Evolution’ Adds Felicity Huffman as Gideon’s Wife

Felicity Huffman is joining “Criminal Minds: Evolution” Season 2 in a guest star role, Variety has learned.

Huffman will appear in the second season of the Paramount+ continuation of the CBS series as a new character named Dr. Jill Gideon, the ex-wife of Jason Gideon.

The official description of the character states she is “a brilliant biological psychiatrist who agrees to help the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit investigate a murderous conspiracy theory. Jill is reluctant to return to the bureau’s elite team given her complicated history with David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) and her dead ex-husband, Jason Gideon (previously played by Mandy Patinkin), but soon realizes her specific skill set could help them uncover another clue to the elusive Gold Star mystery.”

Season 2 of “Criminal Minds: Evolution” is currently in production. Along with Mantegna, Huffman will appear alongside series stars A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Zach Gilford, Ryan-James Hatanaka, Adam Rodriguez, and Paget Brewster.

Huffman is perhaps best known for starring in the hit ABC series “Desperate Housewives” throughout its eight-season run. She earned two Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations for that show, winning the Emmy for best actress in a comedy series in 2005. She also starred in the critically-acclaimed ABC shows “American Crime” and “Sports Night” as well as the Emmy-winning Netflix series “When They See Us.” She is also an Oscar nominee, having been nominated for best actress for her role in the film “Transamerica.”

She is repped by Atlas Artists and Wolf-Kasteler PR.

Season 1 of the series saw the FBI’s BAU team dealing with an unsub who built a network of serial killers during the COVID lockdowns, forcing the team to hunt them down one at a time.

Erica Messer serves as showrunner and executive producer on “Criminal Minds: Evolution.” Breen Frazier, Chris Barbour, Glenn Kershaw, and Mark Gordon also executive produce. ABC Signature and CBS Studios produce.