Why won't Daniel Henney return to Criminal Minds: Evolution? Here's what Executive producer Erica Messer revealed

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 wrapped up on July 10, 2025, with the BAU finally taking down the notorious Sicarius Network. After a season full of twists, mind games, and tensions, the team was finally able to crack the case. The good news? The story isn't over yet. Paramount+ has already renewed the series for Season 4.

Several characters from this long-running series have been either written out or left. For instance, Josh Stewart's Will LaMontage Jr. was killed in the latest season, while Thomas Gibson's Aaron Hotchner was written out due to altercations with the crew. Others left the show due to scheduling conflicts, including Mathew Gray Gubler and Daniel Henney, according to CinemaBlend.

In a surprising twist, Gubler returned as Spencer Reid in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 during Will's funeral. Now, fans are left wondering if Daniel Henney could be the next familiar face to return to BAU? Since Amazon Prime's The Wheel of Time has been canceled after three seasons, fans were expecting a comeback for Henney's Matt Simmons. Daniel Henney played the role of Lan Mandragon in Prime's fantasy series The Wheel of Time.

Daniel Henny's Matt Simons is not going to return to Criminal Minds: Evolution anytime soon. Executive producer Erica Messer revealed to TVLine that since the production and filming for Season 4 are halfway done, it's quite difficult to alter the storylines.

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Executive producer Erica Messer on why Daniel Henney won't return to Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4

In an interview with TVLine, EP Erica Messer revealed why fans should not expect Daniel Henney's Matt Simmons in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4. She told,

"Oh man, I would love to have Henney back. The thing is, we started our writers room [for Season 19] months ago and at this point, they’re halfway done filming the 10 episodes."

She continued,

"We carefully plot these things out and [scripts were locked down] before Wheel of Time was over. Look, I’ll never say never, right? But for Season 19, anyway, we already had our season plotted before we knew the [cancellation] news. But we love Daniel. We love him.”

The Wheel of Time was cancelled after three seasons on May 23, 2025, just a week before Criminal Minds: Evolution kicked off filming for Season 4. Thus, it was quite impossible to tweak the plotline. However, Messer also revealed that even though Henney won't be back for the next season, fans should not lose hope. Messer told TVLine,

“Our hope is that the team members we ended the series with on CBS will be able to come back and play at some point, but everybody does have other projects."

Henney's Matt Simmons may have joined Criminal Minds later than most, but he quickly became a fan favorite. Introduced in Criminal Minds Season 10 Episode 1, Beyond Borders, he brought brains, heart, and serious skills to the BAU. He appeared in both the main series and its spin-off, racking up 75 episodes before exiting ahead of Criminal Minds: Evolution. His absence was explained as a vague confidential mission, leaving fans with more questions than answers.

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Also read: Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 ending explained: The Disciple's identity, Voit's finale move and the BAU's brutal showdown

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