For 15 seasons the members of FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (B.A.U.) profiled — and caught — some of the most gruesome and dangerous serial killers ever featured on scripted television.
During that time (324 episodes to be exact), viewers also gleaned insight into the main characters’ backgrounds through dark journeys to hometowns. They worked the term “unsub” into their everyday vernacular. And they witnessed beloved actors transform into unrecognizable killers in water-cooler-worthy, guest-starring roles.
They also watched the rise and fall of two short-lived spinoff series, “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.”
Behind the scenes, there was plenty of drama to keep track of as well thanks to actor exits (and returns). Notably, Mandy Patinkin left in the show’s early days because of the dark subject matter; A.J. Cook’s contract wasn’t renewed after Season 5 but she was reinstated by Season 7 after fan outrage; Thomas Gibson was let go after a reported altercation with a producer on set; and fan favorite Shemar Moore left after 11 seasons to spend more time with his family (and eventually, to star on the CBS drama “SWAT”).
The result was a series full of ups and downs, on-screen and off, right up until its February 2020 conclusion. To commemorate the series while fans await word on any official movement on the potential revival at Paramount Plus, Variety selected and ranked 21 of the best episodes from the series. Wheels up!
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Profiler, Profiled
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 2, Episode 12)
Midway through the second season, Morgan (Moore) got to do some heavy lifting when he returned to Chicago to celebrate his mother’s birthday. However, things were anything but celebratory when local police accused him of murdering three boys, forcing the BAU to find the real murderer in order to exonerate their colleague of the crime. Not only was it a great showcase for Moore that let fans learn more about his character, but the timely episode also highlighted the touching friendships between the team. The fact that the installment also introduced viewers to the eventual serial killer known as Carl Buford (Julius Tennon) was just icing on the cake. -
Derailed
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 1, Episode 9)
Elle (Lola Glaudini) had a rough first season on the show, including in this episode when a mentally ill passenger took her and an entire train car hostage. Ted Bryar (Chris Bauer) suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and seeing the FBI agent as the train made an emergency stop convinced him he was being followed. The ensuing negotiations and unraveling situation was a series highlight, even though the cast makeup was completely different way back then. (Glaudini exited the show early in Season 2 to move back to the East Coast.) -
Somebody's Watching
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 1, Episode 18)
A dark, meta side of Hollywood was unleashed in this early-on episode when Gideon (Patinkin) and Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) traveled to L.A. for a seminar but became entangled in a connected string of murders instead. The episode guest starred Amber Heard as an up-and-coming actress named Lila, whose stalker (guest star Katheryn Winnick) had become obsessed with eliminating her competition in order to give her a leg up. The episode explored the dark side of fame with some killer Charles Manson references, all while delving into the psychological makeup of an “underappreciated” stalker. It also featured a fun flirtation and potential romance for Reid, making this one an all-around win. -
Conflicted
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 4, Episode 20)
Director Jason Alexander had a lot of subject matter to tackle in this hourlong installment, in which the BAU tracked a killer who was targeting, raping and killing male college students on spring break. That’s because the unsub at the center of the killings suffered from a split personality: the submissive Adam and the dominant Amanda (played by Jackson Rathbone). Not everything in the episode holds up today, but at the time it was credited as a deeper and meaningful look into trans issues, and thus it remains an important episode in the overall “Criminal Minds” canon. -
Mayhem
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 4, Episode 1)
There were a lot of high expectations following the Season 3 finale, “Lo-Fi,” so the pressure was on in this premiere. Luckily for viewers, it didn’t disappoint. The episode revolved around a terrorist plot that targeted first responders, which made the situation even more complicated when Agent Joyner (Sienna Guillory) was critically injured. Seeing Hotch (Gibson) — who is usually pretty calm and collected no matter what the situation — lose his cool and beg for help was a mind-burning moment for fans, making this one of the best episodes of the bunch. -
Memoriam
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 4, Episode 7)
