Criminal Minds: Evolution cast Connor Storrie in a season-long arc before he blew up — but is the show aiming to book his Heated Rivalry costar Hudson Williams next?
“Trust me, we looked [into it],” showrunner Erica Messer exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the season 19 premiere on Thursday, May 28. “We were like, ‘Is he available?'”
The idea didn’t work out because Williams, 25, is too booked and busy, with Messer adding, “He’s shooting the second season of Heated Rivalry in August and that’s when we would need them. We tried.”
Based on Rachel Reid‘s Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry follows two rival professional hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), whose animosity on the ice is just a front for a secret — and very passionate — romance.
The show premiered on Crave in November 2025 before becoming available to an even wider audience through HBO Max earlier this year. Shortly after the first few episodes were released, book fans took to social media to show their support for the adaptation and both Williams and Storrie, 26, quickly became household names.
Storrie, meanwhile, filmed scenes for season 19 of Criminal Minds that turned into a multi-episode arc. Messer teased to Us that Storrie’s character will play an important role when it comes to the villain of this season.
“Connor gets introduced in episode 4,” she confirmed. “His story does have something to do with the big bad of the season but — without wanting too give much away — that’s all I’ll say.”
While looking ahead at the season, Messer teased the vision for this installment.
“It is this idea of new beginnings. It’s been a year in our story world,” the screenwriter noted. “So there are new challenges that they’re faced with — but there’s also a little bit of hope in that. It has the potential for better things to come.”
According to the official synopsis, season 19 of Criminal Minds “pushes our elite profilers to their limits.” As the BAU investigates a string of chilling new cases, Zach Gilford’s Elias Voit “embarks on a path to atone for his past. His newfound infamy inadvertently awakens their most formidable nemesis yet, The Fan.”
The description continued: “Precise, calculating, and relentlessly dangerous, this UnSub pushes the BAU to the brink and back under the shadow of Elias Voit. But how far will The Fan go to prove his superiority over his idol?”
In addition to a character played by Storrie, Criminal Minds viewers can expect more friendly faces such as Clark Gregg, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jeri Ryan, Justin Kirk, Dash Mihok and Cress Williams.
Criminal Minds: Evolution airs Thursdays on Paramount+.
