The Criminal Minds reboot won't feature Matthew Gray Gubler's Spencer Reid, raising questions as to whether this should be a cause for concern. The golden boy of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit's BAU, Spencer Reid, is a beloved member of the show's original cast of characters. Gubler played Reid for all 15 seasons of the CBS police procedural until it wrapped up in 2020. Now, Paramount+ is working on a Criminal Minds reboot, but Reid won't be in it

While all members of Criminal Minds' core cast will return for season 16, the revival will miss two key members. Firstly, Criminal Minds character Matt Simmons will be absent, as Daniel Henney is busy with Wheel of Time on Amazon - and secondly, Reid will also be missing from the show. Unlike his co-star, however, Gubler's non-involvement is due to personal reasons. The actor devoted 15 years and his whole career thus far to being on Criminal Minds, and thus has opted to do other projects and sit out the Paramount+ reboot.

Related: Criminal Minds Already Set Up Reid’s Dark UnSub Theory In The Revival

Spencer Reid's absence from the Criminal Minds reboot is disappointing, but losing him has bigger ramifications for the project. Aside from the fact that Gubler is an original cast member, he is also a clear fan favorite. Thanks to his genius and signature idiosyncrasies, he isn't only fun to watch work with the team, but his personal arc is also compelling. Surviving multiple losses, a prison stint, and dealing with his mother's deteriorating health all while working makes him one of the most fleshed-out characters in the show. Not having him on the Criminal Minds Paramount+ reboot definitely impacts long-time viewers' interest in checking out this new era for the police procedural. That being said, considering the fact that co-star Paget Brewster backs Gubler's decision to sit out the project means that she - and presumably the rest of the cast - totally understands why the actor doesn't want to get involved in the project, and have further time to dedicate to their own character's stories. It also makes it easier to convince him to return in potential future seasons of the Criminal Minds revival.

Can Criminal Minds Season 16 Be As Good Without Reid?

Matthew Gray Gubler playing as Spencer Reid in Criminal Minds.

It's one thing to figure out how to do Criminal Minds without Spencer Reid, but it's another to make sure that it will still work without him. The writers may have already figured out a way to explain his absence. The question now is how it will do sans the character. For what it's worth, it has already been proven that the BAU doesn't need Reid in Criminal Minds, since it has gone through several cases without the character for various reasons. In all instances, the team ultimately pulled through thanks to everyone's contributions, particularly Penelope Garcia's (Kirsten Vangsness) mastery of the web. This means that it isn't impossible to think that the BAU will be able to effectively do its job even without the help of its boy genius, allowing the show to still be good. That being said, Reid being part of the Criminal Minds reboot in some capacity is still the ideal scenario.

Overall, there are still several other things to be excited about in the Criminal Minds reboot, despite Reid's absence. For starters, there are immediate questions surrounding how the BAU gets Penelope back, since she already quit at the end of season 15. Secondly, it should also be interesting to see if there will be new profilers joining the case, considering that the team is understaffed. Perhaps it's time Criminal Minds bring back Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) or Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), even just as guests.