Criminal Minds fan favorite Matthew Gray Gubler has been tapped to lead CBS‘s forthcoming procedural pilot for Einstein, a working title for a new series coming to the network.
According to Deadline, Gubler is slated to take on the titular role and produce the CBS pilot from Monk‘s Andy Breckman and Randy Zisk. While Breckman will serve as creator and Zisk is attached to direct, both are credited as executive producers.
Einstein is based on a German series, and similar to that show and Monk, this new series will feature comedic undertones as new cases are tackled in each installment.
Gubler plays Lew Einstein, the great-grandson of famed scientist Albert Einstein, who spends his days as a tenured professor until his bad-boy antics land him in hot water with the law. The situation forces Lew into service helping a local police detective solve her most mind-boggling cases.
A popular professor at Princeton when he shows up for class, Lew is irreverent and misguided as his genius and famous family name weighs on his shoulders. Could using his smarts to help solve homicides finally give him the kind of purpose and direction his life needs? The show is set to explore as much.
While Lew’s personality onscreen may be different than his Criminal Minds counterpart Spencer Reid, there’s no denying the overlapping genius between them as Reid holds degrees in mathematics, chemistry, and engineering. This new role would bring Gubler back to CBS after Criminal Minds ended its run on the network in 2020.
The return to TV is surely a welcome one as Gubler is among the only longtime cast members of the Criminal Minds franchise who did not return for the Paramount+ spinoff Criminal Minds: Evolution. His last TV role was in Hulu‘s Dollface.
Einstein is being written for television by Breckman and Zisk is set to direct the pilot that they’re executive producing with Tariq Jalil, Rose Hughes, Rodrigo Herrera Ibargeungoyita, and Lauren Beetz. Stay tuned for updates on this project as we await word on a possible season pick-up at CBS.