Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds is an American police-procedural television program that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI'sBehavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) based in Quantico, Virginia. The show differs from many procedural dramas by focusing on profiling the criminal, called the unsub or "unknown subject", rather than the crime itself. The show is produced by The Mark Gordon Company in association with CBS Television Studios (originally Paramount Network Television then CBS Paramount Network Television) and ABC Studios (originally Touchstone Television).

On March 13, 2014, CBS renewed the series for a tenth season[2] which premiered on October 1, 2014.[3]

Contents
[hide]
 * 1 Background
 * 2 Characters
 * 2.1 Main
 * 2.2 Recurring
 * 3 Episodes
 * 4 Reception
 * 4.1 Critical reception
 * 4.2 American ratings
 * 4.2.1 Broadcast
 * 4.2.2 DVR
 * 5 Syndication
 * 6 Video Game
 * 7 Spin-offs
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links

Background[edit]
When the series premiered in 2005, it featured FBI Agents Jason Gideon, Aaron Hotchner, Elle Greenaway, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, and Penelope Garcia. During season one, Garcia was not a main character, but was a recurring character. In season two, Lola Glaudini (as Greenaway) announced her departure from the show, as she was unhappy living in Los Angeles and wished to return to Brooklyn. The character was replaced by Emily Prentiss, the daughter of a diplomat.

In season three, Mandy Patinkin (Gideon) announced his departure from the show, because he was deeply disturbed by the content depicted in the show. He left apologetic letters for his fellow cast members explaining his reasons and wishing them luck. His character was replaced by David Rossi, a former FBI agent and best-selling author. In season four, A. J. Cook (JJ) became pregnant with her first child. Her pregnancy was written into the show, where Jennifer goes on maternity leave after giving birth to a son named Henry (played by A. J. Cook's real-life son, Mekhai Andersen). Jordan Todd, an FBI Agent from the Counter-terrorism Unit, serves as Communications Liaison until Jennifer returned.

In season six, Jennifer is forced to accept a promotion at The Pentagon, causing her to leave the Behavioral Analysis Unit. In episode ten, she is replaced by Ashley Seaver, the daughter of a horrific serial killer known as "The Redmond Ripper". Ashley transfers to the Domestic Trafficking Task Force after she graduates from the FBI academy. Later in season six, Emily is seemingly killed off, although she actually survives, she does not appear at all for the rest of the season. Also in season six, Jennifer returns twice as a special guest star. In May 2011, CBS chose not to renew Rachel Nichols' contract for season seven (2011–12), due to her character's negative reception from fans.

The cause of A.J. Cook's and Paget Brewster's departure was CBS making a controversial decision to release them from their contracts, which caused numerous angry letters sent from the fans to the studio. Because of this, A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster were re-hired by CBS, reprising as Jennifer Jareau and Emily Prentiss, respectively.[4][5] In February 2012, Paget Brewster announced her departure from the show after season seven[6] and is replaced in season eight (2012–13) by Alex Blake, a professor at Georgetown University.[7] In 2014, Jennifer Love Hewitt joined the cast as Kate Callahan for season ten.[8]

Characters[edit]
Main article: List of Criminal Minds characters

Main[edit]

 * Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Unit Chief of the BAU team
 * He is a former prosecutor and was originally assigned to the FBI Field Office in Seattle. He is one of the most experienced agents in the BAU. He struggles to balance the demands of his job with his family life, but his wife Haley Brooks (Meredith Monroe) divorces him in Season 3. In the episode "100" (Season 5), Haley is killed byfugitive serial killer George Foyet (C. Thomas Howell), also known as "The Boston Reaper", whom Aaron fights and beats to death. He also has a son named Jack (Cade Owens) and a brother named Sean. After Haley is murdered, he has custody of Jack; and Haley's sister, Jessica Brooks (Molly Baker), helps him with taking care of Jack. Aaron dated a woman named Beth Clemmons (Bellamy Young), who first appeared in the episode "The Bittersweet Science" (Season 7).


 * Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Supervisory Special Agent (and served as interim unit chief for SSA Aaron Hotchner)
 * He is a confident, assertive, and often hot-tempered character. Raised by his mother Fran, along with his two sisters, Sarah Morgan and Desiree Benita, Derek was a troubled Chicago youth headed for juvenile delinquency. He was rescued and mentored by Carl Buford (Julius Tennon). Buford turned out to be a sexual predatorwho molested Derek and other young boys; he was eventually arrested for murder. After developing an interest in football, Derek attended Northwestern University on a scholarship. After a football injury left him unable to play that sport, he joined the Chicago Police Department's bomb squad and later joined the FBI and the BAU. He has an emotionally intimate, but platonic, relationship with Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia; and the two have a unique shorthand and banter. In the Season 7 premiere, "It Takes a Village," Derek shows utter hatred towards Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy) for killing SSA Emily Prentiss; but, when Emily returns alive, he has mixed feelings.


