The Criminal Minds cast has gone through some changes throughout the show’s 19-season run, but it’s hard to imagine anyone else portraying the fan-favorite FBI agents. Not surprisingly, other actors had tried out for the roles. What is surprising is the fact that before Matthew Gray Gubler landed the role of Dr. Spencer Reid, another Criminal Minds star had actually auditioned for it.
Gubler portrayed the beloved profiler for all of Criminal Minds’ original 15-season run, and made a brief appearance in Season 18. Between his outfits, always-changing hair, mannerisms, and more, Gubler was positively perfect as Reid. He wasn’t the only one in contention, though, as Zach Gilford auditioned for Criminal Minds and it was one of his first auditions ever. He recalled to Entertainment Weekly how positive he was that he was going to get the role:
I remember being like, ‘I’m gonna get on the CBS show and I’m gonna be a TV star.’ Like, so excited. And the show was called Quantico then. I’ll always remember. And obviously I didn’t get a callback.
Gilford’s audition for Criminal Minds came a year before he nabbed the role of Matt Saracen on Friday Night Lights, meaning both shows would have gone in completely different directions had he gotten Reid. Plus, Gilford eventually did join the cast of Criminal Minds as serial killer Elias Voit/Sicarius for the revival. He’s not bitter about not getting Spencer Reid, and praised Gubler for his portrayal:
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[Gubler] is so great at what he did and obviously what he turned that character into. It would’ve been more boring if it was me. I’m just not as quirky and fun.
It’s always interesting to hear stories of actors who auditioned for a different role on the show they’re on, because you can’t help but think about how different things would be. For Gilford, him getting Reid would not have only altered Criminal Minds, but Friday Night Lights. The world also wouldn’t have been introduced to Gubler through Reid, and I can’t imagine that not happening.
The fact that Gilford wound up starring on Criminal Minds years later in a completely different role is pretty funny. The actor has opened up about his “bitter relationship” with the series in the past. He found the whole situation amusing, and was more than happy that Voit seems to never die:
It just was so funny when this role came up to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, finally I’m on that show. Who’s cool now?’ They’ll never kill me off. Reid’s not here anymore. It’s my show now!
While Gubler did make a brief appearance in Season 18 following the death of Josh Stewart’s Will LaMontagne Jr., he and Gilford never crossed paths. It’s unknown if Gubler will return to Criminal Minds, as he remains busy with his upcoming CBS series Einstein, but it’s always possible. However, Gilford has exited Criminal Minds after four seasons, with Voit serving a consecutive 64 life sentences after taking the fall for his daughter who killed the season’s unsub James Crowley/The Fan (Justin Kirk). He always seems to come back when you least expect it, though.
Meanwhile, Criminal Minds is already gearing up for its milestone 20th season. Paramount+ renewed the series for Season 20 in March, before Season 19 even premiered, and filming wrapped in September. As of now, a premiere date has not been announced, but the new season will premiere in 2027. In the meantime, all 19 seasons of Criminal Minds are streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
