Criminal Minds was/is an American crime drama series on the CBS network. The series premiered on September 22, 2005, and ended on February 19, 2020, with a total of 324 episodes spanning over fifteen seasons. A sequel/revival series titled Criminal Minds: Evolution has premiered on Paramount+ in November 2022.
Creation and Premise[]
Criminal Minds was created by Jeff Davis and is produced by the Mark Gordon Company in association with CBS Television Studios and ABC Studios. The show follows the investigative lives of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico, Virginia.
The unit itself is based entirely on the real-life BAU built by FBI Profiler John Douglas. The show's former main character, Jason Gideon, and current main character, David Rossi, are both partially based on John Douglas himself, with respect to different aspects of their personalities.[1] The show abandons the common format of procedural dramas by focusing more on the criminals and their victims instead of the main cast.
Throughout the episodes, quotations from famous philosophers are often recited by the cast. These quotations are relevant to the episode's plot and help to bring the "pieces" of the case together. Previously, it was always Jason Gideon who recited them, but, since his departure, the rest of the cast have taken over; quotations mainly being quoted by the prominent character of that episode.
Opening Credits[]
For the first five seasons, they changed just enough to reflect the changes in the main cast, keeping the original theme song created for the show intact. Starting with the first change made in Season Six (6th version), the theme song has been subtly updated and modernized, with electric guitars added that play the main four-note motif, along with the sound effect of an explosion towards the end. Starting with the third change made in Season Twelve (14th version), the explosion sound effect has been removed.
Characters[]
Final[]
- Emily Prentiss - Paget Brewster
- David Rossi - Joe Mantegna
- Doctor Spencer Reid - Matthew Gray Gubler
- Jennifer Jareau - A.J. Cook
- Penelope Garcia - Kirsten Vangsness
- Doctor Tara Lewis - Aisha Tyler
- Luke Alvez - Adam Rodriguez
- Matthew Simmons - Daniel Henney
Recurring/Minor[]
- William LaMontagne, Jr. - Josh Stewart
- Kevin Lynch - Nicholas Brendon
- Diana Reid - Jane Lynch
- Jessica Brooks - Molly Baker
- Jack Hotchner - Cade Owens
- Henry LaMontagne - Mekhai Andersen
- Mateo Cruz - Esai Morales
Former[]
- Elle Greenaway - Lola Glaudini
- Jason Gideon - Mandy Patinkin
- Jordan Todd - Meta Golding
- Haley Brooks - Meredith Monroe
- Ashley Seaver - Rachel Nichols
- Maeve Donovan - Beth Riesgraf
- Erin Strauss - Jayne Atkinson
- Doctor Alex Blake - Jeanne Tripplehorn
- Beth Clemmons - Bellamy Young
- Kate Callahan - Jennifer Love Hewitt
- Derek Morgan - Shemar Moore
- Aaron Hotchner - Thomas Gibson
- Stephen Walker - Damon Gupton
Seasons[]
- Season One: aired from September 22, 2005, to May 10, 2006.
- Season Two: aired from September 20, 2006, to May 16, 2007.
- Season Three: aired from September 26, 2007, to May 21, 2008. The industry-wide Writers' Guild of America strike interrupted its production in late 2007, and its last pre-strike episode aired on January 23, 2008. Following the resolution of the strike, the show returned to air on April 2, 2008.
- Season Four: aired from September 24, 2008, to May 20, 2009.
- Season Five: aired from September 23, 2009, to May 26, 2010.
- Season Six: aired from September 22, 2010, to May 18, 2011.
- Season Seven: aired from September 21, 2011, to May 16, 2012.
- Season Eight: aired from September 26, 2012, to May 22, 2013.
- Season Nine: aired from September 25, 2013, to May 14, 2014.
- Season Ten: aired from October 1, 2014, to May 6, 2015.
- Season Eleven: aired from September 30, 2015, to May 4, 2016.
- Season Twelve: aired from September 28, 2016, to May 10, 2017.
- Season Thirteen: aired from September 27, 2017 to April 18, 2018. This season marks the show's change from its usual 9:00 p.m. timeslot to the 10:00 p.m. timeslot, in order to accommodate the new SEAL Team series.
- Season Fourteen: aired from October 3, 2018 to February 6, 2019.
- Season Fifteen: aired from January 8, 2020 to February 19, 2020.
