INTRODUCTION
CHARACTERS
INTRODUCTION
CHARACTERS
22 Episodes
Air Dates: September 22, 2005 – May 10, 2006
Rank: No. 28
"Criminal Minds" centres on the Behavioral Analysis Unit, a special section of the FBI that specialises in profiling, tracking, and apprehending serial killers and other compulsive bad guys. The programme's debut series stars Mandy Patinkin as the prickly Jason Gideon, widely recognised as the best profiler in the FBI; and Thomas Gibson as agent Aaron Hotchner. Their squad deals with a number of dangerous psychopaths, including a serial arsonist torching buildings at a college, a man who spends time pretending to be the father of various families before slaughtering them, and a deranged madman obsessed with King Arthur who pulls each member of the BAU out of their vacations by sending them individual clues. Meanwhile, each member of the unit struggles with how the intensity of their work life compromises their personal relationships.
23 Episodes
Air Dates: September 20, 2006 – May 16, 2007
Rank: No. 24
The sophomore series of the CBS procedural "Criminal Minds", which centers on the elite Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI who identify and apprehend serial killers, sees the first of many cast changes that would occur throughout the run of the program. Paget Brewster, as Emily Prentiss, replaces first season regular Lola Glaudini, after her character has trouble readjusting to the job after being shot. Prentiss has powerful parents, and must spends much of the season proving to her new co-workers that she is up to the job, and not there due to nepotism. Among the cases the squad tackles this season is a serial rapist who begins attacking college students and the abruptly changes his target demographic, a killer (played by James Van Der Beek) suffering from multiple personality disorder, and a pair reenacting the plot of The Most Dangerous Game. Guest stars this series include Robert Carradine, Kate Jackson, and Elle Fanning.
20 Episodes
Air Dates: September 26, 2007 – May 21, 2008
Rank: No. 24
The third series of the CBS procedural "Criminal Minds" sees a major change come to the Behavioral Analysis Unit when their best profiler Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) leaves his work after his girlfriend is killed. He's replaced by David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), a retired agent who comes back to become the squad's go-to profiler. Each of the team members spend the season dealing with the fallout of Gideon's departure, all the while dealing with cases like a cannibal in Florida, a murdered person in the witness protection program, and a series of shootings in New York that may or may not be the work of psychopaths working together. Guest stars this series include Jamie Kennedy, Eddie Cibrian, and Frankie Muniz.
26 Episodes
Air Dates: September 24, 2008 – May 20, 2009
Rank: No. 11
The fourth series of the CBS procedural "Criminal Minds" follows the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they deal with a number of dangerous cases including a series of murders that look like the work of a serial killer who was executed at the time these new murders transpired; terrorists who blow up a vehicle carrying BAU member Hotch (Thomas Gibson), an event that causes him substantial hearing problems; and Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) becomes haunted by his past while investigating the murder of a boy. Guest stars this series include Jason Alexander, Wil Wheaton, C. Thomas Howell, and William Mapother.
23 Episodes
Air Dates: September 23, 2009 – May 26, 2010
Rank: No. 16
The fifth series of the CBS procedural "Criminal Minds" follows the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they deal with a number of dangerous cases including a man who commits a mass killing in a pharmacy; a psychotic who is raping, impregnating, and then killing women after they've delivered the baby; and a case involving the muder of several homeless people in San Francisco. That last episode serves as the pilot for the spinoff series "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior." On the personal front, Hotch (Thomas Gibson) considers leaving the BAU after a difficult case, and Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) becomes the new leader of the unit.
24 Episodes
Air Dates: September 22, 2010 – May 18, 2011
Rank: No. 10
Rachel Nichols joins the cast of "Criminal Minds" for the show's sixth season as an FBI cadet named Ashley Seaver. This run of episodes finds the members of the Behavioural Analysis Unit dealing with a number of horrific cases including a serial killer who forces couples to have sex before murdering them, another psychotic who has been killing strippers, and uncovering a human trafficking syndicate. This season also features an unusual departure for one of the team members, as well as guest appearances from Corbin Bernsen, Tim Curry, and Robert Davi.
