What Is Criminal Minds About?
When no other leads exist for a serial crime case or a case of an extremely violent nature, the FBI immediately calls on the Quantico Behavioral Analysis Unit for help.
While regular detectives study the evidence of a crime, this unit analyzes the criminal’s behavior to develop a list of suspects. The team examines the country’s criminals through their modus operandi and victimology in an attempt to anticipate their next moves before they act again.
They investigate the crime from the inside out rather than examining the evidence in the lab. Instead, they observe offenders’ conduct at crime scenes or where they live or work, using profiling and conducting analysis to determine their thoughts.
Through their encyclopaedic knowledge of the human mind and behavioral patterns, along with cutting-edge technology, they get inside the minds of killers to anticipate their next moves.
The team is led by Special Agent Jason Gideon, the founder of the BAU and the FBI’s top behavioral analyst.
The experts on Gideon’s team include Special Agent Dr Spencer Reid, a typical genius with a high IQ and little social life specializing in geographic profiling, Special Agent Aaron Hotch, a family man able to gain people’s trust and uncover their secrets and Special Agent Derek Morgan , a former Chicago police officer specializing in obsessive crimes.
Also part of the team is Elle Greenaway, an agent who is motivated by the unsolved assault she suffered in the past, Jennifer Jarreau, the team’s communications liaison who later becomes a profiler, Stephen Walker, a counterintelligence specialist and Matt Simmons, an expert profiler who joins the team from the FBI’s International Response Team.
Each team member brings their unique specialties together as they target the motivations of predators and identify their emotional triggers in an attempt to stop them.
Is Criminal Minds Worth Watching?
Criminal Minds premiered in September 2005 and has sixteen seasons with 334 episodes.
With a positive critical and worldwide fan reception, it has become a ratings success for the network, regularly featuring as one of the most watched programs over its fifteen years.
Its success generated a media franchise, the spinoffs Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Bordersa South Korean adaptation and even a video game.
Like most good crime dramas, this long-running show offers detective stories full of exciting details and plenty of suspense. Alongside the intensely horrific crimes are positive messages, and the central characters show teamwork, perseverance, communication, kindness and respect.
Over the seasons Criminal Minds portraying more racial diversity among the main cast and stronger female role models. The relationships within the team are central to the show, and there are moments of warmth and humor to break up the darker material.
But the show’s longevity is mainly due to its compelling storytelling, and it has become a pop culture favorite thanks to the inclusion of notable quotes that sum up the meaning of each episode.
For those capable of enduring some frequent gory scenes, this is an intelligent, darkly funny and intriguing series worth watching.
Where To Watch Criminal Minds?
In the US, all 16 seasons of Criminal Minds are available on Paramount+.
However, in the rest of the world, the show is available to stream on Disney+including the newest season.
