For those of you who haven’t been converted yet, Criminal Minds follows the adventures of an elite team of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, which provides criminal profiling services to local law enforcement. Each week, the team wings across the nation on its private jet, pitting their powers of psychological perception against some of the world’s most criminal minds.
The leadership of the team shifts somewhat due to twists and turns in the plot, but at its core are five characters who have been with the show from the start.
Unit Chief, SSA Aaron Hotchner—Portrayed with almost unrelieved brooding by Thomas Gibson, Hotch is the emotional center of the group. He’s the parental figure of the group. At the beginning of the series, his gloominess was abated somewhat by scenes with his wife Haley, and son, Jack, but as their relationship begins to unravel, and they eventually divorce, Hotch becomes more and more serious.
SSA Derek Morgan—Intense and at times impulsive, Morgan (Shemar Moore) is the player of the team. The son of a Chicago cop who died in the line of duty, Morgan takes his job very seriously. He takes over as Unit Chief for a time during season five when Hotch is distracted by his hunt for the Reaper.
SSA Dr. Spencer Reid—Age 27 in Season 4, the baby of the group, Reid, played by Matthew Gray Gubler, was a child prodigy. He has an eidetic memory and degrees in math, chemistry, engineering, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Reid’s mother suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia and lives in a psychiatric facility to which Reid committed her when he turned 18.
SSA Media Liaison J.J. Jareau—Not a profiler, J.J. is one of two team members who have managed to maintain a relationship, having met her partner Will LaMontaigne during a case in New Orleans. Played by A. J. Cook, she is good friends with Reid, even going so far as to choose him to be godfather to her son. J.J.’s role is as the one who relates best to the public and members of local law enforcement.
Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia—Not an agent or a profiler, Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) generally stays in Quantico when the team is on a case, using her computer hacking skills to crunch numbers, sifting through multiple databases at a time to discover criminal and medical histories. Garcia is often the voice of “everyman,” voicing the horror and distaste that the other team members are often too busy to mention. With an endless supply of spectacles and a flair for makeup and hair color, Garcia is the mother hen of the group, often hovering when she senses a member of the team needs help.
The rest of the cast has shifted as the series progressed, with Joe Mantegna’s Dave Rossi stepping in to fill the vacancy left when Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) left the bureau after a serial killer murdered his girlfriend. Whereas Gideon was intense, Rossi is more laid back, and often counsels team members that they shouldn’t let the job become their lives.
Season One’s Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini) was the new kid on the block, but left after killing a suspected rapist who was unarmed. She was replaced by Emily Prentiss, played by Paget Brewster, who previously worked as an undercover agent for Interpol. The daughter of a US Ambassador, it is first believed that her mother pulled strings to get her onto the team, though she denies it. It takes a bit for Emily to fit into the team, but eventually she does, often hanging out after work with J.J. and Garcia.
Over their six season run, the team has dealt with multiple stressors, including last season’s behind the scenes casting shake-ups. In the summer of 2010, A.J. Cook was let go from the show, which was written two episodes into the 6th Season as J.J. being given a promotion to the Pentagon that she couldn’t refuse. But thanks to the cancellation of spin off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and the departure of longtime show runner Edward Allen Bernero, Cook has been signed to a new two-year contract and will reprise the role of J.J. starting this fall.
It remains to be seen how the writers will handle bringing Emily back from the dead, and moving J.J. back to the BAU from the State Department. The season ender in May suggested that Section Chief Erin Strauss, who has not always been a big fan of Hotch’s team, might be going through some personal trauma. Will it mean a temporary promotion for Hotch? Or will J.J. come back to the BAU into a role other than Media Liaison? And how on earth are the team going to handle Emily’s rise from the dead? Garcia and Morgan and Reid were devastated by her loss. And I don’t think they’re going to welcome her back with open arms. I have my own theory about Hotch and how much he knew about Emily’s situation. And if the team feels like they can’t trust Hotch there’s going to be conflict-galore. I can’t wait!
