Criminal Minds: Why Spencer Started Wearing Glasses
Criminal Minds' Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) briefly started wearing glasses during season 2, and here's the behind-the-scenes reason why.
Here's why Spencer Reid started wearing glasses during the second season of Criminal Minds. CBS has form when it comes to creating hit crime procedurals - as seen by CSI or NCIS - and Criminal Minds became another major success in 2005. The series focuses on the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), who track down serial killers. The series ended up running for 15 seasons and received a couple of spinoffs with Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Beyond Borders. The latter two couldn't recreate the success of the main show, however, and were soon canceled.
The series itself ended in 2020, though talk of a Criminal Minds' Paramount+ revival series is already on the cards. A big plus for the show is that it brought together a talented ensemble, including Shemar Moore, Kirsten Vangsness and Mandy Patinkin - who famously exited suddenly following season 2. While some procedurals can be very formulaic and predictable, Criminal Minds blend of interesting characters and disturbing crimes made it a robust hit with viewers.
One of Criminal Minds' most popular characters was Spencer Reid, played by Matthew Gray Gubler. Reid is the resident geek and genius of the BAU. He has a 187 IQ and his eidetic memory gave him a vast reserve of knowledge to pull from. Fans of the character tended to notice any changes in fashion too, such as new haircuts but one of the strangest occurred when Reid started suddenly wearing glasses in season 2. Some viewers complained about this new look, but Gubler himself explained in a 2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette interview that was due to having a bad reaction to the contact lens solution he was using at the time.
In real-life, Matthew Gray Gubler wears glasses and after this reaction to the lens he was using, he just started wearing his actual glasses. As the actor stated in the above interview, Spencer Reid with glasses was described as "a 1960s accountant look," and the character eventually stopped wearing them entirely.
That said, the Spencer Reid glasses look had its fans too. Gubler stayed with Criminal Minds throughout its run, appearing in the most episodes of any of the cast and even directing many episodes too, like the horror-focused "Blood Relations," which featured Saw star Tobin Bell and Adrienne Barbeau. Despite this, the actor seemingly won't be returning for the Paramount+ revival, despite several of his co-stars signing up. Of course, a surprise guest appearance from Reid could be on the cards too.
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