Criminal Minds | |
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Also known as | Criminal Minds: Evolution (season 16) |
Genre | |
Created by | Jeff Davis |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 16 |
No. of episodes | 334 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Running time | 42–56 minutes |
Production companies |
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Release | |
Original network |
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Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Original release | September 22, 2005 present | –
Related | |
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), using behavioral analysis and profiling to investigate crimes and find the unsub (unknown subject), the team's term for perpetrators. The show tells the story of the team as they work various cases and tackle their personal struggles.
The show's original main cast consisted of seven characters: Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini), Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Jennifer Jareau (A. J. Cook), and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). The cast underwent major changes throughout the series' run, with several of the show's original members being replaced by nine additional starring characters: Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Ashley Seaver (Rachel Nichols), Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Kate Callahan (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), Stephen Walker (Damon Gupton), and Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney).
Criminal Minds became a rating hit for CBS, regularly featuring as one of the network's most-watched shows throughout its 15-year-long run. Its success has spawned a media franchise, with several spinoffs, including a South Korean adaptation and a video game.[1][2] The show was renewed for its fifteenth and final season of ten episodes, which aired from January 8, 2020, to February 19, 2020.[3][4] It was the final series in the franchise to end, following its two spin-off series, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, which had been cancelled previously due to low ratings. A sixteenth season of the series, Criminal Minds: Evolution, premiered on Paramount+ in November 2022. A planned true-crime docuseries, titled The Real Criminal Minds, was also ordered by Paramount+.
The series follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) using behavioral analysis and profiling to help investigate crimes and find the suspect known as the unsub (unknown subject). The team is supervised by Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner and later Emily Prentiss. The team included Jason Gideon, the founder of the BAU, who was known as the best profiler in the Bureau; Derek Morgan, an ex-Chicago Police officer who is an expert on obsessional crimes; Spencer Reid, an expert on geographic profiling; Jennifer Jareau (JJ), the team's communications liaison, who later becomes a profiler; Elle Greenway, an expert on sex crimes; David Rossi, one of the original BAU agents who is also an expert in criminal profiling; Ashley Seaver, a rookie FBI agent; Alex Blake, a linguistics specialist; Kate Callahan, a seasoned undercover agent; Tara Lewis, a forensic psychologist; Luke Alvez, an expert fugitive tracker who becomes a profiler on the team; Stephen Walker, an expert on counterintelligence; and Matt Simmons, an expert profiler who joins the team from the FBI International Response Team.
Main article: List of Criminal Minds episodes |
Season | Episodes | Originally released | Rank | Rating | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | Network | |||||
1 | 22 | September 22, 2005 | May 10, 2006 | CBS | 27 | 8.2 | |
2 | 23 | September 20, 2006 | May 16, 2007 | 18 | 8.8 | ||
3 | 20 | September 26, 2007 | May 21, 2008 | 18 | 8.2 | ||
4 | 26 | September 24, 2008 | May 20, 2009 | 11 | 9.4 | ||
5 | 23 | September 23, 2009 | May 26, 2010 | 14 | 8.5 | ||
6 | 24 | September 22, 2010 | May 18, 2011 | 10 | 8.7 | ||
7 | 24 | September 21, 2011 | May 16, 2012 | 13 | 8.6 | ||
8 | 24 | September 26, 2012 | May 22, 2013 | 16 | 8.0 | ||
9 | 24 | September 25, 2013 | May 14, 2014 | 13 | 8.2 | ||
10 | 23 | October 1, 2014 | May 6, 2015 | 8 | 9.0 | ||
11 | 22 | September 30, 2015 | May 4, 2016 | 13 | 7.8 | ||
12 | 22 | September 28, 2016 | May 10, 2017 | 17 | 6.9 | ||
