Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. It premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and concluded with its fifteenth season on February 19, 2020. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit, using behavioral analysis and profiling to investigate crimes and find 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, Aaron Hotchner, Elle Greenaway, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, and Penelope Garcia. 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, David Rossi, Ashley Seaver, Alex Blake, Kate Callahan, Tara Lewis, Luke Alvez, Stephen Walker, and Matt Simmons.
Criminal Minds gained critical acclaim for its characterization, pacing, atmosphere, acting, directing, and writing. It became a rating hit for CBS, regularly featuring as one of the network's most-watched cable 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. The show was renewed for its fifteenth and final season of ten episodes, which aired from January 8, 2020 to February 19, 2020. 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.
Background
When the series premiered in September 2005, it featured FBI agents Jason Gideon, Aaron Hotchner, Elle Greenaway, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, and Penelope Garcia. For season 1, Garcia was not a main cast member but rather had a recurring role, although she appeared in all but episode five. Glaudini departed the series in season 2 to return to live in New York City; Paget Brewster replaced her in the role of Emily Prentiss.Patinkin departed the series at the start of season 3, due to being disturbed by its content. Joe Mantegna replaced him as David Rossi, a best-selling author and FBI agent who comes out of retirement. During this season, Cook became pregnant with her first child, and the pregnancy was written into the show. Cook was on maternity leave for part of season 4; her character's void was temporarily replaced by Meta Golding, who played Jordan Todd, an FBI agent who works with the agency's Counter Terrorism Unit.
Prior to the start of season 6, it was announced that Brewster's role would be reduced for the upcoming season, and Cook would be released from her contract; they were replaced by Rachel Nichols as Ashley Seaver, an FBI cadet. The decision to release Cook and Brewster from their contracts resulted in a backlash from fans who signed protest petitions. Subsequently, Cook and Brewster were reinstated in their roles for season 7 and Nichols was released. Brewster then departed from the series after that season; she was replaced in the eighth season by Jeanne Tripplehorn, who played Alex Blake, a linguistics expert. Brewster did however make a guest appearance as Prentiss in the 200th episode.
After two seasons, Tripplehorn was released from the show; Jennifer Love Hewitt joined the cast for season 10 as Kate Callahan, a former undercover FBI agent who joins the BAU. During this season, the character of Gideon was killed off by producers off-screen; executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer said this decision was made as it was clear that Patinkin would not return to the series, but he could be featured in a flashback if he were ever to return in the future.
Cook and Hewitt were on hiatus from the show due to their pregnancies after production concluded for season 10; Aisha Tyler, who plays Dr. Tara Lewis, joined the show at the start of season 11 in a recurring role, though she appeared in most episodes. Cook returned after seven episodes of season 11, but Hewitt did not return to the show again. Moore departed later that same season; he had considered leaving in season 10 when his previous contract ended, but was persuaded to stay to give his character a proper sendoff. Messer said it was initially planned for Moore to do six episodes, but it was decided to extend this to the first 18 episodes of season 11 as six episodes "didn't feel like enough".
A week after Moore left, Paget Brewster made her second special guest appearance; in season 12, Brewster once again became a series regular. Moore was replaced in the twelfth season by Adam Rodriguez, as Luke Alvez, a Fugitive Task Force Agent. Tyler was also promoted to series regular from this season. Following this, Gibson was suspended, and later fired, from the program due to an on-set altercation with one of the producers; his character Hotchner was written out of the show. Gibson was replaced by Damon Gupton as Stephen Walker, a seasoned profiler from the Behavioral Analysis Program who will bring his spy-hunting skills to the BAU. Gupton's contract was not renewed after season 12, with CBS stating his departure was "part of a creative change on the show". Daniel Henney, who was a series regular on spin-off series as Matt Simmons, joined the main show as a series regular for season 13.
On April 26, 2019, it was announced that the series finale would be titled "And in the End".
