How Matthew Gray Gubler Returned to 'Einstein'

One of the major showcases at the MIPCOM programming market in Cannes this week was Einstein, a long-in-development series from CBS Studios with global distribution through Paramount Content, in sales across the world. Matthew Gray Gubler, the star of 'Criminal Minds,' plays Lewis Einstein, the grandson of the famous physicist, who has inherited the family's brain DNA […]

One of the big shows hitting the international market this week at the MIPCOM programming market in Cannes was Einstein, the long-running series from CBS Studios with global distribution by Paramount Content.

"Criminal Minds" star Matthew Gray Gubler stars as Louis Einstein, grandson of the famous physicist. He's inherited the family's brainy DNA, if not the drive, and when he questions the law, he's forced to use his ingenuity to help the police solve knotty cases.

Gubler is also executive producing the series, which comes from Andy Berkman and Randy Zisk. The star tells Deadline that he brings Lewis to the screen and how he was able to bring some of his other creative skills to life by bringing the show to life, designing the title sequence and including his drawings as part of the show. Related Stories News Avatar Entertainment Adapting Vicente Vallés' Novel 'La Caza Del Ejecutor' as a TV Series Starring Moby, Hannah Stocking and Adam Rose for Slate Microdrama from TikTok and Studio Made by Us

Deadline: You are a producer at Einstein. How does having that extra seat at the table change the way you approach the whole thing, you have to flex so many different muscles? Watch on Deadline

Matthew Gray Gubler: I designed and animated the title sequence. Each episode has a lot of my drawings, that's how I solve clues in the show

And we have the biggest crew. I have to set it up and meet with everyone and make sure everyone is on the same page. I worked 19-hour days, because the moment I woke up, I went to the editing room.

Deadline: It's crazy hours, when did you sleep?

Matthew Gary Gubler: This was also a bit of a benefit to his character. Sometimes it made sleep deprivation easier because he is such a carefree person that he might wake up in the back seat of his car.

DEADLINE: There's an archetype of an eccentric genius, how much did you want to touch on that or break away from that with Lois?

Matthew Gray Gubler: What was really interesting to me about Lois, and I feel like the core of her, is that she's someone who's purpose is to spread happiness, either to her partner, Terry, who is very serious and a little possessed at the beginning of the season, or through education.

DEADLINE: Did you know that Lewis Einstein is fundamentally different from Dr. Spencer Reid, your character on Criminal Minds?

Matthew Gray Gubler: Spencer Reid was a very intelligent character and Lois is an intelligent character, but I see absolutely no similarities between the two. I look at both as trees. One is a palm tree and one is a pine tree. They go to the wind in another way.

I'm not really smart in real life, so the biggest joke is that I get cast as smart characters. Spencer Reid was very cautious, very obsessive, it weighed heavily on him. Lewis is the exact opposite. He is always comfortable, he is always happy.

Criminal Minds was an absolute joy and it was rewarding every second of the 15 years I was there, but it was also challenging because Spencer's character, she brings joy and light to the world by dealing with really dark subjects and living in a world that's really intense.

Deadline: How would you describe the tone of the new show?

Matthew Gray Gubler: The beauty of this new show is that this character brings joy to the entertainment side. He's terrified of dead bodies, and that's a huge plus for us as filmmakers, because it's not bad. The mystery is very light. It's a completely different take on what I've done. It's like a yin and yang mystery, and it's where I feel most comfortable.

DEADLINE: This show has had a fairly direct journey to the screen. It was delayed a year and with the departure of Rosa Salazar and the arrival of Melissa Fomero, the female lead changed. How did all this affect the formation of the series?

Matthew Gray Gubler: Andy Berkman pitched it eight years ago for CBS. Amy Reisenbach, who now runs the network, remembered it and loved it. When he took over, he revived it. Andy joked that he forgot he wrote it. We were both excited by the serendipity, because if it had gone sooner, I wouldn't have been able to be a part of it because Criminal Minds was still on the air.

DEADLINE: When you actually started shooting, what did you discover about the dynamic between Lois and her detective partner, Terry?

Matthew Gary Gubler: He has the hardest job in comedy, which is being the straight man/woman. People don't realize how important this is, but what finesse and talent it takes. He does it in a way that I have never seen before.

Deadline: What was it like working with Andy Berkman?

Matthew Gray Gubler: I naturally follow wherever I feel the wave takes me, and I'm so grateful that it led me to Andy. I'm a huge Munch fan. I was very happy when he contacted me about this. But somehow I was more interested in acting again.

Andy Berkman is a comedic genius. He wrote a lot of sketches in the early days of SNL that I grew up with and kept... To be with him and make stuff, I feel like it's full circle.

He has such a talent for comedy that I think people sometimes overlook his talent for capturing the human spirit.

Deadline: When the show was postponed, how did it go?

Matthew Gray Gubler: Gotta hang in the writers room and Andy has the best process. I walk into the office and there's a board that has a mystery section and there's Post-Its with mystery ideas, and then there's a board that has like comedy collections, and it's three times the size of the mystery board.

DEADLINE: After 15 years on Criminal Minds, what do you miss about being part of a long-running series?

Matthew Gray Gubler: That's what I really got into. I never really pursued acting. I graduated from film school and all of a sudden I was cast in this wonderful film that someone trained to direct. This led to this TV show that no one expected to last so long. Then just before covid, it was canceled and I had two or three or four years to kind of break away from it.

It was so nice to just see family and hang out and catch up on my other loves of writing and illustration and painting and Halloween.

I never really miss anything and it feels like it's all one big beautiful circle and now I'm back at it again.

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