Connor Storrie, you in danger, girl!
Before Storrie returns to the ice as Ilya Rozanov for Heated Rivalry season 2, he’s paying the BAU a visit. The 2025 breakout landed a guest role on Criminal Minds: Evolution season 19 as “charming narcissist” Lance Kingston and it began on today’s episode. We know that Storrie’s role was expanded into a multi-episode arc, and now we know the surprising way his debut kicks off his storyline.
The BAU is on the hunt for a mystery person trying to communicate with serial killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford). When photos of a woman surface as part of the communication, the trail leads to Lance's ex, who has already contacted the police about his stalking. His first scene has him going toe-to-toe with Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook), Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), and Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez). The clip of Lance losing it in the interrogation has already enthralled Storrie's fans online.
To the surprise of the agents and viewers, Lance is not the person they are after: he's actually the real culprit's intended first victim. Voit helps the team figure out that the killer framed Lance by sending the photos of his ex to draw the BAU's attention. The real killer's obsession with Voit means he's committed to outsmarting the same agents who caught Sicarius, and using Lance as bait to study their procedures was step one.
In fact, Lance is the killer's intended first kill, and the episode's final shot makes that terrifyingly clear: an unknown figure loads him into the trunk of a car. Now the BAU has a second mission to find Lance before his captor finishes what they started.
A. J. Cook, RJ Hatanaka, and Connor Storrie on 'Criminal MInds: Evolution'Michael Yarish /Paramount+
Storrie’s four-episode arc was not the original plan, but the actor impressed the entire Criminal Minds: Evolution team. "We were like, 'Okay, I know he was important for episode four, but we've got to make him more integral to the rest of the season.' 100 percent because he was so compelling," Criminal Minds: Evolution showrunner Erica Messer told Vulture. There were even grips and members of the wardrobe department who wanted Storrie back in addition to Messer and the writers.
Most impressive? None of it had happened yet when Storrie walked into the Criminal Minds audition room. He filmed his arc last summer, before Heated Rivalry had aired a single episode. "The interesting thing is, none of us knew what Heated Rivalry was. Even if it was on his résumé, I think the conversation was, 'He's just finished this thing that hasn't aired yet.' It wasn't anything more than that," Messer said. He won the role and then watched his career change around it. The Criminal Minds arc was earned before the world knew his name.
Suspected-killer-turned-potential-victim Lance is Storrie’s first post-Heated Rivalry role, but it is certainly not the only thing coming up for the actor. He has also lined up roles in upcoming films Peaked, Turpentine, and April X. Of course, we’re counting down the days next April for the return of Heated Rivalry.
Until then, we can’t believe we have to wait a week to see how much danger Lance is in.
Criminal Minds: Evolution airs Thursdays on Paramount+.