Characters
Main
- Jason Gideon, senior supervisory special agent and former BAU unit chief
- Aaron Hotchner, Former BAU unit chief and senior supervisory special agent
- Elle Greenaway, Supervisory Special Agent
- Derek Morgan, supervisory special Agent
- Spencer Reid, supervisory special agent
- Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, former BAU communications liaison and current supervisory special agent
- Penelope Garcia, BAU technical analyst and BAU communications liaison. Garcia joined the BAU after bringing attention to herself by illegally accessing some of their equipment, while she was an underground hacker; she is offered a job in lieu of a jail sentence. She submitted her resume to Hotch on pink stationery. She usually supports the team from her computer lab at Quantico but occasionally joins them on location when her skills can be used in the field. She is a leader in a support group for those who have lost someone in their lives. Her parents were killed by a drunk driver when they were out looking for her when she was a teen and had missed her curfew. She enjoys a flirtatious relationship with SSA Derek Morgan, often engaging in comical banter of a sexually suggestive nature when he calls for information. He calls her "Baby Girl". She was once shot and almost killed by Jason Clark Battle, who lured her on a date in the episode "Lucky". When SSA Jennifer Jareau leaves the BAU, Penelope and Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner take over her job as communications liaison. She is kidnapped once again at the end of season 13. SSA Sam Cooper often calls when his team needs her computer skills. Penelope is the godmother of Jennifer's son, Henry, and the godmother of Morgan's son, Hank.
- Emily Prentiss, supervisory special agent and BAU Unit Chief
- David Rossi, senior supervisory special agent
- Ashley Seaver, FBI cadet and special agent
- Alex Blake, FBI linguistics expert, supervisory special agent, and professor at Georgetown University
- Kate Callahan, Former FBI undercover agent and supervisory special agent
- Tara Lewis, forensic psychologist and supervisory special agent
- Luke Alvez, fugitive task force agent and supervisory special agent
- Stephen Walker, supervisory special agent
- Matt Simmons supervisory special agent, and former member of the.
Recurring
- Erin Strauss, an assistant director and the BAU Unit Chief's direct superior. While her FBI experience was primarily in administration, SSA Derek Morgan remarked on her masterly marksmanship, after observing her at a firing range. In early episodes, Strauss appeared only concerned with herself and appearances within the Bureau, going so far as to force SSA Jennifer Jareau to accept a promotion to the Pentagon in the episode "JJ". Further character development revealed her alcohol abuse. After being confronted by Morgan and Hotchner, Strauss accepts help and achieves sobriety. In the season 8 finale, the Replicator breaks into Strauss's hotel room in New York, drugs her, and forces her—at gunpoint—to drink alcohol from her room's minibar. Hotchner finds her on a bench near the hotel, where Strauss dies in his arms. Her death is avenged when Rossi traps the Replicator in an exploding house. Fittingly, Strauss's sobriety helps defeat the Replicator as Rossi uses her sobriety chip to escape the Replicator's trap and taunts him with it. After attending her funeral, the members of the BAU gather in a still-emotional Rossi's backyard, reminisce, and toast her memory. Showrunner Erica Messer chose to kill Strauss off because she felt that the character had come full circle since she was first introduced.
- Haley Hotchner is Agent Aaron Hotchner's wife and the mother of his only son, Jack Hotchner, born in late 2005. The couple's marriage was troubled, as clues were revealed in season 3 that she may have been having an affair and walked out on him. She later appeared with divorce papers, and he accepted reluctantly so as not to cause any trouble for his son with the divorce. In the episode "100", Haley and Jack were captured by a killer known as "The Reaper"; though Jack was saved, Haley was shot and died before Aaron could save her. Aaron later beat The Reaper to death. In the episode "Route 66", Hotch collapses from internal bleeding and dreams about Haley. She tells him that he should stop blaming himself for her death and to make sure Jack knows that he can talk about his mother's death. Haley leaves Hotch by telling him that he and Beth have a good relationship and he shouldn't mess it up by not telling her how he feels.