Manda Collins has been reading mysteries since her first Nancy Drew at the age of six. An academic librarian by day, by night she writes historical romance blended with mystery for St. Martin’s Press. Her first book, How to Dance with a Duke, is scheduled for release in February, 2012. To learn more, check out her webpage or follow her on Twitter @MandaCollins.
Criminal Minds is one of the best – if not the best – show(s) on television. The cast is magic, and the writing is both evocative and realistic. I will cry whenever it’s taken off the air.
I, too, love Criminal Minds… The characters have grown into deep and complex crimefighters that you cannot help but to admire and love, and the balance of bad guys and mentally ill people who commit crimes always make you think. Glad to hear that the new season will continue to bring drama!!!
Yes, I’m hooked on Criminal Minds. The show has had a long run but has managed to keep it fresh. Here’s one series that seemed to make a good choice when Mandy Patinkin was replaced by Joe Mantegna. The team works well together and all characters are interesting. I’m looking forward to the return of Brewster (Emily) but will miss J.J., one of my favorties on the show. No tears for the demise of Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.
CC, I agree with you about the writing. I think it’s top notch. I think it has to be hard to slowly develop relationships and characters over a long series run, but the folks at Criminal Minds have done it.
I think there will be more than enough drama in the upcoming season, SK1336. And that’s just with the regular characters! There’s no telling what kind of craziness this season’s baddies will bring to the table!
CarolK, I’m pretty sure that JJ is coming back. The producer who fired her left the show and the guys taking his place almost immediately re-hired A.J. Cook (who plays JJ). So not only are we getting Prentiss back, but JJ as well.
And I totally agree about Suspect Behavior. I did try to love it, but it just didn’t have the same chemistry among the key players, and ultimately it takes more than just creepy bad guys to make a show work.
Excellent rundown of the series, Manda. Criminal Minds is my absolute favorite show and I’m so excited that JJ and Emily are returning. Regarding Emily’s supposed demise, I agree that it’ll be very interesting to see how the team reacts to her being alive. I hope they don’t make it too tough on her. I like the show much better when there’s harmony among them as they evaluate the unsub and hunt down the bad guys.
Great to know another CM addict! (:
Thanks, Christy! Right back atcha:)
I’m with you on hoping that the team doesn’t react too badly to Emily’s deception. It was for her own safety, after all. I suspect there will be some trust issues for a time. But it might inject some new nuances into the way they interact, which will keep things fresh. I’m particularly wondering how Reid and Morgan will react. Garcia will rejoice after a brief scold, I predict. Rossi will be philosophical about it. Reid and Morgan are the wildcards. I can’t WAIT!
I just hope that whatever “personal trauma” Strauss has to deal with makes it impossible for her to work at the FBI anymore! I cannot STAND the character, and my loathing extends to anything else I see that actress in. [Please excuse that sentence-ending preposition. 🙂 ] I know, it’s completely irrational, but she’s mean to my Hotch and I won’t stand for that.
Otherwise, I can’t wait for the new season — and I do hope that Emily comes back and gets the cold shoulder from her colleagues for a while … only for the drama!
Yeah, frogprof, I hope Strauss is gone for a bit. Though not necessarily because I hate her character. It’s more because I think the way she’s been used throughout the series has been awkward. She always seems to be stirring things up, but when it comes down to it she has no real power. I mean, she threatens and schemes and yet she never succeeds in breaking up the team. And not for lack of trying. Which tells me she can’t really hurt them. She’s just a maguffin the writers use to create drama when things are going too well for the team. And I’m tired of that storyline and want something new.
I actually like the actress. She reminds me of an American Catharine Deneuve. But, being a fan of Law and Order Criminal Intent, where they recently hired a former bad guy actor to play the new captain, I’ve learned to be actor agnostic.
I am counting the days for the new season. We should liveblog the premier!