Criminal Minds

Wall Street JournalDorothy Rabinowitz

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

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]

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

It's kind of good.

Chicago TribuneSid Smith

May well be worth a look.

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.

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.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Solidly plotted and filmed.

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.

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.

Entertainment WeeklyNicholas Fonseca

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

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.

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.

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.

PopMattersMarco Lanzagorta

Unfortunately, Criminal Minds confuses critical thinking with supernatural abilities.

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.

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.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

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

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

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

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

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

NewsdayDiane Werts

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

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

CBS' crummiest imitation of CSI yet.