Criminal Minds viewers get surprisingly involved with the many looks of Matthew Gray Gubler’s Spencer Reid, and here’s why they disliked his short hair look the most. CBS is a network well known for its procedural franchises, such as CSI and NCIS. Criminal Minds is an interesting case, where the main series was a runaway hit that ran for 15 years, but its spin-off attempts came to nothing. The first offshoot Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior was canceled after one season despite a cast that included Forest Whitaker and Matt Ryan, while Beyond Borders only reached two series before being dropped.
What they lacked from the main series was the ensemble of likable characters. From Mandy Patinkin’s Gideon to Shemar Moore’s Morgan – who left during season 11 – or Kirsten Vangsness’ Garcia, Criminal Minds‘ team of FBI profilers made for compelling characters. The series could often make for intense, grueling viewing – no surprise, given its subject matter – but it was the cast of characters that kept audiences coming back year after year.
Another fan favorite from Criminal Minds was Spencer Reid, played by Matthew Gray Gubler. Reid is portrayed as the brain – or at the very least, the brainiest – of the BAU, and had an eidetic memory and 187 IQ. Gubler is also a fairly handsome fellow, so viewers tended to notice any updates to his look, be it clothes or hair. Reid briefly donned glasses for a few episodes when Gubler had a bad reaction to the contacts he was using at the time, which received an oddly negative response. Reid had many hairstyles during the run of the show, from a wavy shoulder-length style to a more cropped look. Some viewers feel that Spencer Reid’s short hair look from Criminal Minds season 9 might just be his style nadir.
Why Spencer Reid’s Criminal Minds Season 9 Look Is His Worst
As detailed in more depth on Looper, Reid’s season 9 hair feels out of place for the character. It’s a little too stylized and fluffy on top, and for an agent who never seemed particularly interested in such things, it feels too designed. Luckily for those who didn’t take to Reid’s – who had some of the best quotes – new short look, it didn’t last long and Gubler was sporting a more stylish cut when the next season rolled around.
Matthew Gray Gubler doesn’t appear to be returning for Criminal Minds‘ planned revival series for Paramount+, which would mark the first time Reid doesn’t appear in the main series. There are theories the show might go full dark and reveal Spencer Reid as a killer on the new series too. If he dons his season 9 hairstyle, viewers will know for sure he’s gone to the dark side.
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