Adam Rodríguez Has Been Holding Down Latino Representation on Crime TV for 20 Years, and He’s Not Done Yet as He Returns to ’Criminal Minds Evolution’

Adam Rodríguez has spent nearly two decades chasing criminals on television, but even he admits the new season of 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' may be venturing into territory darker than ever before.

"We have this responsibility to go darker and darker every time," Rodriguez said with a laugh during an interview with this reporter, before quickly admitting the psychological intensity behind the hit Paramount+ series is no joke anymore.

For Rodriguez, who returns as FBI profiler Luke Alvez in the latest season, the evolution in the title is not just branding, as it has become the DNA of the show itself.

"This season we do go darker," he explained. "But I think whenever we do go dark, I love that there is a balance of the light too, because as we go to the darkness, we get the light from the relationships of the cast." The first two episodes dropped last night, May 28th.

That balance has helped the long-running procedural survive multiple reinventions, from its original CBS run to its streaming-era rebirth. The new season pushes the BAU deeper into copycat killers, psychological warfare, and increasingly personal stakes, while still relying on the emotional chemistry between the agents that fans have followed for years.

Rodriguez hinted that Luke Alvez, the former Fugitive Task Force agent introduced in Season 12, will finally face emotional and professional challenges that reveal new sides of the character. "My character specifically, Luke, has some real challenges this year and gets a chance to do some really interesting work," Rodriguez said. "I don't think that character has been seen in certain lights for a while."

For the actor, those moments represent something bigger than another season of crime television. They are part of a career that quietly turned Rodriguez into one of the most visible Latino actors in network procedural history.

Long before prestige streaming made diversity a talking point, Rodriguez became a familiar face to millions through 'CSI: Miami,' later expanding into projects like 'Magic Mike,' 'Ugly Betty' and now directing episodes of 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' himself.

That behind-the-camera role has become increasingly important to him.

Rodriguez revealed he personally pushed to cast 'Heated Rivalry' actor Conner Storrie after seeing his audition tape while directing one of the season's episodes. At the time, Storrie was still relatively unknown and he wanted him in the episodes he was directing.

"There's something about this guy," Rodriguez recalled thinking after watching the tape. "He's really interesting. He's a really strong actor."

Months later, Rodriguez watched the actor's career explode almost overnight. "It's so much fun to see when that happens for somebody," he said.

It is a perspective that comes from experience. Rodriguez remembers watching a young Channing Tatum appear in one of his first acting jobs on CSI: Miami years before the actor became a global star. That relationship later helped lead Rodriguez to Magic Mike, a role that unexpectedly transformed his own life.

The actor laughed while recalling how coworkers still tease him about being included in People magazine's "Sexiest Man" issue, but said the physical discipline required for Magic Mike permanently changed the way he approached life.

"The hard part is making up your mind," Rodriguez said. "That made me feel mentally strong and powerful."

Still, despite decades in Hollywood and a résumé filled with hit franchises, Rodriguez became visibly emotional when discussing what representation means to him as a Latino actor. "That's the reason why I wanted to do this when I started doing this," he said. "Just to give somebody looking at it that feeling of being represented, of having hope, of knowing that they can do it too and go do it better. Take it farther."

Originally published on Latin Times