Criminal Minds actor Matthew Gray Gubler returns to CBS for Einstein pilot

Big news for fans of Criminal Minds - Matthew Gray Gubler, returns to television in another CBS crime series, Einstein (working title). Gubler stars in the title role and produces the pilot for CBS Studios, with the Monk team of creator/executive producer Andy Breckman and director/executive producer Randy Zisk. Like Monk and the German series on which Einstein is based, the CBS procedural series is a drama with comedic undertones.



In it, the brilliant but directionless great-grandson of Albert Einstein (Gubler, photo) spends his days as a comfortable professor until his mischievousness gets him in trouble with the law and he has to help a local police detective solve her most mysterious cases.

Gubler's Lew Einstein is a popular professor at Princeton... when he actually shows up for class. Irreverent and misguided, Lew's genius and famous name weigh heavily on him, but using his gift to help solve murders can - finally - give his life some direction and purpose.

Although Lew Einstein's personality is very different, he shares a scientific background with Gubler's beloved Criminal Minds character Spencer Reid, who is also a genius with a PhD in math, chemistry and engineering.

Breckman, who wrote the Einstein pilot, and Zisk, who will direct, are producing alongside Intrigue's Tariq Jalil; and Rose Hughes, Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia and Laura Beetz for Seven One Studios International. Gubler is a producer.

With Einstein, Gubler returns to television and reunites with CBS and CBS Studios. He landed his first television role on Criminal Minds shortly after graduating. His character quickly became a fan favorite with his analytical skills, his eccentricities - and his ever-changing hair.

Together with A.J. Cook, Gubler was the only original actor to complete the entire fifteen seasons of Criminal Minds, which ended in 2020, starring and directing twelve episodes. Much to fans' disappointment, Gubler was the only Criminal Minds actor from the final season not to return for the 2022 sequel, Criminal Minds: Evolution, on Paramount+. Both Gubler and showrunner Erica Messer have said in interviews that they tried to make it happen, but the planning never worked out.

With Einstein, Gubler is back at CBS Studios, which co-produces Criminal Minds. If Einstein is released as a series and Evolution is renewed for a third season, it might be easier to align the schedules.

This is Gubler's first television role since his recurring role on the Hulu comedy series Dollface, which he took on as Criminal Minds came to an end. He is also a children's book writer and illustrator. His second book, The Little Kid with the Big Green Hand, was published last year.