Season Ratings[]
| Series Season | TV Season | Ranking | Viewers | A18-49 ratings |
| Season One | 2005-2006 | #28 | 12,630,000 | 4.5 |
| Season Two | 2006-2007 | #24 | 14,050,000 | 5.0 |
| Season Three | 2007-2008 | #24 | 12,780,000 | 4.5 |
| Season Four | 2008-2009 | #11 | 14,950,000 | 5.2 |
| Season Five | 2009-2010 | #16 | 13,695,000 | 3.6 |
| Season Six | 2010-2011 | #10 | 14,111,000 | 3.8 |
| Season Seven | 2011-2012 | #15 | 13,196,000 | 3.7 |
| Season Eight | 2012-2013 | #20 | 12,153,000 | 3.3 |
| Season Nine | 2013-2014 | #12 | 12,665,000 | 3.8 |
| Season Ten | 2014-2015 | #11 | 14,111,000 | 3.6 |
| Season Eleven | 2015-2016 | #16 | 12,206,000 | 2.9 |
| Season Twelve | 2016-2017 | #20 | 10,860,000 | 2.4 |
| Season Thirteen | 2017-2018 | #29 | 9,580,000 | |
| Season Fourteen | 2018-2019 | #41 | 8,220,000 | 1.7 |
| Season Fifteen | 2019-2020 | #35 | 8,010,000 |
- Seasonal rankings based on average total viewers.
- Ratings averages Live + 7 of first and reruns (on its timeslot) airings.
Episodes[]
See the list of episodes.
Spin-offs[]
Two spin-offs of the series were green-lit by CBS and aired on the network for the 2010-2011, 2015-2016, and 2016-2017 seasons. Both were eventually canceled due to bad ratings.
Suspect Behavior[]
The first spin-off, Suspect Behavior, was introduced in The Fight and, after being green-lit by CBS, premiered on February 16, 2011 with a 13-episode order. Due to the mild to bad ratings it received, only one season of 13 episodes aired before the show's cancellation on May 17, 2011, ending in a cliffhanger.
It revolves around a new group of profilers, led by Sam Cooper (Forest Whitaker), who work outside the FBI bureaucracy. Beau Garrett played Gina LaSalle, a tough girl and recent FBI recruit who is loyal to Cooper and the object of flirting from Mick Rawson, an arrogant former military sniper who was portrayed by Matt Ryan[2]. Michael Kelly played Jonathan "Prophet" Simms, a former criminal-turned-FBI agent. Kirsten Vangsness continued her role as Penelope Garcia, who was the team's technical analyst. Richard Schiff portrayed FBI Director Jack Fickler, and Janeane Garofalo played Beth Griffith, the only BAU agent that didn't appear in The Fight.
Beyond Borders[]
The second spin-off, Beyond Borders, was introduced in the episode of the same name, and premiered on March 16, 2016 with a 13-episode order. The series aired for two seasons, each consisting of 13 episodes, before eventually cancelling on May 14, 2017 due to bad ratings received from both audience and critics, based on reasons such as inaccurate depictions of countries the episodes were set in as well as their denizens.
It focuses on the specialized International Division of the FBI tasked with solving crimes and coming to the rescue of Americans who find themselves in danger while abroad. Heading the department is Unit Chief Jack Garrett (Gary Sinise), a seasoned 20-year veteran of the Bureau. The team he trusts with his life includes Clara Seger (Alana De La Garza), a new member who is a cultural anthropologist; Matthew Simmons (Daniel Henney), a former military hero with split-second profiling skills he honed on the battlefield; and Russ "Monty" Montgomery (Tyler James Williams), the unit's compassionate, brilliant tech analyst who additionally liaises stateside with the families of those in trouble while his group is far from home. These agents are dedicated to safely returning U.S. residents home by profiling and identifying criminals who are beyond the country's borders.
Sequel[]
The revival and sequel series, Evolution, has been introduced with a 10-episode order set to premiere on Paramount+. It 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. The season began filming in August 2022. It has premiered on November 24, 2022.
South Korean Version[]
A South Korean version of the series was announced in April 2017. It will follow a group of profilers as they track down criminals and solve cases. South Korean actors Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Son Hyun-joo, Lee Sun-bin, and Kim Yeong-cheol will star in lead roles, while fellow actors Yoo Sun and Go Yoon will appear in supporting roles. The series is produced by Taewon Entertainment and NEW in association with ABC Studios and will begin airing on the South Korean channel tvN in July 2017.
Syndication[]
Criminal Minds is syndicated for broadcast on several channels all over the world, including:
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PC and Mac Game[]
Notes[]
- Fan mail address:
Criminal Minds
500 S. Buena Vista
St. Burbank, CA 91521