Season Four is the fourth season of Criminal Minds. It originally ran from September 24, 2008 through May 21, 2009. In the United Kingdom, the season premiered on Channel 4 in 2012 and aired new episodes.
The DVD was released on DVD September 8, 2009. It contains all the episodes, and some Special Features.
Ratings[]
Season Four received 14.950 million viewers and a 5.2 score in the A18-49 demo on CBS. The premiere received 17.01 million U.S. views while the season finale drew 13.99 million U.S. views.
Cast[]
- Joe Mantegna - David Rossi
- Thomas Gibson - Aaron Hotchner
- Paget Brewster - Emily Prentiss
- Shemar Moore - Derek Morgan
- Matthew Gray Gubler - Doctor Spencer Reid
- A.J. Cook - Jennifer Jareau (except for episodes 8-10 and 12-13)
- Kirsten Vangsness - Penelope Garcia
Episodes[]
| Image | Title | Airdate | Writer | Director | Season Episode | Series Episode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
"Mayhem" | September 24, 2008 | Simon Mirren | Edward Allen Bernero | 1 | 66 | |
| After a bomb explodes an SUV in New York City that might be carrying a BAU member, the team goes into high gear to determine who might have been injured in the explosion and to apprehend the terrorists responsible for the mayhem. | |||||||
 |
"The Angel Maker" | October 1, 2008 | Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin | Glenn Kershaw | 2 | 67 | |
| After a series of murders in Lower Canaan, Ohio are connected to a serial killer who was executed a year ago, the BAU must find the link to the current crimes. Meanwhile, Hotch continues to physically recover from a debilitating injury. | |||||||
 |
"Minimal Loss" | October 8, 2008 | Andrew Wilder | Félix Enríquez Alcalá | 3 | 68 | |
| After Prentiss and Reid go undercover to investigate alleged child abuse at the compound of an underground cult in La Plata County, Colorado, they are taken hostage by the cult leader, Benjamin Cyrus, when a state police raid on the fortress goes disastrously wrong. | |||||||
 |
"Paradise" | October 22, 2008 | Debra J. Fisher and Erica Messer | John Gallagher | 4 | 69 | |
| After three suspicious car accidents are confirmed to be not what they seem, the BAU joins the manhunt in Sherwood, Nevada, to catch the killer before he murders someone again. | |||||||
 |
"Catching Out" | October 29, 2008 | Oanh Ly | Charles Haid | 5 | 70 | |
| The BAU investigates a series of murders in California's Central Valley that appear to be connected to a killer who jumps trains and chooses his victims based on their proximity to the railway. Meanwhile, Morgan meets a mysterious woman who seems to know his name. | |||||||
 |
"The Instincts" | November 5, 2008 | Chris Mundy | Rob Spera | 6 | 71 | |
| When someone abducts a young boy in Las Vegas, Reid begins to have dreams that force him to recall forgotten memories from his childhood as he investigates the case. | |||||||
 |
"Memoriam" | November 12, 2008 | Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin | Guy Norman Bee | 7 | 72 | |
| As Reid's investigation of a young boy's murder in Las Vegas continues, he discovers possible connections to his own past, including his parents. | |||||||
 |
"Masterpiece" | November 19, 2008 | Edward Allen Bernero | Paul Michael Glaser | 8 | 73 | |
| When a narcissistic psychopath confesses he has killed seven people and more will die, the team must locate his latest victims before it is too late. | |||||||
 |
"52 Pickup" | November 26, 2008 | Breen Frazier | Bobby Roth | 9 | 74 | |
| Prentiss and Jordan Todd go undercover in Atlanta, Georgia, to profile a serial killer who has perfected his skill as a pick-up artist and uses his masculine prowess to lure his next victims. Meanwhile, Morgan begins teaching Reid tricks on how to charm women. | |||||||
 |
"Brothers in Arms" | December 10, 2008 | Holly Harold | Glenn Kershaw | 10 | 75 | |
| As a former cop, Morgan takes it personally when a serial killer specifically begins targeting officers working in the police force in Phoenix, Arizona. | |||||||
 |
"Normal" | December 17, 2008 | Andrew Wilder | Steve Boyum | 11 | 76 | |
| The BAU is called to assist local law enforcement in catching a spree killer, dubbed "the Road Warrior" by the media, who is shooting blonde women as they drive along freeways in Orange County, California. The case becomes complicated because the heinous acts appear to be at random and the shooter is described as looking normal. Meanwhile, JJ brings her new baby to the BAU headquarters to introduce him to the team. | |||||||
 |
"Soul Mates" | January 14, 2009 | Debra J. Fisher and Erica Messer | John Gallagher | 12 | 77 | |
| When a young woman in an affluent community in Sarasota, Florida, disappears, the BAU suspects she may have been taken hostage by the partner of a serial killer. | |||||||
 |
"Bloodline" | January 21, 2009 | Mark Linehan Bruner | Tim Matheson | 13 | 78 | |
| The BAU is called to Alabama to assist the investigation when young girls are being abducted by what appears to be a family working together. | |||||||
 |
"Cold Comfort" | February 11, 2009 | Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin | Anna Foerster | 14 | 79 | |