This follow-up to “The Instincts” was a Reid-centric showcase meant to unlock some of the secrets to the character’s past. The episode was driven by nightmares of his estranged father, William (Taylor Nichols), that led to Reid staying back in Las Vegas to learn the truth about his family. It also featured the return of Jane Lynch in her role as Diana Reid. It was packed with emotional moments that outshone the case at hand, and it highlighted the way the BAU had one another’s backs as their chosen family — especially at the end when JJ (Cook) gave birth and named Reid as the godfather. -
Minimal Loss
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 4, Episode 3)
Luke Perry made headlines as the chilling cult leader Cyrus in this high-stakes episode, in which Reid and Prentiss (Paget Brewster) went undercover at a compound in order to investigate alleged child abuse. Things took a sour turn when a surprise SWAT raid forced a hostage situation, resulting in a news report that one of the hostages was in fact an undercover agent. While the episode stands out for its unique and gripping storyline, it was also a chance to showcase the various agents in terms of the skill sets they each bring to such life-or-death situations. -
The Replicator
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 8, Episode 24)
In Season 8, Mark Hamill turned to the dark side with his portrayal of John Curtis, a.k.a. The Replicator. He was a former FBI agent with a genius-level IQ who began copycat murders of crimes the BAU had solved in the past. He spent a good chunk of the season taunting the team and taking over for criminals they had just caught — until this season finale. In the episode, Curtis’ story came full circle when he poisoned and killed Strauss (Jayne Atkinson), but he met his explosive demise shortly thereafter. As far as intense finales go, this is definitely one of the heavier episodes, and its big emotional lift is thanks to that unexpected farewell. -
L.D.S.K.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 1, Episode 6)
A hostage situation always makes for an intense hour of television, and the situation involving Hotch and Reid in this episode was no exception. This episode revolved around a sniper (or as the BAU deemed him, a “long-distance serial killer”) who would injure people so that he could later help to save them. What truly made the episode so memorable were the scenes between Reid and Hotch when they became hostages, as the latter pulled out all the stops to try and save the day — including a staged fight. -
Sex, Birth, Death
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 2, Episode 11)
Anton Yelchin was unforgettable as a teen struggling with a dark passenger in this episode. Nathan Harris knew his twisted impulses were beginning to get the best of him — to the point where he even sought help from Reid. It was a nuanced look into the conflicting personalities of a killer, executed with aplomb by the late actor. Unfortunately, while the episode left the door open for another guest star appearance (raising ethical questions for Reid along the way), Harris never appeared onscreen again. -
Lauren
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 6, Episode 18)
Fans were treated to an emotional roller coaster in this intense Prentiss-centric episode, in which the character goes after Big Bad Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy) solo. It all resulted in Doyle kidnapping Prentiss, swearing revenge and plunging a wooden stick into her abdomen before he escaped. Fearful he would actually exact revenge on her friends, Prentiss then faked her own death, and for a heartbreaking moment viewers believed the character really was dead thanks to a subsequent funeral. It was also the last anyone would see of her that season. -
Mosley Lane
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 5, Episode 16)
In Gubler’s directorial debut, the actor got to play with a house of actual horrors thanks to the terrifying premise of this episode. The unsubs in question were a couple who were kidnapping children and creating a pseudo family in their basement, giving viewers all kinds of horrific insights into the minds of grieving parents in the process. The episode was dark, gritty and impressionable, and it also featured a young Evan Peters in a pretty chilling role. -
Mr. Scratch
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 10, Episode 21)
Mind control was a central theme in this episode, which introduced viewers to Peter Lewis (Bodhi Elfman). The terrifying unsub would force people into hallucinating someone named Mr. Scratch and then kill their loved ones, resulting in a storyline that was just as terrifying in premise as it was in reality — especially when he targeted the BAU. That terror was revisited in Season 11 when Lewis escaped and antagonized the team throughout Season 12, making him one of the most dangerous characters ever introduced on this show. -
Penelope
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 3, Episode 9)