- Jessica Brooks, is Agent Aaron Hotchner's sister-in-law, Jack's aunt, and Haley's sister.
- Jordan Todd is SSA Jennifer Jareau's handpicked replacement to serve as the BAU's media director during Jennifer's maternity leave, from late 2008 through early 2009. Jordan had formerly served in the FBI counterterrorism division, but follows Jennifer for only day of shadowing before Jennifer goes into labor. Jordan seemed to get along well with most of the team, even flirting platonically with SSA Derek Morgan. She is especially close with SSA David Rossi, who is seen to counsel her while they are on cases. However, Jordan has clashed several times with Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. She eventually leaves when she decides she can't handle the stress that comes with her job.
- Diana Reid is the mother of BAU team member Dr. Spencer Reid. Like her son, she has a high IQ. She was once a university professor of literature, but suffers from schizophrenia and is hospitalized in a Las Vegas sanitarium, where Spencer committed her when he was 18. Her husband, William Reid, left prior to her diagnosis, because of his inability to cope with her illness, and he could not deal with protecting her after she witnessed a murder. She is functional when on her medication, but frequently lapses into regression to her university career. Diana spent much time reading aloud to Spencer while he was growing up, and he continues to write her a letter every day. She is proud of her son but disapproves of the FBI, as it is a government-run organization; she refers to his colleagues as "fascists". She seems to be showing signs of improvement in later episodes, when Reid states that she went on a supervised field trip to the Grand Canyon without feeling the need to notify Reid. However, she did not forget him, as Reid later receives a postcard and a gift from her.
- William LaMontagne Jr. is SSA Jennifer Jareau's husband and the father of Jennifer's sons, Henry and Michael. Will and Jennifer met while she was working a case in his hometown. As of early season 4, Will had moved to Virginia and is a stay-at-home dad for Henry until he became a detective for the Metropolitan Police Department as shown in the season 7 finale. It is also stated that the couple had made a deal that in a life-threatening situation, they would do everything so that one of them could live to look after Henry. Jennifer accepted his marriage proposal and they were married officially; however, when their son was born, they exchanged rings with insets of Henry's birthstone, citrine. He is seen briefly in the 100th episode getting medicine for Henry with Jennifer, as well as the episode "The Slave of Duty", accompanying Jennifer and the team at Haley Hotchner's funeral. In the season 7 finale, Will works alongside JJ to stop the bank robbers and is eventually taken hostage. Afterward, they agree to get married and unknowingly attend a surprise wedding ceremony thrown by Rossi and Will.
- Kevin Lynch first appears in the episode "Penelope", in which he is required to search Penelope Garcia's computer to learn who shot her. Kevin sends the team live video alerting that the unsub is in the BAU headquarters. He is intensely impressed by Penelope's computer skills, and the feeling is mutual. At the end of the episode, Penelope is introduced to Kevin, and the two become romantically involved. In the episode "I Love You, Tommy Brown", Kevin proposes to Penelope, but she turns him down, saying that "things are going too fast", and ultimately the couple break up.
