2 l November
20 - 26, 2022
Northwest Oregon Screen Scene
BY JAY BOBBIN
‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ revives mystery series
“Criminal Minds” is back ... but if you ask its stars, it never
should have left.
The mystery centering on the cases of the FBI’s Behavioral
Analysis Unit ended its 15-season CBS run in 2020, and since
then, it has remained popular in repeats on cable networks and
Joe Mantegna stars in “Criminal
Minds: Evolution,” which begins
streaming Thursday on Paramount+.
In Focus
“Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas”
(NBC — new special, Dec. 1)
This modern-day movie musical about the
making of a network TV holiday special follows
the frenetic backstage story and charming on-
camera results of Dolly Parton’s desire to uplift
the world’s spirits by sharing the “mountain magic”
she has always found in and around Dollywood
at Christmas. Through production numbers and
rehearsal chaos, Dolly finds herself taking a private
journey into her past, guided by the mysterious
appearances of her personal Three Wise Men in
this new special. Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and
Jimmy Fallon guest star.
“Riches” (Prime Video — limited series
premiere, Dec. 2)
Abby Ajayi (“How to Get Away With Murder,”
“Inventing Anna”) is the writer and creator of this
streaming services. As a result, the show returns with most of
its regular cast members when “Criminal Minds: Evolution”
begins streaming Thursday, Nov. 24, on Paramount+. CBS also
will run the first episode that night. (In Canada, the drama is
coming to Disney+, where episodes of the original series are
available now.)
The BAU agents have many unsubs (or unknown subjects) to
pursue this time, thanks to an enemy, played by recurring guest
star Zach Gilford (“Friday Night Lights”) who has utilized the
coronavirus pandemic to assemble a network of serial killers.
David Rossi and Emily Prentiss (returnees Joe Mantegna and
Paget Brewster) again lead the charge against evildoers, with A.J.
Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler and Adam Rodriguez also
reprising their roles. (Matthew Gray Gubler and Daniel Henner
haven’t returned for the revival.)
“We never wanted to go away to begin with,” executive
producer Erica Messer confirms. “We knew that there were
plenty of stories to tell, and that’s one of the things. You can
sort of feel behind the scenes if a show is lagging or, creatively,
the scripts aren’t hitting. And because we’re telling stories of
good and evil, it’s kind of endless.”
original British drama about an uber-successful
family whose world comes crashing down when the
patriarch dies and his heirs fight for control of the
family business. Deborah Ayorinde (“Them”), Hugh
Quarshie (“Absentia”), Sarah Niles (“Ted Lasso”),
Adeyinka Akinrinade (“Top Boy”) and Ola Orebiyi
(“Cherry”) head the cast.
“Slow Horses: Season 2” (Apple TV+ —
season premiere, Dec. 2)
The sophomore round of this espionage series
finds long-buried Cold War secrets emerging
that threaten to bring carnage to the streets of
London, forcing the dysfunctional team of British
intelligence agents of Slough House to overcome
their individual failings and raise their game to
prevent catastrophe. Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott
Thomas, Jack Lowden and Saskia Reeves head
the returning cast.
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Mantegna, Cook, Tyler and Rodriguez also get to direct on
“Criminal Minds: Evolution,” as they did on the first series.
“I’ve always been a defender of the fact that our show gave that
realistic aspect to what these real men and women do,” says
Mantegna. “Very often, we hear, ‘Don’t you get nightmares?’ or,
‘Doesn’t it disturb you to do this show?’ It doesn’t disturb me at
all because when they say ‘Cut,’ that person lying there with the
ax in his head pops up and goes over to craft services and gets a
sandwich.
“The ones I worry about,” Mantegna adds, “are the real men
and women of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies
around the world who have to really do this for a living. What
I love about our show is that we show it like it is, and I think
that’s important.”
Though streaming offers more leeway for adult content and
language than broadcast television, Messer notes she’s aware
that the “Criminal Minds” fan base includes teenagers, thus she
“never wanted us to go into full, like, R-rated extra violence or
anything that would suddenly feel like a very different series.
You just get to live and breathe in this space, and it can be a
disturbing space to live in.”
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