 * Spencer Reid, Ph.D., (Matthew Gray Gubler), Supervisory Special Agent
 * He is a genius who graduated from Las Vegas High School at age 12, and holds Ph.D.s in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering, as well as Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, and, as of Season 4, is working on a B.A. in Philosophy. It has been revealed that he has an IQ of 187, can read a dizzying 20,000 words per minute, and has an eidetic memory. Most of the members on the team are intimidated by his profound knowledge. He is habitually introduced as "Dr. Spencer Reid", in contrast to the other agents' introductions as "Supervisory Special Agent". The purpose of this, as explained by Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner in the pilot episode, "Extreme Aggressor", is to create a respectable first impression of Spencer, deflecting judgments about his age. His mother, Diana Reid (Jane Lynch), suffers from schizophreniaand is currently committed to a mental institution. In the episode "Proof" (Season 7), Spencer completely ignores SSA Jennifer Jareau for not telling him that SSA Emily Prentiss was alive. Spencer is also the godfather of Jennifer's son Henry. In Season 8, Spencer is involved with a woman (Beth Riesgraf) whom he has never met in person because she is being stalked. In the episode "Zugzwang", Reid sees her die, when her stalker finally catches up with her and commits murder-suicide. Reid is devastated by the loss but returns to work quickly.


 * Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A. J. Cook), Supervisory Special Agent
 * In Seasons 1-5, she served as the Communications Liaison on the team to local police agencies. She dates and marries William LaMontagne (Josh Stewart), a New Orleans Police Department Detective; and they have a son, Henry LaMontagne (Mekhai Andersen). In the episode "JJ" (Season 6), Jennifer is forced to accept a promotion at The Pentagon, causing her departure from the team, although Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner expressed his hope that she will return to the BAU in the future. Jennifer returned in the episode "Lauren" (Season 6) to assist the team in finding SSA Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster). In the Season 6 finale "Supply and Demand", Jennifer meets with SSA David Rossi, informing him that she is returning to the BAU. As of Season 7, Jennifer is a legitimate profiler, with Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia taking over the role of Communications Liaison.


 * Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), Senior Supervisory Special Agent
 * He is widely known as the BAU's best profiler. After a series of emotionally troubling cases, and the murder of his friend Sarah by fugitive serial killer Frank Breitkopf (Keith Carradine), he begins to feel burned out. The last straw occurs when Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner is suspended for two weeks by the team's boss—an action for which Jason feels responsible. He retreats to his cabin and leaves a letter for Dr. Spencer Reid, who he knows will be the one to come looking for him. When Spencer arrives at the cabin, it is empty except for the letter and Jason's badge and firearm. Jason is last seen remarking to a Nevada diner waitress that he does not know where he is going or how he will know when he gets there, leaving the diner and driving off. In Season 10, he is killed (off-screen) by a suspect he had tracked down from one of his first cases.


 * David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Senior Supervisory Special Agent
 * He is a highly experienced profiler who once worked the BAU in its origins, then took early retirement to write books and go on lecture tours about criminal analysis, until volunteering to return shortly after SSA Jason Gideon's departure. He has been married three times and is quite wealthy because of a successful writing career. In the episode "From Childhood's Hour" (season 7), David reconnects with his first wife, Carolyn Baker, who has shocking news for him. It is revealed that she came to him because she was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and wants David to assist in her suicide. In the next episode "Epilogue", Carolyn dies after taking a drug overdose. It is also revealed in this episode that David had a son who died at birth. In the season eight episode "The Fallen" it is revealed that David was a Marine in Vietnam. The season seven finale "Run" revealed SSA David Rossi may be having a secret relationship with Section Chief Erin Strauss; this was discovered when Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia and SSA Dr. Spencer Reid spot them both leaving a hotel. In the last season eight episode "The Replicator" we see their relationship has been known to the entire team. The episode is an emotional one for SSA David Rossi since Unit Chief Erin Strauss is murdered by The Replicator. She was taken from her hotel room, where he had planned to meet her that night, drugged and put on the streets of New York disoriented for Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner to find her. The episode's last scene is SSA David Rossi eulogizing her to the team after her funeral at a gathering at his home. In season 10, we learn that David has a daughter with his second wife.


 * Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini), Supervisory Special Agent
 * She is assigned to the FBI Field Office in Seattle, and assigned to the BAU as an expert in sexual offense crimes. Elle suffers extreme emotional trauma after being shot by an unsub in the season one finale "The Fisher King (Part 1)". In the season two premiere "The Fisher King (Part 2)", Elle survives and returns to duty, sooner than SSA Jason Gideon and Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner would like to see. Several episodes later, while alone on stakeout of a suspected serial rapist, she shoots the man in cold blood. The local police deem it self-defense, but Jason and Aaron question her ability as a profiler after this. Elle resigns, turning in her badge and gun to Aaron, with the declaration that this is "not an admission of guilt."


 * Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Supervisory Special Agent
 * She is the daughter of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss (Kate Jackson). After SSA Elle Greenaway leaves the BAU, Emily shows up with papers assigning her to the BAU. Emily is also fluent in several languages, such as Spanish, French, Greek and Arabic, and has a working knowledge in Italian, but it is revealed that Emily has lost comprehension of her other known language, Russian. She is apparently killed while being held hostage by Ian Doyle in the episode "Lauren" (season 6), but in the last scene of the episode, it is revealed that she survived her encounter with Ian, and is seen with SSA Jennifer Jareau in Paris passing her passports and bank accounts for protection. In the season seven premiere "It Takes a Village", she returns alive and well, much to the team's surprise. In the Season 7 finale, "Run", Emily decides to leave the BAU after accepting a position running the Interpol Office in London. She is last seen at the wedding of JJ and New Orleans Police Officer William LaMontagne.


 * Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), BAU Technical Analyst
 * She joined the BAU after bringing attention to herself by illegally accessing some of their equipment; she is offered a job in lieu of a jail sentence. She submitted her resume 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 in 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" (Season 3). When SSA Jennifer Jareau leaves the BAU, Penelope takes over her job as Communications Liaison. Penelope is also the godmother of Jennifer's son Henry.


 * Ashley Seaver (Rachel Nichols), FBI Cadet training at the FBI Academy in Quantico
 * She replaces SSA Jennifer Jareau after she is forced to accept a promotion at The Pentagon. She was chosen for her unique background; her father, Charles Beauchamp, was a horrific serial killer known as the "Redmond Ripper", who murdered dozens of women before being caught by the BAU, incidentally. At first, Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner was going to make her a special, one-time consultant to the BAU, but SSA David Rossi allowed her to finish her remedial training with the team, under the supervision of SSA Emily Prentiss. In the episode "... With Friends Like These" (Season 6), she graduated from the Academy and had been added to the team as a "probationary agent". In the Season 7 premiere "It Takes a Village", Jennifer reveals to Emily that Ashley transferred to the Domestic Trafficking Task Force, which is led by Andi Swann.


 * Dr. Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn), FBI Linguistics Expert and professor at Georgetown University
 * She joins the BAU after SSA Emily Prentiss transfers to the Interpol Office in London. Alex first appears in the Season 8 premiere, "The Silencer". She makes a personal connection with Spencer Reid after he reveals to her that he has begun a romantic relationship with a woman whom he has never met. In the Season 9 finale, she escorts Reid to his apartment, leaving behind her credentials, which Reid finds in his bag before seeing Blake leave in a taxi.


 * Kate Callahan (Jennifer Love Hewitt)
 * It is mentioned in Episode 1 of Season 10 that she was previously under Andi Swann's team, which is also Ashley Seaver's team since she left BAU. She is a "seasoned undercover agent whose stellar work at the FBI has landed her a coveted position with the Behavioral Analysis Unit."[9]


 * Although only guest-starring in the first two episodes of season six, A. J. Cook was still billed as a member of the main cast in them. She later appeared as a "special guest star" in two more episodes that season.

Recurring[edit]

