Matthew Gray Gubler’s Einstein: The Cozy New Crime Show You Need on Your Radar

Last Updated on June 22, 2026

Matthew Gray Gubler is coming back to our crime screens, and this time he is Einstein’s great-grandson. Cozy crime fans, this one is going to be catnip!

Einstein follows Lewis “Lew” Einstein, played by Matthew Gray Gubler, who is the brilliant but directionless great-grandson of Albert Einstein.

Lew has what many people would consider a dream life. He is a comfortably tenured professor at Princeton, adored by students when he actually turns up to teach. He is wildly intelligent, effortlessly charming, and more than a little smug about both.

The problem is that Lew is bored. He fills the empty spaces with reckless antics that finally go a step too far and land him in serious trouble with the law.

Instead of a quiet slap on the wrist, he is given a choice that feels like it has walked in from a classic crime novel. Either he faces the consequences of his behavior, or he uses that famous brain to help the police solve their most puzzling cases.

So Lew finds himself pressed into service with a local detective, trading chalkboards and lecture halls for crime scenes and interrogation rooms.

For us cozy mystery lovers, this setup hits a very comfortable sweet spot. We get a reluctant sleuth, a clever twist on the consulting detective trope, and a steady stream of cases where the “how” and “why” are just as important as the “who.”

Meet Your New Favorite Duo

Let us talk about the partnership at the heart of the show, because that is where the cozy charm really lives.

Lew Einstein may be a genius, but he is also a bit of a disaster. He is irreverent, misguided, and weighed down by the pressure of that legendary surname.

Underneath the bravado, there is a man who is not entirely sure what to do with his life, or how to be a decent human being rather than just a brain on legs. Using his gifts to solve homicides might finally give him a sense of purpose.

Opposite him is Teri, a New Jersey state police detective inspector played by Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine).

Teri is described as sharp and disciplined, someone who expects a lot from her colleagues and even more from herself.

She is not instantly thrilled about working with a rule-breaking professor whose idea of professional behavior is showing up when he feels like it.

That tension between them is baked into the premise and should generate the kind of banter and slow-burn trust-building that cozy fans love.

Think of it as a classic odd couple pairing. One crime solver leads with instinct, procedure, and experience. The other barges in with wild theories, scientific jargon, and insights nobody asked for but everyone secretly needs.

The fun will be watching them collide on a case, argue their way through it, and then grudgingly admit that together they are actually pretty great.

Brains, Heart, and a Little Mischief

Einstein is officially described as a drama with comedic tones, which puts it firmly in the territory of comfort viewing rather than a grim serial killer binge.

CBS has slotted it as a midseason series for the 2026 to 2027 schedule, with a premiere expected in early 2027 and episodes streaming the next day on Paramount Plus.

So yes, you will be able to curl up with a blanket, a hot drink, and a new puzzle to solve once a week!

Behind the camera is Andy Breckman, the creator of Monk, along with longtime collaborator Randy Zisk as an executive producer and director.

That should tell you a lot about the tone. Expect brainy, tightly constructed mysteries and character-driven humor rather than broad slapstick.

The cases will lean on science, logic, and little details other people overlook. The emotional core will come from two people who have to learn how to trust each other, and from Lew trying to figure out who he is when he is not hiding behind equations.

The series is adapted from a German show of the same name about another Einstein descendant who helps the police, so there is already a proven blueprint for gently offbeat, science-flavored crime stories.

The American version relocates the action to New Jersey and Princeton but keeps the central idea of a genius outsider pulled into law enforcement by circumstance.

It feels like the sort of show that will reward rewatching certain episodes just to catch the hints you missed the first time.

Why Matthew Gray Gubler is the Perfect Fit

Of course, the big headline for many of us is simple. Matthew Gray Gubler is back on CBS. After so many years as Dr Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds, he knows his way around smart, emotionally layered investigators. Einstein gives him a chance to keep the brainy appeal while loosening the tie a little.

Lew is not as socially anxious as Reid. He is messier, cockier, and more obviously flawed on the surface. That opens the door for a lot of fun character work. You can almost see the arc forming already.

At the start, he will treat the whole situation like a slightly inconvenient game. Over time, he will get invested in the victims, the cases, and his partnership with Teri in a way he did not expect.

For fans who grew up with Gubler on Criminal Minds, Einstein feels like the next comfy chapter. It is familiar enough to scratch that itch but different enough to feel fresh.

And for viewers who love quirky detectives, prickly partnerships, and mysteries with a bit of sparkle, it could easily become the next comfort rewatch show.

If You Love The Idea of Einstein

There’s no disputing that the plot foundation of Einstein is not exactly unique. We’ve seen plenty of TV shows where a professor is called on to help police, so if you want a show to fill the time until Einstein is released, try these beauties…

Monk gave us Adrian Monk, the anxious, hyper-observant detective whose quirks were as central to the show as the murders, and Einstein aims for that same blend of brainy mystery, gentle humor and emotional heart.

With Tony Shalhoub also in Einstein as Lew’s father, you are literally getting a Monk style universe blessing the new show from within.

Perception is another clear cousin. Eric McCormack’s Dr Daniel Pierce is a brilliant, troubled professor roped into FBI work because his unique brain can see patterns and truths other people miss.

Then you have Numb3rs, where a mathematician uses equations and models to help his FBI brother catch criminals, turning each episode into a kind of logic puzzle you can half solve from your sofa.

Finally, Professor T may be the closest match for cozy mystery fans.

The prickly, eccentric criminology professor advising the police, the dry humor, the focus on character as much as the case these are all strands Einstein is picking up, then remixing with Gubler’s slightly chaotic charm.

Let’s hope Einstein is just as good as we all expect!