13 | 22 | September 27, 2017 | April 18, 2018 | 25 | 6.0 | ||
14 | 15 | October 3, 2018 | February 6, 2019 | — | — | ||
15 | 10 | January 8, 2020 | February 19, 2020 | — | — | ||
16 | 10 | November 24, 2022 | February 9, 2023 | Paramount+ | — | — |
Main article: List of Criminal Minds characters |
In February 2021, a revival of the series was in early development at Paramount+,[16] with a 10-episode sixteenth season revival officially greenlit.[17] As of the Television Critics Association winter press tour a year later, it is still in development.[18] In July 2022, Paramount+ officially gave the revival a full season order. The main cast of the previous seasons are all set to return, with the absence of Daniel Henney and Matthew Gray Gubler, the latter of whom has been with the series since the first episode.[19] The season begin filming in August 2022.[20] In January 2023, Paramount+ renewed the series for a seventeenth season.[21]
Season 1
The first season of Criminal Minds received mixed reviews from critics.[22] It has a Metacritic score of 42 based on 21 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[22]
Dorothy Rabinowitz said, in her review for The Wall Street Journal, "From the evidence of the first few episodes, Criminal Minds may be a hit, and deservedly" and gave particular praise to Gubler and Patinkin's performances.[23] Ned Martel in The New York Times was less positive, saying, "The problem with "Criminal Minds" is its many confusing maladies, applied to too many characters." The reviewer felt that "as a result, the cast seems like a spilled trunk of broken toys, with which the audience—and perhaps the creators—may quickly become bored."[24] The Chicago Tribune reviewer, Sid Smith, felt that the show "may well be worth a look", though he too criticized the "confusing plots and characters".[25] Writing in PopMatters, Marco Lanzagorta criticized the show after its premiere, saying it "confuses critical thinking with supernatural abilities" and that its characters conform to stereotypes.[26] In the Los Angeles Times, Mary McNamara gave a similar review, and praised Patinkin and Gubler's performances.[27]
Season 2
Gillian Flynn said, in her review for Entertainment Weekly, "Like every procedural crime series of late, Minds is stocked with weary, overworked detective types. But here they also seem bored, bitter, and unengaged."[28][better source needed]
Ross Ruediger, had a more positive review, in his review for Bullz-Eye.com, he said, "The producers and writers deserve major kudos for developing a strategy for keeping the show on the air without dumbing it down, and the second season of "Criminal Minds" sets a higher bar for this type of network series." He praised the show for not repeating its themes, and highlighted Matthew Gray Gubler's performance as the usual standout of the show. He also mentioned the performances from the rest of the cast, saying, "There isn't a weak performer in the BAU ensemble."[29]
Season 3
Bruce Simmons said, in his review for Screen Rant, "Last season, they started showing both sides of the equation... It took some of the fun out of wondering who or what, but they made up for it with decent character interaction and development, and there were many last season."[30]
Cynthia Fuchs, in her review for PopMatters, focuses on David Rossi's, played by Joe Mantegna, addition to the show. In her review, she said, "[Criminal Minds] needs signs of effort, gritty character work rather than shorthand "traits" ripped off from other shows (how many times have you seen the enticing oddball researcher or the socially inept genius?) It's tempting to think Patinkin was tired of the same-old. Rossi's traditional earnestness and self-reliance, his recklessness and self-doubt, might juice this too-slick series into a semblance of originality, even relevance." She explained how she thought the addition of his character could shake up the formula of Criminal Minds, giving it a more interesting angle. She rated the season a 6 out of 10.[31]
Season 4
Todd R. Ramlow, in his review for PopMatters, criticized the fourth season's depiction of Islam, saying that the "manipulation of racial assumptions and liberal guilt" is problematic, aligning themselves with the principle that if someone looks like a terrorist, than they are a terrorist. He criticizes the season for "further linking Islam to a so called 'culture of death', as opposed to the "culture of life" seemingly celebrated by the Christian West". He said, "It's unfortunate that even when the architects of the "global war on terror" have changed their phrasing and perhaps their presumptions, Criminal Minds steps back in with such absolutism." He rated the season a 4/10.[32]
