Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis and is the original show in the Criminal Minds franchise. It premiered on September 22, 2005, on the broadcast network CBS. The series is produced by The Mark Gordon Company, in association with CBS Television Studios and ABC Studios (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company). Criminal Minds is set primarily at the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) based in Quantico, Virginia. In accordance with the show's plot, Criminal Minds differs from many procedural dramas by focusing on profiling the criminal, called the "unsub" or "unknown subject", rather than the crime itself.
The show has an ensemble cast that has had many cast member changes since its inception. Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, and Shemar Moore[1] are the only actors to have appeared in every season. Thomas Gibson appeared in every season through Season 12. The series follows a group of FBI profilers who set about catching various criminals through behavioral profiling. The plot focuses on the team working cases and on the personal lives of the characters, depicting the hardened life and statutory requirements of a profiler. The show spawned several spin-offs: Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior in 2011, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders in 2016, and a South Korean adaptation in 2017. On April 7, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a thirteenth season.[2]When the series premiered in September 2005, it featured FBI agents Jason Gideon, Aaron Hotchner, Elle Greenaway, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, and Penelope Garcia. For season 1, Garcia was not a main cast member but rather had a recurring role, although she appeared in most episodes. In 2006, at the start of season 2, Lola Glaudini announced her departure from the show, as she wanted to return home to New York City.[3] Paget Brewster replaced her in the role of Emily Prentiss.
At the start of season 3, Mandy Patinkin announced his departure from the show because he was deeply disturbed by the content of the series.[4] He left letters of apology for his fellow cast members, explaining his reasons and wishing them luck. Joe Mantegna replaced him as David Rossi, a best-selling author and FBI agent who comes out of retirement. During season three, A. J. Cook became pregnant with her first child. Her pregnancy was written into the show. Cook's son, Mekhai Andersen, has been written into a recurring role as Jennifer's son Henry. Cook's void during maternity leave was filled by Meta Golding, who played Jordan Todd, an FBI agent who works with the agency's Counter Terrorism Unit. In season 6, JJ is forced to accept a promotion at The Pentagon, causing her to leave the BAU.
Later that season, Emily is seemingly killed off. Although she survives, she does not appear for the rest of the season. Cook and Brewster were both replaced by Rachel Nichols as Ashley Seaver, an FBI cadet. CBS's decision to release Cook and Brewster from their contracts resulted in numerous fans writing angry letters to the studio and signing protest petitions.[5] CBS rehired Cook and Brewster as Jennifer Jareau and Emily Prentiss, respectively; Nichols was released.[6][7] In February 2012 Brewster announced her departure from the show after the seventh season.[8] She was replaced in the eighth season by Jeanne Tripplehorn, who played Alex Blake, a linguistics expert.[9] Later in season nine, Paget Brewster made a special guest appearance, reprising her role as Emily Prentiss in the 200th episode.
After two seasons, Tripplehorn was released from the show.[10][11] Former Ghost Whisperer star Jennifer Love Hewitt joined the cast as Kate Callahan, a former undercover FBI agent who joins the BAU.[12] During season 10, Jason Gideon was killed off-screen. Executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer said CBS and ABC Studios were fine with the decision because it was clear that Patinkin would not come back again, but the show would feature him in a flashback if he were ever to return in the future.[13] Following the conclusion of season 10, Hewitt and Cook announced that they will both be on hiatus from the show due to their pregnancies. Hewitt did not return for season 11 or any of the following ones,[14] while Cook returned after the first seven episodes of season 11.[15] Aisha Tyler, who plays Dr. Tara Lewis, joined the show at the start of season 11 in a recurring role, though she appeared in most episodes.
Later that season, Shemar Moore, who plays Derek Morgan, left the show after 11 seasons. He had thought to leave in the previous season when his contract ended but was persuaded to stay to give his character a proper sendoff.[16][17] Messer said the initial thought was for Moore to do six episodes, but when that didn't feel like enough, they settled on Moore doing the first 18 episodes of that season, and he departed in March 2016.[18] He is replaced in the twelfth season by former CSI: Miami star Adam Rodriguez, who plays Luke Alvez, a Fugitive Task Force Agent.[19] A week after Moore left, Paget Brewster made her second special guest appearance. In season 12, Brewster once again became a series regular.[20][21][22][23]
On August 10, 2016, it was announced that Aisha Tyler would be promoted to series regular for the 12th season.[24] The next day, it was reported that Thomas Gibson, who portrays Aaron Hotchner, had been suspended from and written off the show for at least one, most likely two, episodes in the 12th season owing to an on-set altercation with one of the producers.[25] The day after that, Gibson was fired from the program due to this incident.[26]On September 30, 2016, it was announced that Gibson's character would be replaced by Damon Gupton, who will play Special Agent Stephen Walker, a seasoned profiler from the Behavioral Analysis Program (the counterintelligence division of the FBI) who will bring his spy-hunting skills to the BAU.[27] On June 11, 2017, it was announced that Gupton had been fired from the show after one season. CBS said his departure was "part of a creative change on the show."[28]
On June 20, 2017, CBS announced that Daniel Henney, who was a series regular on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders as Matt Simmons, would join the main show as a series regular for the 13th season.[29]
Characters[edit]
Main article: List of Criminal Minds characters📷Cast members in 2011–12: (left to right) Gibson, Cook, Gubler, Mantegna, Brewster, and Moore. Absent: Kirsten Vangsness📷Cast and crew at a Paley Centre discussion of the show
Main[edit]
Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), senior supervisory special agent and former BAU unit chief (seasons 1–3)
Gideon 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 look 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.
Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Former BAU unit chief and senior supervisory special agent (seasons 1–12)
s liaison. SSA Sam Cooper (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior) often calls when his team needs her computer skills. Penelope is the godmother of Jennifer's son, Henry, and the godmother of Morgan's son.
Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), supervisory special agent and BAU Unit Chief[30] (seasons 2–7, 12–present; guest seasons 9, 11)
Prentiss is the daughter of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss (Kate Jackson). After SSA Elle Greenaway leaves the BAU, Assistant Director Strauss approves Emily to join the BAU. The plan was for Emily to report any problems within the BAU, but Emily remained loyal to the team and refused to report any problems, going so far as threatening resignation. Emily is also fluent in several languages, such as Spanish, French, Greek, and Arabic, has a working knowledge in Italian, and was fluent in Russian at one point but has lost comprehension. 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 7 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 and returning to the Interpol office in London. She returns for the 200th episode to help rescue a kidnapped SSA Jennifer Jareau and again in the episode "Tribute" (season 11), where she enlists the help of the BAU in catching a serial killer who had originally killed in Europe before killing in the United States. Paget Brewster was confirmed to return for a several episode arc in season 12. Following the dismissal of Thomas Gibson, Brewster was promoted to a series regular again starting from season 12, episode 3; later Prentiss is promoted to Hotch's position of unit chief.
David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), senior supervisory special agent (seasons 3–present)
Rossi is a highly experienced profiler who once worked the BAU in its origins, then took early retirement in 1997 to write books and go on lecture tours about criminal analysis, until volunteering to return shortly after SSA Jason Gideon's departure in 2007. He has been married three times and is quite wealthy because of his 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 su***de. 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 8 episode "The Fallen," it is revealed that David was a Marine in Vietnam. The season 7 finale ("Hit") reveals 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 8 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 by his second wife. Since then, he is shown to have a strong relationship with his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, even approving of her husband's Italian heritage. In season 11 Rossi reunites with his second wife, and they give their relationship a second chance.
Ashley Seaver (Rachel Nichols), FBI cadet and special agent (season 6)
Seaver 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.
Alex Blake, Ph.D., (Jeanne Tripplehorn), FBI linguistics expert, supervisory special agent, and professor at Georgetown University (seasons 8–9)
Blake once worked for the BAU during the 2001 anthrax attacks but retired after a conflict with Chief Erin Strauss and rejoins 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, after a difficult case in Texas in which the team is targeted by a group of corrupt sheriff deputies and Reid is shot, she escorts Reid to his apartment, explaining that the experience brought back memories of her son's death and that Reid reminds her of him. She leaves behind her credentials, which Reid finds in his bag before seeing Blake leave in a taxi, saddened but understanding.
Kate Callahan (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Former FBI undercover agent and supervisory special agent (season 10)
Callahan, as mentioned in the season 10 premiere, previously worked under Andi Swann's team, which is also Ashley Seaver's team since she left the BAU. She is a "seasoner experience in the FBI, brought her face to face with monsters. Her job was to stare them down and interview them, to determine if they were fit to stand trial. In the process, she made herself find the humanity inside these broken men (and, sometimes, women) in order to learn if there was a conscience behind their brutal crimes. Lewis replaced both JJ (A.J. Cook) and Kate (Jennifer Love Hewitt) while they were on maternity leave in the 11th season.
Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), fugitive task force agent and supervisory special agent (seasons 12–present)
Alvez is a member of the FBI fugitive task force that partners with the BAU to catch the serial killers that escaped in the season 11 finale.[19] In the season 12 premiere, he works with the BAU to catch the "Crimson King," one of the escapees that attacked Alvez's old partner. The team discovers the real killer is "Mr. Scratch," who taunts the team by turning over the real "Crimson King," who was tortured to the point he no longer remembers who he was. After that, Alvez decides to join the BAU full time. Alvez has a dog, a Belgian Tervuren named Roxy (whom Garcia thought at first was his human girlfriend) and served in Iraq as an Army Ranger prior to joining the FBI.
