His return had been teased months earlier without giving away the tragic context, and according to A.J. Cook, she was the one who reached out to her former co-star to see if he could come back after conversations with showrunner Erica Messer. On the subject of what it was like to be back on set with Gubler, Cook told EW:

Gubler returned to his role as Dr. Spencer Reid for the “Time to Say Goodbye” episode of the long-running drama

After the LaMontagne patriarch's sudden death in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, the show is trying to make this BAU couple the new JJ & Will.