- Mateo Cruz takes over from the late Erin Strauss as the new BAU section chief in season 9. He has a past working relationship with JJ. It was revealed in "200" that the two had worked on a task force together in the Middle East. He was the only person to know of her pregnancy and miscarriage during her time on the task force. In the same episode, they are both kidnapped by Tivon Askari, who was a traitor within the task force. They are both physically and mentally tortured into giving the access codes given to them during the mission. He is shocked to discover that Michael Hastings, one of the men with whom they had worked on the task force, was the mastermind behind the plan and threatened to rape JJ to give him the access codes. He gives in and is later stabbed by Askari, who is quickly killed by Hotch. Cruz is taken to the hospital following the incident and is believed to be alive. Several episodes later, he reappears in the season 9 finale, "Angels" and "Demons", when he asks the team to investigate a case brought to him by his friend Peter Coleman, the sheriff of Briscoe County, Texas. They first arrive to investigate a series of murders involving prostitutes, but as they investigate, the team soon finds that they are caught in a ring of corrupt deputies—ironically the only officer not involved being Sheriff Coleman—and find their lives in danger. After a fatal shootout with the corrupt, drug-peddling Preacher Mills, Sheriff Coleman is killed, Morgan is wounded, and Reid is critically wounded and hospitalized as a result. Distraught by this turn of events, Cruz travels to Texas with Garcia to help the team investigate and apprehend the ring leader, Deputy Owen McGregor. He is not seen again until late in season 10 when he needs the BAU to help the FBI's international team, led by Jack Garrett |Jack Garrett, to catch an unsub who has kidnapped a family while on vacation in Barbados. The case is especially critical because this unsub has eluded both the domestic and international BAU teams by killing a family in Aruba, then in Florida one year later. This episode was the backdoor pilot for the upcoming spinoff, titled Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. He has not been seen since.
- Savannah Hayes Savannah Morgan is Derek Morgan's wife. She works as a doctor at Bethesda General Hospital. Savannah first appeared in Season 9's "The Return", and it is presumed Morgan and Savannah started dating prior to Season 9, and first met after she approached him when he was depressed over a case that ended badly. Before they started dating they used to be neighbors. She was introduced to the show because Shemar Moore, the actor who portrays Morgan, requested that his character get a romantic partner.
- Joy Struthers is Rossi's daughter from his short-lived second marriage to French diplomat Hayden Montgomery. When they divorced, Hayden didn't tell him she was pregnant, and Joy thought her father was her mother's second husband, who finally told her the truth before dying from cancer. In the episode "Fate", Joy seeks Rossi out and they're getting to know each other. Joy is a reporter and true-crime writer and is married. She has a 2-year-old son called Kai.
- Kristy Simmons is Matt Simmons' wife, and the mother of his four children.
Episodes
Reception
The first season of Criminal Minds received mixed reviews from critics. It has a Metacritic score of 42 based on 21 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".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 performance. 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." 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". 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. In the Los Angeles Times, Mary McNamara gave a similar review, and praised Patinkin and Gubler's performances.
Broadcast and ratings
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."- Note: The series premiere episode aired outside of its regular day and time at Thursday 10:00pm
Criminal Minds typically ranks in the top-ten in Digital video recorder playback, drawing in a range of 2 to 3 million viewers, according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data. For the week of October 10, 2010, the show peaked at sixth in DVR playback, gaining 2.40 million viewers, while also ranking seventh in demo playback.
Franchise
Criminal Minds has produced two spin-offs: ' and ', as well as a video game.''Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior''
The Season 5 episode, "The Fight", introduced a second BAU team and launched a new series called Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. The spin-off series debuted February 16, 2011, on CBS but was canceled after a short 13-episode season owing to low ratings. 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.
''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 star Gary Sinise and Anna Gunn were cast in the lead roles of Jack Garrett |Jack Garrett and Lily Lambert, though the latter departed after the backdoor pilot. Tyler James Williams has been 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.The series follows the FBI agents of the International Response Team helping American citizens who are in trouble abroad. CBS aired a backdoor pilot on April 8, 2015 in the Criminal Minds slot, with a crossover episode titled "Beyond Borders". The second spin-off series debuted March 16, 2016, on CBS. On May 16, 2016, CBS renewed the series for a second season. On May 14, 2017, CBS canceled the series after two seasons due to low ratings.
''크리미널 마인드'' (''Criminal Minds Korea'')
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, Moon Chae Won as Ha Sun-woo, Son Hyun-joo as Kang Ki-hyung, Yoo Sun as Nana Hwang, Lee Sun-bin as Yoo Min-young, and Go Yoon as Lee Han.The episodes are 1 hour long.
Video games
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.The second game, developed by FTX Games was released on October 29, 2018 on Android & iOS devices.