Fans were beside themselves during this episode, as beloved character Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) fought for her life after being shot in the chest while on a date. It was a chance to dig deeper into the character everyone knew and loved, while also slightly pandering to the Morgan-Garcia shippers out there. Naturally viewers were into it and although the colleagues didn’t wind up together in the end, the episode did introduce Nicholas Brendon as Garcia’s new boyfriend Kevin Lynch, who wound up sticking around for another 21 episodes. -
Date Night
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 15, Episode 6)
There have been some pretty memorable recurring unsubs in the history of this show, but one of the most was definitely Aubrey Plaza as Cat Adams. The character had an extensive history with Reid by the time she returned for this final chapter, in which she arranged for his girlfriend’s father and sister to be kidnapped. Why? Turns out she wanted one date with Reid before her execution and this was her last play. It was a fitting finish to a character who was responsible for the deaths of more than 200 people before her own demise. -
Zugzwang
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 8, Episode 12)
In terms of character development and overall creepiness, this episode is one of the most important of the entire series. It’s also dark as hell and requires some emotional preparation in order to watch. The episode featured Michelle Trachtenberg as Diana Turner, the woman who stalked Reid’s long-distance girlfriend Maeve (Beth Riesgraf). When Diana kidnapped Maeve, the team did everything it could to save her, but in the end Diana killed herself and Maeve, leaving a giant emotional scar on Reid for weeks to come. -
Elephant's Memory
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Episode 3, Episode 16)
There are many Reid-centric episodes that make this list, but this one in particular stands out because of the personal investment the doctor took in the case. His bid to help a teenaged killer (Cody Kasch) brought up a lot of past trauma from Reid’s own childhood, and led to extra frustration given that he could see where this kid had been failed at every turn. Add some touching scenes with Morgan and Hotch, plus a Johnny Cash-fueled soundtrack and a sympathetic unsub, and this episode easily cracks the Top 5. -
The Fisher King: Part 1 and “The Fisher King: Part 2
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 1, Episode 22 and Season 2, Episode 1)
Both of these episodes count as one overall installment for the purpose of this list. The cliffhanger finale hooked any fence-straddling fans as the show crossed over from a full procedural into a series with characters whose personal lives sometimes seeped into the cases they covered. Add in a fantastical unsub in the form of Randall Garner (played by Charles Haid in the first part and Charley Rossman in the second), who was dramatically waiting to confront Elle at gunpoint, and this season finale/opener are true highlights of the entire series. -
Masterpiece
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 4, Episode 8)
A few episodes before Alexander stepped behind the camera to direct “Conflicted,” he appeared onscreen in a role that would divert any “Seinfeld” fans from ever typecasting him again. Henry Grace was a narcissistic serial killer who turned himself in as part of a plan to exact revenge on Rossi (Joe Mantegna) for capturing his serial killer brother, William. In the episode, Grace (Alex Jennings) revealed he had kidnapped five people — including three children — and explained one of them would die every two hours if the BAU didn’t find them. It was a trap that the team figured out just in time, but Rossi still played it like he’d been had in one of the series’ most satisfying conclusions it has ever pulled off. -
100
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 5, Episode 9)
In “Criminal Minds’s” fourth and fifth seasons, George Foyet, a.k.a. The Reaper (C. Thomas Howell) became one of the most memorable and hated unsubs in the series’ history. His goal seemed to be making Hotch’s life as hard as possible, beginning with his first appearance in “Omnivoire.” The killer’s reign of terror continued all the way to the show’s 100th episode (with its very apt title), when he tricked and murdered Hotch’s ex-wife Haley (Meredith Monroe). Upon finding her body, Hotch snapped and beat the man dead in a blind rage until the team arrived to pull him off. Needless to say, the character was never the same afterwards. -
Revelations
Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Plus (Season 2, Episode 15)
If “Criminal Minds” drove one thing home during its impressive run, it’s that there’s a lot of grey area when it comes to good versus evil. That theme was especially prevalent in this episode, which was the concluding installment of a two-part, Super Bowl event. It featured Tobias Hankel (James Van Der Beek in a head-turning role), a killer with multiple personalities who kidnapped Reid, beat him, drugged him and psychologically tortured him. The character was so memorable because Hankel was both a killer and a victim, and when Reid was forced to kill him it stayed with the BAU member (and viewers) for a long, long time.