On Paramount+, going into Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1, we were very much prepared for Elias Voit to be a one-season villain. To a certain extent, we wonder if the writers intentionally played into the idea.
Consider the way the series has been constructed. We are now aware of just what this character might potentially bring to the table! Sure, they are dangerous, but they are also behind bars! What Voit has that is relevant is information on the mysterious Gold Star, which is tied to a few selected characters, including Bailey, who was murdered in the season 1 finale.
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Erica Messer, the show's executive producer, discusses further what drove Zach Gilford to return as this character down the road in an interview with Entertainment Weekly — and, along with that, what some of the story ahead might be like:
Gold Star is clearly a powerful character because it was something that attracted Bailey's attention and then resulted in his being killed. And Voit is going to use it to negotiate his way to a lesser sentence. We don't want to because we'd do pretty well without him, but he holds answers to something unique. And he is involved in a way that we weren't anticipating when we first created Voit.
We loved Zach's portrayal of this complex individual. By the time the season came to an end we were like, "Can we continue playing with him?" So we have plans to do that. It's a testament to who Zach is and what he brought to this role. This could have had a really nice end [where] he's caught and we're moving on to something else, but instead we're moving on with him involved.
Elias may also be able to escape, though we don't know if this would imply that the writers were just playing into something that they've already done in the past with him on the run. He is a captivating character, and we'll have to see what that looks like.
Related – Take a look at some other news all about the future of Criminal Minds: Evolution.
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Jessica BunBun directed this piece.