve as the emotionally grounded core of her team, while Kirsten Vangsness reprises her fan-favorite role as Penelope Garcia.

Zach Gilford is confirmed to return in the new season, reprising his role as Elias Voit, the reformed serial killer who has transitioned from the BAU’s most hunted adversary to something closer to an uneasy resource. In the new season, Voit sits down for revealing interviews to help the team understand what made him Sicarius, even as copycat cases begin to surface.

JJ Jareau’s Grief Arc and the BAU’s New Cases

The emotional throughline of this season centers squarely on JJ. As seen in the two-episode premiere, A.J. Cook‘s character finally moves out of the house she shared with her late husband alongside her two boys, finding her footing again as a widow while also preparing to send her son Henry to college.

Showrunner Erica Messer has been candid about the intentional pacing of that arc. Cook told TV Insider that her character will work through many phases of grief throughout the season, noting that grief does not resolve neatly within a single episode and that this experience will continue to shape JJ as she learns to navigate life in a new way. It is a grounded, serialized approach that sets the season apart from the procedural rhythms of the original run.

On the production side, veteran showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer returns for Season 19, joined by executive producers Breen Frazier, Chris Barbour, Glenn Kershaw, and Mark Gordon. The show is produced by 20th Television and CBS Studios. The continuity of that team has helped maintain the show’s voice across the Evolution era.

Season 19 Guest Stars Bring a Stellar Lineup

The guest cast for this season is one of the most varied and recognizable the show has assembled. Confirmed guest stars include Connor Storrie, Justin Kirk, Yvette Nicole Brown, Clark Gregg, Paul F. Tompkins, Cress Williams, Kofi Siriboe, Lyndon Smith, Richard Cabral, Jeri Ryan, Rob Yang, Nicholas Gonzalez, Inny Clemons, Nicole Pacent, Dash Mihok, Joseph Cross, and Cara Jade Myers.

Clark Gregg, best known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, makes his ‘Criminal Minds’ debut this season, while Yvette Nicole Brown will work alongside Paget Brewster for the first time since their days together on ‘Community’. Jeri Ryan, famous for her portrayal of Seven of Nine in ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ and ‘Star Trek: Picard’, takes on a more grounded role in the series.

Connor Storrie‘s expanded presence in the season came somewhat by surprise. Showrunner Erica Messer recalled to TV Insider that Storrie originally auditioned for a single episode directed by Adam Rodriguez, but impressed the production team so much that his role was significantly expanded beyond the initial plan. Nicole Pacent returns as prosecutor Rebecca Wilson, and Paul F. Tompkins reprises his recurring role as conspiracy theorist Brian Garrity.

What Comes Next for ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’

The show is clearly building toward a longer future. ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ has already been renewed for Season 20, with that milestone installment slated for release in 2027. The early renewal reflects the confidence Paramount+ has in the franchise’s continued draw on its platform.

Showrunner Erica Messer confirmed that there are no appearances from former cast members like Shemar Moore or Daniel Henney planned for this season, citing timing constraints in the writers’ room and scheduling challenges. Matthew Gray Gubler, who returned as Dr. Spencer Reid for a single episode of Season 18, is set to lead the CBS series ‘Einstein’ in the 2026-2027 season, leaving his availability for future appearances uncertain.

With a stable core ensemble, a genuinely affecting character arc for JJ, and one of the most impressive guest rosters the show has put together in recent memory, ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 19 is positioned as a confident step forward for a franchise that has clearly found its footing in the streaming era.

Which of the Season 19 guest stars are you most curious to see interact with the BAU, and do you think any of them could follow Zach Gilford‘s path from guest to series regular?