'Criminal Minds' Casting News: Ben Savage To Play A Young Thomas Gideon

After Thomas Gideon (played by Mandy Patinkin) left Criminal Minds in season three we are finally getting him back... well, sort of. Boy Meets World alum and current Girl Meets World star Ben Savage will be playing a young Gideon this season on the series, so Gideon will be back in flashback form!

TV Guide exclusively revealed that Ben would be playing a young version of Gideon later this season on the hit crime show. When will Ben be making his guest appearance? He will be appearing in the 13th episode of season 10, which will air in January. According to the publication, this episode will feature more than just a Gideon flashback, it will also include a young Rossi (previously seen in season eight played by Robert Dunne).

"I've wanted to go back to how the BAU all started and now being in Season 10, it feels like it's time," showrunner Erica Messer told TVGuide.com. "I'm really excited about it to show our heroes from the beginning in the bomb shelter in Quantico. [Rossi's] memory drives us into the flashback, but it's also very reflective for the whole cast. It's not a typical episode."

Thomas Gideon, who was one of the greatest characters on Criminal Minds in the early seasons, left the show in the beginning of season three after he couldn't handle the stress of his girlfriend being murdered. It was a very intense and heartbreaking goodbye, when he wrote a letter to Dr. Spencer Reid (played by Matthew Gray Gubler) and then drove away.

Even though it is not the original Gideon, we are happy to see any form of the character come back to the Criminal Minds family. According to Erica, who co-wrote the flashback episode with Kirsten Vangsness, the upcoming episode will be a "love letter to fans." It will show the BAU back in the 1970s when Gideon and Rossi (who is played by Joe Mantegna in the series) first started in the criminal behavior unit.

Criminals Minds currently airs on CBS on Wednesdays.