A crime drama that took over our free time and had us investigating crimes with the characters on the screen called Criminal Minds dropped its first episode sometime in September 2005. Produced by Jeff Davis, the show followed a bunch of criminal profilers working under the FBI, solving all kinds of crimes while dealing with their own lives.
We started the show with the beloved cast, including actors Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, and Kirsten Vangsness. They were the ones who laid the foundation for the show, though they were all replaced by newer cast members over the seasons.
Under the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI are a group of criminal profilers who investigate crimes and find the suspect using their specialties.
At the time of its release, the show was one of a kind, leading to it becoming popular enough to get a South Korean adaptation, spinoffs, video games, and a whole franchise.
Despite its new concept, the series failed to be a complete success right from its start as it seemed like the makers struggled to find the right direction for the story arc and the characters.
As the seasons progressed, the makers found the perfect balance between thriller and character development for the show.
Obviously, with the new seasons being thrown our way, fans realized that there was only so much spice and action the makers could introduce in the series to keep it interesting, but despite its repetitive nature, we tuned in to catch our favorite criminal profilers find the suspect of the crime solely because it was still somehow entertaining.
The tension in the show continues to increase with episodes, and the crimes become more gruesome, but that did not stop us from binging the show as it aired on CBS over the years until very recently, when the show ended.
Is Criminal Minds Finished?
After airing its premiere episode in 2005, this great procedural crime thriller finally ended in 2020 when it released its fifteenth season, also its last. With just ten episodes in the final season of the beloved show, it seemed to have ended slightly hasty.
While the real reason behind the show’s abrupt ending has still not been disclosed, fans did not have to worry much as a spinoff version of the show with ten more episodes was soon revealed to have been confirmed for release.
So, as the original series got wrapped, an updated version of the show called Criminal Minds: Evolution was announced soon after. Knowing that the original series was loved so much and would have cost too much for the network to just abandon just like that, this new season of the show also confirmed the presence of the original cast.
Aired first on February 9th, 2022, the series incorporated the pandemic situation in its story and had actors Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez, and Paget Brewster return to their respective roles for the season that aired on Paramount+.
This renewed version of the show can be considered an expansion of the original series. It may have the same characters as the mother series, but the story is fresh, and the storytelling techniques and the characters are just as intriguing.
Fans of the show, Criminal Minds, can also rejoice in the fact that the extended version of the show, Criminal Minds: Evolution, has already been confirmed for a season two, which means that it will be back with more drama and compelling stories for fans to binge very soon.
While we still do not understand the exact reason that led to the end of the show, Criminal Minds, we continue to be comforted by the fact that its sister show will be returning with a second season and that the original series also has other spinoffs like Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
