The female lead of the Matthew Gray Gubler-led Einstein has exited the show. CBS recently issued a series order for Einstein, but only a week after this decision was made, it was pushed to the 2026-2027 television season. The network’s decision to delay was reportedly because there are too many shows already in the pipeline for the 2025-2026 schedule. The procedural television show is based on the German series of the same name, which follows the brilliant great-grandson of Albert Einstein, Lewis, who lacks direction until he begins helping a local police detective solve baffling cases.
According to Deadline, Rosa Salazar has now exited Einstein. She was slated to play the police detective who Gubler’s character, Lewis, helps. Salazar requested that CBS not pick up her option after the network’s decision to delay the show another year. With CBS agreeing to this, Salazar is now free to pursue other opportunities. The writing staff hiring process has reportedly also been paused following the development of Einstein‘s delay to 2026.
What This Means For Einstein
Rosa Salazar’s Exit Is A Significant Loss
Einstein‘s delay means that the show is going to spend a longer period of time in the pre-production phase, which is already proving to be challenging for the series’ progress. Salazar’s exit is a significant loss given the important role she was going to play. As a procedural drama with comedic elements, the chemistry between Gubler and Salazar’s leading characters would have been essential. With Salazar gone, Einstein will now need to find a different actor to play the detective, and it will need to be someone who has strong chemistry with Gubler.
Rosa Salazar has previously starred in Parenthood, American Horror Story, Alita: Battle Angel, Wedding Season, and Brand New Cherry Flavor.
Along with the loss of Salazar, the extended pre-production phase is also having a significant impact on the writing team. The series is being helmed by Monk‘s Andy Breckman and Randy Zisk, who helped make the Tony Shalhoub-led show one of the best procedurals of the 2000s. With a pause in the hiring of the writing staff, Breckman and Zisk do not have their full creative team yet, which still needs to be fully assembled.
Our Take On Rosa Salazar Exiting Einstein
It Is A Disappointing, But Understandable Update
Losing Salazar is disappointing, and I was looking forward to seeing her share the screen with Gubler. Salazar’s exit is understandable, though, as she wants to be able to pursue other opportunities, which would not be possible while waiting for Einstein to take shape a year later than anticipated. In the meantime, it will be intriguing to see what other roles Salazar may land elsewhere, and one of the best ways to pass the time during the wait will be to rewatch Gubler’s many Criminal Minds episodes.
Source: Deadline