‘Criminal Minds’ Fans, Here’s What the Showrunner Really Thinks About Connor Storrie Being in ‘Heated Rivalry’ (Exclusive)

Heated Rivalry is crossing over into Criminal Minds: Evolution—and showrunner Erica Messer has something to say about it.

Season 19 of the hit drama is currently airing on Paramount+, and the latest installment has the BAU racing to identify a new UnSub whose crimes are connected to former Sicarius killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford). As the team works to uncover who's behind the attacks, the show is also introducing notable guest stars, including Heated Rivalry breakout Connor Storrie.

In the June 11 episode, Connor, who plays Ilya Rozanov on the HBO Max series Heated Rivalry, will begin a four-episode arc on Criminal Minds: Evolution. When Good Housekeeping spoke to Erica about Connor’s performance, she noted the Criminal Minds team had heard rumblings of the actor starring in Heated Rivalry long before the show became a hit.

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“When we met him while working on the fourth episode, we were shooting it last July,” she explained to us in May 2026. “He said he had done this little show for HBO, but none of us had seen it. And he was only going to be in that one episode, but he was so, so good that we were like, we can't lose this guy. So, his character became more integral to the whole season.”

Erica noted that she couldn’t be happier for him, and that she’s ready for fans to see the journey he takes on Criminal Minds: Evolution.

“When Heated Rivalry came up, we were all like, ‘wait, that's Connor!’” she added. “Everybody was just so thrilled for him, because he was such a great guy. I’m just ready for the viewers to see just how crazy talented he is, beyond what he’s done on Heated Rivalry. He goes on quite a journey in Criminal Minds: Evolution, and I can’t wait for them to recognize that his acting ability truly goes in so many different directions.”

We’re excited to watch!