Sofia’s Role on 'Brilliant Minds' Might Be Bigger Than Anyone Expected — Details

It’s pretty common for TV shows to randomly throw a monkey wrench into the middle of a plotline, leaving viewers utterly confused. That happened in the NBC series Brilliant Minds when, in Season 2, viewers were introduced to a character named Sofia, played by Sarah Steele.

The episode, which aired on Jan. 26, 2026, leaves it unclear who Sofia really is or if she’s even a real person in the show. Here’s what we know about her so far and what can be concluded based on the information available.

Sofia is portrayed as a neighbor of Dr. Wolf’s (Zachary Quinto) father in Brilliant Minds. Wolf meets her when he returns to his father’s apartment. At first, he thinks it’s his father, Noah (played by Mandy Patinkin), walking through the door, but it turns out to be Sofia, leaving Wolf pretty surprised.

Sofia is also depicted as a character dealing with a medical condition, insomnia, which leads Wolf to conduct a sleep study on her. While that’s all good and dandy, here’s the issue. Some fans think Sofia might not be a real person at all, and instead a figment of Wolf’s imagination. Because what doesn’t add up is that Wolf seems to be the only person who interacts with her. And when he ends up in Hudson Oaks, her door is the only one that opens.

Perhaps Sofia represents the little voice inside Wolf’s head, telling him what he wants or needs to hear. And since that voice has grown so strong, he has materialized it as a figure who seems real.

In Season 2, Episode 13, which fast-forwards a week later, Wolf is seen in Hudson Oaks trying doors that are all locked, except Sofia’s.

When he enters, she asks, “Wolfy? What are you doing here?” He replies, “I’m here to save you.” She responds, “Finally. I knew you’d come.” In the comments of a TV Insider article, one viewer shared a theory that aligns with this: “She's totally a figment of his imagination. Josh looked genuinely confused when Wolf said he had a patient in his office. I think Wolf found his father's corpse when he broke in, and he's made her up to keep from dealing with reality.”

That theory seems plausible, especially considering showrunner Michael Grassi told TV Insider during a January 2026 interview that “her connection with Noah is not what we expect and is going to be surprising to Wolf as well.”

It seems there’s more to Sofia’s storyline than what meets the eye. For now, though, viewers will have to keep watching as Season 2 plays out to learn the full extent of her character and whether she’s actually a real person within the show.

One thing that is clear, though, is how excited Grassi is to have Sarah on the series. “I love Sarah Steele. I’m a huge Sarah Steele fan, and I’m so happy she’s on Brilliant Minds. She is always excellent, but she’s doing some incredible work on Brilliant Minds,” he told TV Line.

So even though Sofia’s character has caused some confusion among viewers, it’s clear that Sarah herself is a major asset to the show.