 * Erin Strauss (Jayne Atkinson; Seasons 2–9; 23 episodes), 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 masterful 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" (Season 6). 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' 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. ShowrunnerErica Messer chose to kill Strauss off because she felt that the character had come full circle since she was first introduced.[10]
 * Haley Hotchner (Meredith Monroe; Seasons 1–5, 9; 14 episodes) is Agent Aaron Hotchner's wife and the mother of his only son Jack, born in late 2005. The couple's marriage was troubled, as in Season 3 clues were revealed she may have been having an affair and walked out. She later appeared with divorce papers, and Hotchner accepted reluctantly, to not cause any trouble to his son with the divorce. In the episode "100" (Season 5), 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.
 * Jordan Todd (Meta Golding; Season 4; 8 episodes) 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 only follows Jennifer for one 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 clashed several times with Unit Chief Hotchner. She eventually leaves when she decides she can't handle the stress that comes with her job.
 * Dr. Diana Reid (Jane Lynch; Seasons 1–4; 5 episodes), 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 fromschizophrenia and is hospitalized in a Las Vegas sanitarium, where Spencer committed her when he was eighteen. 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 him but disapproves of the FBI as it is a government run organization and she refers to his colleagues as "fascists". She seems to be showing signs of improvement in later episodes in which 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 he soon receives a postcard and a gift from her.
 * William LaMontagne, Jr. (Josh Stewart; Season 2–present), is SSA Jennifer Jareau's husband and the father of Jennifer's son, Henry LaMontagne. 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 until he becomes a detective for the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.) as shown in the Season 7 finale "Run". 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 is born, they exchange 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" (Season 5), 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. Afterwards, they agree to get married and unknowingly attend a surprise wedding ceremony thrown by Rossi and Will.
 * Kevin Lynch (Nicholas Brendon; Season 3–present), first appears in the episode "Penelope" (Season 3), 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 (unknown subject) 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" (Season 7), Kevin proposes to Penelope, but she turns him down saying "things are going too fast", and ultimately the couple break up.
 * Mateo Cruz (Esai Morales; Season 9–present) takes over from the late Erin Strauss as the new BAU section chief in Season 9. He has had a working relationship with J.J. It is 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 Tavin Askari (Faran Tahir), 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 (Tahmoh Penikett), one of the men they had worked with on the task force, was the mastermind behind the plan and threatened to rape J.J. to give him the access codes. He gives in and is later stabbed by Askari, who was quickly killed by Hotch. Cruz is taken to the hospital following the incident and is believed to be alive.[11]


 * Cast and crew at a Paley Centre discussion of the show
 * Cast members in 2011–12: (left to right) Gibson, Cook, Gubler, Mantegna, Brewster and Moore. Absent: Kirsten Vangsness

Episodes[edit]
Main article: List of Criminal Minds episodes

Nine complete seasons of Criminal Minds have been aired, with the tenth season beginning on October 1, 2014. As of February 11, 2015, a total of 225 episodes have aired.

Critical reception[edit]
The first season was met with generally negative reviews. It holds a 25% approval rating on aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes, based on eight collected reviews, with an average score of 3.2/10.[35] It also holds a Metacritic score of 42 out of 100, based on 21 sampled reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[36]

Dorothy Rabinowitz said, in her review for the Wall Street Journal, that "From the evidence of the first few episodes, Criminal Minds may be a hit, and deservedly" and gave particular praise to both Matthew Gray Gubler and Mandy Patinkin's performance.[37]

The New York Times was less than positive, saying "The problem with "Criminal Minds" is its many confusing maladies, applied to too many characters" and 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."[38]

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."[39]

PopMatters panned the show, saying the show "confuses critical thinking with supernatural abilities" and criticized the "stereotypical characters". The Los Angeles Times gave a similar review.[40] However, both reviewers praised Patinkin and Gubler's performances.[41]

Broadcast[edit]
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Criminal Minds.
 * Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

* The season two episode "The Big Game" set a series-high rating by attracting an audience of 26.31 million viewers and an 18–49 rating of 9.3.[51]

DVR[edit]
The show ranked number nine in DVR playback (2.35 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from September 22, 2008 – November 23, 2008.[52]

For the week of October 10, 2010, Criminal Minds ranked sixth in DVR playback (2.40 million viewers), and seventh in the demo playback (1.0 demo) according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data.[53]

Syndication[edit]
The series is in syndication on A&E Network, and Ion Television.[54]

Season nine of the show is broadcast on Star World Premiere HD in India, a few hours after the American telecast.

Early seasons of Criminal Minds have begun airing on Rewind Network's HITS TV channel in South East Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.[55]

Video Game[edit]
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, and, as such, it did not feature any of the voices of the cast.[56][57][58]

Spin-offs[edit]
The spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior debuted February 16, 2011, on CBS[59] but was canceled after a short 13-episode season due to low ratings.[60] 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.

A new spin-off episode is planned for the tenth season. CBS plans to shoot the spin-off pilot in February 2015 and air the episode in the Criminal Minds slot later in the season.[61][62] The proposed spinoff reportedly follows FBI agents helping American citizens who find themselves in trouble abroad.[61][63] As of January 30, 2015, Gary Sinise and Anna Gunn have been cast in the lead roles of Jack Garrett and Ally Lambert.