Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

TV

2009 Fall Season
2009 Summer Season
2008-09 Midseason
2008 Fall Season
2008 Summer Season
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005

Recent/Upcoming
Movies & Specials

46 The Prisoner
AMC, 11/15

73 Collision
PBS, 11/15

70 Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags
HBO, 10/19

84 Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)
IFC, 10/18

80 Occupation
BBC America, 10/18

Recent/Upcoming
Series Premieres

47 The Wanda Sykes Show
Fox, Saturday

67 V
ABC, Tuesday

54 The League
FX, Thursday

81 Friday Night Lights Season Four
DirecTV 101, Wednesday

77 Endgame
PBS, Sunday

78 White Collar
USA, Friday

20 The Jeff Dunham Show
Comedy Central, Thursday

47 Lock 'n Load
Showtime, Wednesday

74 30 Rock Season Four
NBC, Thursday

65 Nip/Tuck Season Six
FX, Wednesday

49 Secret Girlfriend
Comedy Central, Wednesday

62 Sherri
Lifetime, Monday

48 Three Rivers
CBS, Sunday

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed shows.

Criminal Minds

EMAILPRINTSERIES: CBS, Wednesday 9:00p (60 minutes)

Criminal Minds
42
8.6 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 113 votes
Read user comments
Rate this show >

Show Info

Genre(s): Crime, Drama

Created By: Jeff Davis

First Air Date: September 22, 2005

Summary

Starring Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini, Matthew Gray Gubler, Shemar Moore, and A.J. Cook

Surprise! It's another police procedural on CBS. This one follows an elite team of FBI psychological profilers who solve grisly crimes with smarts. Or something like that.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80

Wall Street JournalDorothy Rabinowitz

From the evidence of the first few episodes, "Criminal Minds" may be a hit, and deservedly.

Read Full Review >
75

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

It's not clear how seriously Patinkin takes the whole thing--it's the same actorly mystery that makes David Caruso's whispery bitterness such a kick on CSI: Miami. [31 Oct 2005, p.39]

63

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

It's kind of good.

Read Full Review >
60

Chicago TribuneSid Smith

May well be worth a look.

Read Full Review >
60

VarietyPhil Gallo

It has a few points going for it: Mandy Patinkin's onscreen magnetism; some truly eerie episodes; and a smartness that it wears on its sleeve. On the downside, it draws on too many other recent hits -- "CSI," "Crossing Jordan," "Medium," "House," "Law & Order: SVU""Law & Order: SVU" -- for visual style, character tics, mind games and an ability to find the truth in confounding evidence.

Read Full Review >
60

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Viewers certainly like this sort of thing. CBS has become the No. 1 network with an incessant stream of it, and Criminal Minds is as well-made as any of them.

Read Full Review >
60

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Solidly plotted and filmed.

Read Full Review >
50

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

The problem with "Criminal Minds" -- other than there are 48 series in a similar vein, 39 of them on CBS -- is that every person in this cast has an area of expertise, and they spend the hour telling you about it in the most unrealistic workplace conversations you'll ever hear.

Read Full Review >
50

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

Now and then, there are instances in which the profilers, and Gideon in particular, literally walk out of one scene and into another. It's a nice touch and a visually creative change of pace, but it's not enough -- not even with frequent shots of Patinkin's expressive face -- to distinguish this series in a particularly crowded genre.

Read Full Review >
42

Entertainment WeeklyNicholas Fonseca

Do yourself a favor and read some Nietzsche instead of watching this junk. [23 Sep 2005, p.82]

40

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

It's not a cool-science show, but its crimes blur together with what we already see on the ''CSI" series, and its supporting cast is indistinct.

Read Full Review >
40

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

"Criminal Minds" doesn't present any spin on the crime TV genre you haven't seen before, save for taking savagery against female victims to new heights.

Read Full Review >
40

The New York TimesNed Martel

The problem with "Criminal Minds" is its many confusing maladies, applied to too many characters. As a result, the cast seems like a spilled trunk of broken toys, with which the audience - and perhaps the creators - may quickly become bored.

Read Full Review >
30

PopMattersMarco Lanzagorta

Unfortunately, Criminal Minds confuses critical thinking with supernatural abilities.

Read Full Review >
30

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

Patinkin looks especially unnatural in these scenes — just give that man a song to sing, I say, and let him do what he was born to.

Read Full Review >
25

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

"Criminal Minds," which generates almost no creative energy of its own, has the aura - or is it odor? - of being patched together from scraps of failed CBS dramas of the past.

Read Full Review >
25

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Everything about Criminal is patched together from other shows, from the FBI setting to the tired visual gimmickry.

Read Full Review >
20

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

Big talent meets weak script and every TV crime cliche known to prime time.

Read Full Review >
12

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

A slick 'n' grim crime procedural piled high with deadly dull cliches

Read Full Review >
10

NewsdayDiane Werts

The whole project feels salaciously sleazy, unless you're enjoying the proceedings, in which case it's juicily depraved.

Read Full Review >
10

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

CBS' crummiest imitation of CSI yet.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this show is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 113 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ashwal S. gave it a9:
Excellent insight into serial killers...its a tad bit unrealistic but who wants to see realism on TV...I can watch the news for realism.

Jenni J. gave it a10:
I love this show! it's set to record on my DVR every Wednesday!

Tom R gave it a10:
My favorite show on television. The great acting, well-written script, and over-all suspense keep me wanting more.

SUICIDE gave it a9:
A Good Mix Of Cerebral And Action & Absolutely It a Brilliant Show

B Mack gave it a2:
This show is full of bad actors especially that dorky guy who wears his gun on his front pocket and the lead dude who has ZERO personality . . . the story lines are cool but that's it.

gave it a10:
The last 3 episodes have been great. The cast is well of without Mandy Patinkin. New guy is great.

Laurie F. gave it a9:
I miss Gideon. But, I'll still watch hoping he'll be back somehow.

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: SEC Football | NFL | Video Game Cheats | iPhone | Video Game Reviews | Notebooks | Antivirus Software

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use