Criminal Minds: Evolution will air exclusively on the Paramount+ streaming platform, and not on CBS like the original show.
The Criminal Minds: Evolution spin-off is a great addition to the original show, and it features some familiar elements, but it also gives the format of the show a new and fresh approach.
Part of the reason why Criminal Minds: Evolution has been able to distinguish itself from the original series is because the writers have more freedom, since the show will be exclusively released on the Paramount+ streaming service.
Is Criminal Minds: Evolution any good?
When it was announced that the popular show, Criminal Minds, would be getting a reboot in the form of Criminal Minds: Evolution in 2022, many fans were sceptical about whether this show would be able to live up to the original show’s standard.
Fortunately, the reviews for the first ten episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution have been extremely positive.
The show stars some faces from the BAU that fans of the original show will be familiar with, including Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, and Adam Rodriguez.
However, what has really made this spin-off so successful is its renewed focus on the profilers as they investigate and track down the killers in every new episode of the show, and the darker tone of the series as whole.
Is Criminal Minds: Evolution on CBS?
Even though there are some elements on Criminal Minds: Evolution that have stayed the same from the original series, the show will not be airing on CBS as the original show did.
Criminal Minds: Evolution is a special limited series revival and for this reason, it will be exclusive to the Paramount+ platform.
Paramount+ works similarly to other streaming services, whereby you have to register and pay a monthly or annual fee for one of the packages in order to watch all of the platform’s over 580 movies and over 450 television shows, including Criminal Minds: Evolution.
Many fans of the original series were shocked about the fact that they would have to subscribe to a streaming service in order to watch the show.
However, many viewers and the cast of the show have actually grown to appreciate the freedom that comes with a show that is made exclusively for a streaming service as opposed to shows that have to follow the rules of a broadcast television channel like the original Criminal Minds show on CBS.
When will Criminal Minds: Evolution be released on Paramount+?
As with all other Paramount+ shows, the 10 episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution will not be released all at once.
Rather, the show will start off with a special double-episode release on 24 November 2022 and then a new episode will be released weekly at 3 a.m. ET or 12 a.m. PT on a Thursday from there, as explained below:
| Episode | Episode title | Paramount+ release date |
| Episode 1 | “Just Getting Started” | 24 November 2022 |
| Episode 2 | “Sicarius” | 24 November 2022 |
| Episode 3 | “Moose” | 1 December 2022 |
| Episode 4 | “Pay-Per-View” | 8 December 2022 |
| Episode 5 | “Oedipus Wrecks” | 15 December 2022 |
| Episode 6 | “True Conviction” | 12 January 2023 |
| Episode 7 | “Pieces Of Me” | 19 January 2023 |
| Episode 8 | “Pas De Deux” | 26 January 2023 |
| Episode 9 | Yet to be determined | 2 February 2023 |
| Episode 10 | Yet to be determined | 9 February 2023 |
How does Paramount+ work?
Although it may seem quite limiting that this new Criminal Minds: Evolution series will only be available on Paramount+, this streaming service does have a few different plans to choose from, which gives you a bit more freedom to choose the right plan for you.
The plans include:
| Paramount+ plans: | Price |
| Essential plan | $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year |
| Premium plan | $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year |
| Essential plan + SHOWTIME | $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year |
| Premium plan + SHOWTIME | $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year |
| Pick your Paramount+ plan. Your first 7 days are free. | |
What freedom does Paramount+ give the show that broadcast television does not give it?
Some of the returning cast members from the original Criminal Minds show have been open about the differences that they have experienced with filming this show, which was written specifically as a limited series for a streaming platform as opposed to the original, which aired on CBS.
This has given the show’s writers more freedom to explore a darker side not only of the criminals on the show, but also of the effect that the job has on the members of the BAU.
Furthermore, it has allowed them to use foul language and tackle subject matter that they would not be able to explore on the original show.