Will Harris, in his review for Bullz-Eye.com, focuses on the performances of the guest stars, citing how the opportunity to play villains within the show brings out some of their best acting performances. He said, "There's clearly something about playing a bad guy on "Criminal Minds" that brings out the best in the show's guest stars, as some of the season's best episodes come courtesy of one-off performances by recognizable faces who have taken on that very challenge. Luke Perry plays a deluded cult leader, Mitch Pileggi plays a "normal" guy who snaps after a personal tragedy and turns into a killer, and Alex O'Loughlin is a murderer with enough of a conscience to leave messages at his crime scenes asking for help."[33]
Season 5
Anthony Ocasio, in his review for Screen Rant, focused on Aaron Hotchner's storyline, which was one of the main points of the season. He stated the episode "100", which was also the show's 100th episode, was amazing and said, "The whole angle about Hotchner never being able to see his son again was pretty intense. I can't believe they went in that direction with it. It's something I wasn't expecting it at all." However, he heavily criticized the season's finale, citing that it was flat from the beginning and had a poor cliffhanger. He said, "The fifth season finale of Criminal Minds was terrible, at best. Even an amazing guest star like Tim Curry was unable to save this lack-luster 'cliffhanger'."[34]
Season 6
Darragh Mcmanus of The Guardian, gave the season a positive review, saying that Criminal Minds was only getting better with each season. They said that despite the fact that it wasn't groundbreaking or new, it was still thoroughly entertaining. They said, "Season six has since settled into the groove nicely, with two excellent subsequent episodes rinsing out memories of Toothy Tim. JJ had a tense plot, almost like a play, centred on two Leopold and Loeb types, and a touching denouement as the titular Agent took her leave, while last Friday Remembrance Of Things Past was gruelling and gruesome, and scarier than usual, with the team tracking down a killer come out of retirement – a residual nightmare from Rossi's past."[35]
Steve Marsi, in his review for TV Fanatic, said that the season was overall good, rating it a 4 out of 5, but cited casting issues. He praised A.J Cook's performance as the "performance of a lifetime" and lamented her departure from the show that season. He said, "It's a shame that 'The Longest Night' marked a career high point for Jennifer Jereau, a character who just delivered so strongly, only to be shown the door next week. Was this CBS' way of sending her off on a high note? If so, it worked in a sense. She was great. But it made us even more confused and sad about Cook's departure."[36]
Season 7
Renatta Selliti, in her review for TV Fanatic, gave the season a positive review with a 5 out of 5 rating, and said, "What's equally compelling as the profiling aspect on a show like Criminal Minds is the personal connection between the characters, and this group has it pitch perfect." She praised the season's writing and memorable moments such as Prentiss' return, stating that it created emotional scenes that kept viewers engaged, saying, "Moments like these are what primetime television viewers live for."[37]
Anthony Ocasio, in his review for Screen Rant, also had a positive review. He said that the storyline which focused on Emily Prentiss' fake death, and the aftermath of such, was a new format that while it wasn't the representation of an amazing Criminal Minds case, it was refreshing from the usual case of the week approach. He stated that each character got their moment to shine, and the writing resulted in compelling character moments. Specifically, he praised Matthew Gray Gubler's performance, especially in the judiciary meeting scene and said, "The moment where the Senator stated "Calm down, Mr. Reid," and Gubler replied, "I am calm - and its doctor," may very well be one of the best performances of a line in the history of the series." Finally, he stated the season wrapped up well, and said, "Of course they're going to be fine. Of course nobody from the team is going to be permanently suspended. But that doesn't mean the manner in which we came to this resolution wasn't appropriately earned, or deserved."[38]
