Warning: The following contains spoilers for Criminal Minds: Evolution.
Fans were devastated when the hit show Criminal Minds was canceled by CBS in 2020. Luckily, Paramount Plus picked it up from the ashes. Criminal Minds: Evolution follows everyone’s favorite BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) as they, like us, emerge from the pandemic. But everyone’s favorite Rossi seems to be battling more than just the lockdown blues.
Spoilers ahead.
What happened to Rossi during the lockdown?
Veteran agent David Rossi (played by Joe Mantegna) has been featured in the show since Season 3. His personal life has seen many ups and downs, but as Season 16 opens, Rossi is seen dealing with the aftermath of a terrible event — the demise of his wife Krystall. We learn her death from cancer happened during lockdown and Rossi was powerless to stop it.
Criminal Minds showrunner Erica Messer told Deadline that “Rossi is really pissed off about [Krystall’s death] so he blames everything and everyone, including himself.” She went on to say that Rossi’s personal trauma is not going to be an overnight, ‘he’ll get better by episode three’ kind of thing, but will instead be “a great arc for [Season 16].”
Mantegna told Variety that he was “very shocked” about his character’s new direction and that it scared him to see how Rossi has “let himself go.” Ultimately, Mantegna is positive, saying he is “betting on Dave” to battle through it and emerge strong.
Paramount Plus has also ordered a new show, The Real Criminal Minds, which will be a true crime series featuring interviews with an FBI profiler, so fans are likely to be spoiled with new content over the coming years.
You can watch Criminal Minds: Evolution via Paramount Plus, or through a Paramount upgrade package on Amazon Prime.