| The mother of an abducted woman works with the BAU to capture a serial killer. The team is also assisted by a shady psychic, who Rossi believes is a fake. | |||||||
 |
"Zoe's Reprise" | February 18, 2009 | Oanh Ly | Charles S. Carroll | 15 | 80 | |
| A young Criminology student, Zoe, is murdered at a previous crime scene after suggesting to Rossi that it, along with other seemingly unrelated murders, may actually be related. The team investigates and learns that Zoe may have been correct, and that all of these murders, including hers, are the work of a copycat serial killer, who is experimenting with the M.O.'s of past killers in order to find his own style. | |||||||
 |
"Pleasure Is My Business" | February 25, 2009 | Breen Frazier | Gwyneth Horder-Payton | 16 | 81 | |
| The BAU is called to Dallas to investigate when a serial killer lures and kills high-powered executives by posing as a high-class call girl. | |||||||
 |
"Demonology" | March 11, 2009 | Chris Mundy | Edward Allen Bernero | 17 | 82 | |
| The BAU is called to investigate a series of deaths involving exorcisms that appear to be sanctioned by the Vatican, and Prentiss finds herself personally and emotionally involved in the case. | |||||||
 |
"Omnivore" | March 18, 2009 | Andrew Wilder | Nelson McCormick | 18 | 83 | |
| The BAU travels to Boston when the serial killer from one of Hotch's first cases, which involved one of the most notorious murderers in the history of New England, returns after over a decade of absence. | |||||||
 |
"House on Fire" | March 25, 2009 | Holly Harold | Félix Enríquez Alcalá | 19 | 84 | |
| The BAU is summoned to Indiana by local authorities when an escalating serial arsonist threatens the residents of a small town by setting fire to crowded community meeting places. | |||||||
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"Conflicted" | April 8, 2009 | Rick Dunkle | Jason Alexander | 20 | 85 | |
| The BAU is called to Texas to investigate a serial killer who is targeting vacationing students on spring break on South Padre Island. | |||||||
 |
"A Shade of Gray" | April 22, 2009 | Debra J. Fisher and Erica Messer | Karen Gaviola | 21 | 86 | |
| During an investigation of a series of child abductions and murders, the BAU concludes there is a possibility that one of the crimes may not be the work of the killer upon his apprehension. | |||||||
 |
"The Big Wheel" | April 29, 2009 | Simon Mirren | Rob Hardy | 22 | 87 | |
| When a serial killer sends a videotape of one of his crimes to the BAU, the team discovers a hidden message from the murderer begging for help in stopping him from killing. | |||||||
 |
"Roadkill" | May 6, 2009 | Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin | Steve Boyum | 23 | 88 | |
| Local authorities summon the assistance of the BAU after a series of homicides occur that appear to have been caused by a serial killer's car near Bend, Oregon. | |||||||
 |
"Amplification" | May 13, 2009 | Oanh Ly | John Gallagher | 24 | 89 | |
| The BAU responds quickly after a homegrown terrorist releases a new strain of a deadly bacteria in Annapolis that threatens the public and puts a member of the team at risk. | |||||||
 |
"To Hell..." | May 20, 2009 | Chris Mundy | Charles Haid | 25 | 90 | |
| After a man in Detroit reveals evidence to several suspected disappearances that may be connected, the BAU is called to help track down the serial killer who is responsible. During the investigation, they are forced into Canada to catch him. | |||||||
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"...And Back" | May 20, 2009 | Edward Allen Bernero | Edward Allen Bernero | 26 | 91 | |
| The BAU continues its search for the serial killer in Canada, and they stumble upon a disturbing find that could expose the killer's motives. Meanwhile, a team member may have become the target of a killer from the past. | |||||||
Highlights[]
Season Four begins with the aftermath of the Season Three cliffhanger involving a group of terrorists. On a personal level, JJ gives birth and goes on maternity leave and has Jordan Todd take her position until she returns, Reid works a case that takes him back to his childhood, and on the season finale Hotch has another encounter with his arch-nemesis, the Reaper.
Opening Credits[]
Criminal Minds - Season 4 Intro
Season 4 Opening Credits
DVD Special Features[]
Working the Scene:
- Blow Up! - Ep 401 "Mayhem"
- Truckin' - Ep 404 "Paradise"
- Night Train - Ep 406 "Catching Out"
- Master Class - Ep 408 "Masterpiece"
- Fight Club - Ep 410 "Brothers in Arms"
- Riding Shotgun - Ep 411 "Normal"
- Bus Stop - Ep 418 "Omnivore"
- Burn Baby Burn - Ep 419 "House on Fire"
- Transformation - Ep 420 "Conflicted"
- Vincent - 422 "The Big Wheel"
- Pig Farm - Ep 425-426 "To Hell... And Back"
Profiled Featurettes:
- Profile: Rossi
- Rossi's Reprise
- Profile: Hotchner
- Murder is my Business
- Profile: Prentiss
- Angels & Demons
- Profile: Morgan
- Hero in Action
- Profile: Reid
- Instinct & Memory
- Profile: Jareau
- Mother Knows Best
- Profile: Garcia
- Girl on Fire
- Gag Reel