Season 8
Douglas Wolf, in his review for TV Fanatic, gave the show a positive review with a 5 out of 5 rating. He focused particularly on the two-part finale, which featured Mark Hamill, saying, "The Criminal Minds two-part finale left me on the edge of my seat, earning a perfect rating and leaving my jaw hanging open in shock." He stated that the buildup was really well done, and that it explored new layers of the characters. For example, he said that the depiction of the relationship between Strauss and Rossi was memorable, as it was unexpected. He said, "I didn't realize the depth of his commitment to Strauss, nor was I aware that he was pretty much cheering in her corner as she obtained her medallion for one year of sobriety. The writing around the relationship of these two was compelling and real - and so his agony over her death, and especially about how it would affect her kids, was compelling."[39]
In 2016, a study by The New York Times of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "like several of the other police procedurals", Criminal Minds "is more popular in rural areas, particularly in the southeastern half of the country. It hits peak popularity in Alabama and rural Tennessee and is least popular in Santa Barbara, Calif."[40]
Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank |
Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||
1 | Wednesday 9:00 pm | 22 | September 22, 2005 | 19.57[41] | May 10, 2006 | 12.67[42] | 2005–06 | 28 | 12.63[43] |
2 | 23 | September 20, 2006 | 15.65[44] | May 16, 2007 | 13.21[45] | 2006–07 | 24 | 14.05[46] | |
3 | 20 | September 26, 2007 | 12.66[47] | May 21, 2008 | 13.15[48] | 2007–08 | 24 | 12.78[49] | |
4 | 26 | September 24, 2008 | 17.01[50] | May 20, 2009 | 13.99[51] | 2008–09 | 11 | 14.95[52] | |
5 | 23 | September 23, 2009 | 15.85[53] | May 26, 2010 | 12.97[54] | 2009–10 | 16 | 13.70[55] | |
6 | 24 | September 22, 2010 | 14.13[56] | May 18, 2011 | 12.84[57] | 2010–11 | 10 | 14.11[58] | |
7 | 24 | September 21, 2011 | 14.14[59] | May 16, 2012 | 13.68[60] | 2011–12 | 15 | 13.20[61] | |
8 | 24 | September 26, 2012 | 11.73[62] | May 22, 2013 | 11.01[63] | 2012–13 | 20 | 12.15[64] | |
9 | 24 | September 25, 2013 | 11.27[65] | May 14, 2014 | 12.03[66] | 2013–14 | 12 | 12.66[67] | |
10 | 23 | October 1, 2014 | 11.74[68] | May 6, 2015 | 9.61[69] | 2014–15 | 11 | 14.11[70] | |
11 | 22 | September 30, 2015 | 10.08[71] | May 4, 2016 | 8.84[72] | 2015–16 | 16 | 12.20[73] | |
12 | 22 | September 28, 2016 | 8.92[74] | May 10, 2017 | 8.12[75] | 2016–17 | 20 | 10.86[76] | |
13 | Wednesday 10:00 pm | 22 | September 27, 2017 | 7.00[77] | April 18, 2018 | 5.39[78] | 2017–18 | 29 | 9.58[79] |
14 | 15 | October 3, 2018 | 4.45[80] | February 6, 2019 | 4.72[81] | 2018–19 | 41 | 8.22[82] | |
15 | Wednesday 9:00 pm | 10 | January 8, 2020 | 4.82[83] | February 19, 2020 | 5.36[84] | 2019–20 | 34 | 8.01[85] |
The series is in syndication on the A&E Network and Ion Television,[86] as well as on We TV and Sundance TV. Early seasons of the show have also begun airing on Rewind Networks's HITS TV channel in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.[87]
All episodes are available to stream on Paramount+ in the United States and on Disney+ in Canada. The series, which ABC Studios co-produce while also handle worldwide distribution, was available on Disney+'s Star content hub in selected territories.[citation needed]
Main article: Criminal Minds (franchise) |
Main article: Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior |
The Season 5 episode, "The Fight", introduced a second BAU team and launched a series called Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. The spin-off series debuted February 16, 2011, on CBS[88] but was canceled after a short 13-episode season owing to low ratings.[89] On September 6, 2011, CBS DVD released The Complete Series on a four-disc set. It was packaged as "The DVD Edition".
The cast features Forest Whitaker as the lead role of Sam Cooper; including Janeane Garofalo, Michael Kelly, Beau Garrett, Matt Ryan, Richard Schiff, and Kirsten Vangsness, who reprises her role as Penelope Garcia from the original series.