Stephen Walker (Damon Gupton), supervisory special agent (season 12)[32]
Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney) (season 13; guest seasons 10, 12) is a former member of the International Response Team.[29]
Simmons is a special operations agent and formerly worked with the IRT. Simmons as wife, Kristy, (Kelly Frye) and has a total of four children, including two boys (Jake and David) and twin daughters, all of them under the age of 3. He was a former member of a special ops unit, and his experience with the unit allowed him to hone his profiling skills.
Recurring[edit]
Erin Strauss (portrayed by Jayne Atkinson; seasons 2–8, 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 masterly 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's 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. Showrunner Erica Messer chose to kill Strauss off because she felt that the character had come full circle since she was first introduced.[33]
Haley Hotchner (portrayed by Meredith Monroe; seasons 1–5, 9; 14 episodes) is Agent Aaron Hotchner's wife and the mother of his only son, Jack Hotchner, born in late 2005. The couple's marriage was troubled, as clues were revealed in season 3 that she may have been having an affair and walked out on him. She later appeared with divorce papers, and he accepted reluctantly so as not to cause any trouble for 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.
Jessica Brooks (portrayed by Molly Baker; seasons 1–11), is Agent Aaron Hotchner's sister-in-law, Jack's aunt, and Haley's sister.
Jordan Todd (portrayed by 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 follows Jennifer for only 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 has clashed several times with Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. She eventually leaves when she decides she can't handle the stress that comes with her job.
Diana Reid (portrayed by Jane Lynch; seasons 1–4, 12; 8 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 from schizophrenia and is hospitalized in a Las Vegas sanitarium, where Spencer committed her when he was 18. 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 her son but disapproves of the FBI, as it is a government-run organization; she refers to his colleagues as "fascists." She seems to be showing signs of improvement in later episodes, when 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 Reid later receives a postcard and a gift from her.
William LaMontagne Jr. (portrayed by 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 for Henry until he became 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 was born, they exchanged 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. Afterward, they agree to get married and unknowingly attend a surprise wedding ceremony thrown by Rossi and Will.
Kevin Lynch (portrayed by 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 that "things are going too fast," and ultimately the couple break up.
Mateo Cruz (portrayed by Esai Morales; season 9–present) takes over from the late Erin Strauss as the new BAU section chief in season 9. He has a past working relationship with JJ. It was 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 Tivon 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 with whom they had worked on the task force, was the mastermind behind the plan and threatened to r**e JJ to give him the access codes. He gives in and is later stabbed by Askari, who is quickly killed by Hotch. Cruz is taken to the hospital following the incident and is believed to be alive.[34] Several episodes later, he reappears in the season 9 finale, "Angels" and "Demons," when he asks the team to investigate a case brought to him by his friend Peter Coleman, the sheriff of Briscoe County, Texas. They first arrive to investigate a series of murders involving prostitutes, but as they investigate, the team soon finds that they are caught in a ring of corrupt deputies—ironically the only officer not involved being Sheriff Coleman—and find their lives in danger. After a fatal shootout with the corrupt, drug-peddling Preacher Mills (Brett Cullen), Sheriff Coleman is killed, Morgan is wounded, and Reid is critically wounded and hospitalized as a result. Distraught by this turn of events, Cruz travels to Texas with Garcia to help the team investigate and apprehend the ring leader, Deputy Owen McGregor (Michael Trucco). He is not seen again until late in season 10 (episode 19, "Beyond Borders") when he needs the BAU to help the FBI's international team, led by Jack Garrett (Gary Sinise), to catch an unsub who has kidnapped a family while on vacation in Barbados. The case is especially critical because this unsub has eluded both the domestic and international BAU teams by killing a family in Aruba, then in Florida one year later. This episode was the backdoor pilot for the upcoming spinoff, titled Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.[35][36]
Dr. Savannah Hayes (portrayed by Rochelle Aytes; season 9–11; 10 episodes) Savannah Morgan (née Hayes) is Derek Morgan's wife. She works as a doctor at Bethesda General Hospital. Savannah first appeared in Season 9’s “The Return,” and it is presumed Morgan and Savannah started dating prior to Season 9, and first met after she approached him when he was depressed over a case that ended badly. Before they started dating they used to be neighbors. She was introduced to the show because Shemar Moore, the actor who portrays Morgan, had requested that his character should get a romantic partner.
Joy Struthers (portrayed by Amber Stevens; season 10–present) is Rossi's daughter from his short-lived second marriage to French diplomat Hayden Montgomery. When they divorced, Hayden didn't tell him she was pregnant, and Joy thought her father was her mother's second husband, who finally told her the truth before dying from cancer. In the episode "Fate" (10x09), Joy seeks Rossi out and they're getting to know each other. Joy is a reporter and true-crime writer and is married. She has a 2-year-old son called Kai.
