Gideon’s ex Jill will “air her dirty laundry”

Felicity Huffman is ready for you Criminal Minds: Evolution debut – but she warns fans that her character, Dr. Jill Gideon is initially not happy about being part of the team.

“I can tell you that when she started the BAU, she was very involved,” Huffman, 61, said TVLine on Tuesday, July 9, about her character, explaining that Jill and her late ex-husband Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), were alongside Dave Rossi (Joe Mantegna).

The actress teased that while Jill and Gideon divorced “because it wasn’t working,” they “remained friends” and Jill “even continued to be his therapist.”

Huffman explained this when Gideon was killed by an unknown man in season 10 of criminal mindswhich aired in 2015, Jill said, “Okay, I’m done, I’m out,” noting that Jill “just couldn’t be there anymore.”

Everything You Should Know About ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 2: Will Spencer Reid Return?

After Gideon’s death, Jill withdrew from anything related to the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) and tried to break away from the world of serial killers. However, in the episode of Thursday, July 11th Criminal Minds: Evolution (also known as Season 17 of Criminal minds), Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) will call on Jill for her expertise.

“She likes Prentiss. They have a long history,” Huffman said of the interaction. “But in the beginning it’s the knock you never want to get. You say, ‘Oh, I don’t want you at my door because this can’t be good news.’ I’m not going to answer that no matter what.”

‘Criminal Minds’ cast: then and now

When Prentiss explains that Rossi and Gideon’s draft “Controllable Variables in Emerging Teenage Psychopathy” – which is essentially a guide to becoming a serial killer – hasn’t been destroyed, Jill changes her mind.

Huffman revealed that while Jill feels a “sense of personal responsibility” to get the documents back, the therapist will be “kicking and screaming” the entire time.

On a personal level, Huffman said Jill and Gideon’s past with Rossi won’t stay buried as the season continues. “Jill airs her dirty laundry in front of everyone,” she confirmed. “But especially with [Rossi].”

Mantegna, 76, hinted at the turmoil on the team, saying: “We’re digging a lot of ground, there’s a lot of backstory to tell involving Jill, my character, Gideon’s character and the rest of the people on the team.”

The actor added that Rossi responds to Prentiss asking Jill for help with a sarcastic feeling of “ecstatic joy.”

Us weekly confirmed in April that Huffman would guest star as Gideon’s ex-wife, who was described as a “brilliant biological psychiatrist.”

The Most Shocking TV Exits of 2024 So Far: From “And Just Like That” to “General Hospital”

Showrunner Erica Messer told TVLine that Jill’s presence in season 2 of Criminal Minds: Evolution has been a long time coming. In fact, Gideon’s ex-wife was originally described in more detail for the series’ 2005 pilot.

“It never aired, but there was the idea that Gideon’s ex was his therapist,” Messer recalls. “So it’s stuck with me for a long time: ‘Oh, this thing exists,’ and I always felt like it was a fun nod to the fans who have been watching for a long time – hey, we’ve got a really deep pull.” ! – but it works even if you never knew Gideon, because you learn it through the eyes of Rossi and everyone else who knew Gideon.”

Huffman makes her debut as Criminal Minds: Evolution’s Dr. Jill Gideon on Paramount+ Thursday, July 11.