Main article: Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders |
A proposed new series in the Criminal Minds franchise to be named Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders was announced in January 2015. Former CSI: NY star Gary Sinise (who is also a producer on the show) and Anna Gunn were cast in the lead roles of Jack Garrett and Lily Lambert, though the latter departed after the backdoor pilot.[90] Tyler James Williams was cast as Russ "Monty" Montgomery and Daniel Henney as Matt Simmons, with Alana de la Garza as Clara Seger and Annie Funke as Mae Jarvis further being cast as series regulars.[91]
The series follows the FBI agents of the International Response Team (IRT) helping American citizens who are in trouble abroad.[14][92] CBS aired a backdoor pilot on April 8, 2015, in the Criminal Minds slot, with a crossover episode titled "Beyond Borders".[14][15] The second spin-off series debuted March 16, 2016, on CBS.[93] On May 16, 2016, CBS renewed the series for a second season.[94] On May 14, 2017, CBS canceled the series after two seasons due to low ratings.[95]
A planned true-crime docuseries, titled The Real Criminal Minds was also ordered by Paramount+. The series will feature a real former FBI profiler and examine real cases and real behavior, illustrated by clips from the fictional Criminal Minds series.[96]
Main article: Criminal Minds (South Korean TV series) |
In 2017, tvN launched their own Korean version of Criminal Minds. The episodes are based on the original American version after its third season. On the cast is Lee Joon-gi as Kim Hyun-joon (Derek Morgan), Moon Chae Won as Ha Sun-woo (Emily Prentiss), Son Hyun-joo as Kang Ki-hyung (Aaron Hotchner), Yoo Sun as Nana Hwang (Penelope Garcia), Lee Sun-bin as Yoo Min-young (Jennifer Jareau), and Go Yoon as Lee Han (Spencer Reid). The episodes are hour-long.[97]
Main article: Criminal Minds (video game) |
CBS announced in October 2009 that Legacy Interactive would develop a video game based on the show. The game would require players to examine crime scenes for clues to help solve murder mysteries. The interactive puzzle game was released in 2012, but the show's cast was not involved with the project so it did not feature any of their voices.[98][99][100] The second game, developed by Tilting Point, was released on November 20, 2018, for Android and iOS devices.[101]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
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2006 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite New Television Drama | Criminal Minds | Nominated |
Hollywood Post Alliance | Outstanding Editing – Television | Jimmy Giritlian | Nominated | |
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top TV Series | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won | |
2007 | Top TV Series | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won | |
2008 | Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing – Music for Short Form Television | Lisa A. Arpino For episode "True Night" |
Nominated |
BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Mark Mancina | Won | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination | Tom Elliott For episode "Tabula Rasa" |
Nominated | |
2009 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Mark Mancina | Won |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination | Tom Elliott For episode "Normal" |
Nominated | |
2010 | Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA) | Best Score in a TV Show | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won |
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Steffan Fantini | Won | |
2011 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nominated |
Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "Remembrance of Things Past" |
Nominated | |
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Steffan Fantini | Won | |
2012 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nominated |
Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "The Bittersweet Science" |
Nominated | |
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Steffan Fantini | Won | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination | Tom Elliott For episode "The Bittersweet Science" |
Nominated | |
2013 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nominated |
MovieGuide Awards | Faith and Freedom Award | Criminal Minds For episode "The Fallen" |
Nominated | |
Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "The Pact" |
Nominated | |
BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Mark Mancina | Won | |
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won | |
2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nominated |
Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "Strange Fruit" |
Won | |
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Shemar Moore | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Rob Hardy For episode "Carbon Copy" |
Nominated | ||
2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nominated |
Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor | Shemar Moore | Nominated | ||
Prism Awards | Drama Episode – Mental Health | Criminal Minds For episode "The Edge of Winter" |
Nominated | |
Monte-Carlo TV Festival | International TV Audience Award – Best Drama TV Series | Touchstone Television, The Mark Gordon Company | Nominated | |
Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Shemar Moore | Won | |
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Hanelle Culpepper For episode "The Edge of Winter" |
Nominated | ||
2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nominated |
Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor | Shemar Moore | Nominated | ||
2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Won |