24 Episodes
Air Dates: September 21, 2011 – May 16, 2012
Rank: No. 15
The seventh season of this crime series follows the Behavioural Analysis Unit as they crack a series of unsettling cases involving Philadelphia's boxing subculture, a Zodiac copycat killer terrorising San Francisco, and a team of bank-robbing serial killers. On the personal front, Rossi (Joe Mantegna) reconnects with his ex-wife, Prentiss (Paget Brewster) questions if she should continue on the job, and JJ (AJ Cook) plans her wedding. Guest stars include Max Martini, Rene Auberjonois, author Patricia Cornwell, and Dean Cain.
24 Episodes
Air Dates: September 26, 2012 – May 22, 2013
Rank: No. 20
The BAU welcomes new linguistics expert Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn) to the team in Season 8. She is immediately put to work as the BAU travels to Texas to search for an escaped serial killer known as "The Silencer", who sews the mouths of his victims shut. But even more disturbing for the unit is evidence that someone is stalking every member of the BAU, secretly photographing and studying them. Eventually, he begins to replicate crimes that the BAU is solving and then he targets members of the team?and not everyone escapes his deadly intentions. Elsewhere, Rossi (Joe Mantegna) reconnects with his Marine Corps sergeant (Meshach Taylor) from Vietnam; Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) begins making calls to a mysterious woman; and Morgan (Shemar Moore) revisits his childhood neighbourhood in Chicago to search for a man who is targeting middle-age men. The investigation reveals that the suspect may be the same person who abused Morgan as a kid. As for Hotch (Thomas Gibson), he learns that his brother Sean (Eric Johnson) may be involved in a series of deaths related to ecstasy overdoses in Manhattan. Mark Hamill, Brad Dourif and Michelle Trachtenberg guest star.
24 Episodes
Air Dates: September 25, 2013 – May 14, 2014
Rank: No. 12
Series 9 of the crime drama follows the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they investigate a number of disturbing cases and track down the perpetrators, who include a ritualistic killer in Arizona, a sniper in Dallas who may be using the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination as a motivating factor, a deadly UnSub in Utah with a bizarre fascination with the Salem witch trials, and missing teens in Chicago who commit a series of mass murders. Back at headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, new section chief Mateo Cruz (Esai Morales) is introduced and it's learned that he has a long work history with JJ (A.J. Cook), who is guarding a secret that could put her life in danger. As for Hotch (Thomas Gibson), he collapses during a meeting and is rushed to the hospital where he fights for his life due to complications from his stabbing at the hands of George Foyet (C. Thomas Howell), the infamous "Reaper," who murdered his wife Hayley (Meredith Monroe). During surgery Hotch sees mysterious visions of both Hayley and Foyet. Elsewhere, Rossi (Joe Mantegna) searches for his former Marine sergeant (Meshach Taylor) when he goes missing; Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) delves into her hacker past and reconnects with an old flame; and Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn) experiences a tense reunion with her father and brother, who help her investigate homicides in Kansas City.
23 Episodes
Air Dates: October 1, 2014 – May 6, 2015
Rank: No. 11
Series 10 of the crime drama continues with the Behavioral Analysis Unit on the trail of more cases that push the boundaries, and perpetrators whose sadism and cunning make them the most dangerous of adversaries; including a killer bound in the world of acrotomophilia, a delusional unsub with an obsessive skin disorder, and a twisted psychopath who rings the authorities to report murders he is about to commit. With Blake's departure, a new face enters the fray in the form of Kate Callahan (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a former undercover FBI agent whose past exploits have landed her with the best of the best...but will she be ready to face the horrors that await, and the endless pursuit for justice, especially when things become personal.
22 Episodes
Air Dates: September 30, 2015 – May 4, 2016
Rank: No. 16
The eleventh season of Criminal Minds was ordered on May 11, 2015 by CBS. It premiered on September 30, 2015 on CBS and ended on May 4, 2016. The season consisted of 22 episodes. The entire main cast returned for the season, except Jennifer Love Hewitt (Kate Callahan), who left the show in the season ten finale. On June 22, 2015, it was announced that Aisha Tyler would replace Hewitt in a recurring role as Dr. Tara Lewis, a psychologist with an eye on forensic psychology and its application toward the criminal justice system.
22 Episodes
Air Dates: September 28, 2012 – TBD
Rank: TBA
The twelfth season of Criminal Minds was ordered on May 6, 2016, by CBS with an order of 22 episodes. The season premiered on September 28, 2016. The entire main cast from the previous season will return for the season, except Shemar Moore (Derek Morgan), who left the show during the eleventh season. This season also marks the final appearance of Thomas Gibson (Aaron Hotchner).