TV Series: Criminal Minds

	Network:	CBS
	First Run:	September 22, 2005 - Present
	Genre:	Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller
	Time Slot:	Philippines' Ch. 23 - Fridays, 9:30 PM

Some people are addicted to crime series like CSI. Unfortunately, I'm only fond of watching the use of forensic science in solving crimes when we're talking of real cases like the shows on Fox's Crime channel. I somehow don't dig the addition of drama that Bones and CSI have.

Criminal Minds however is in the tradition of the usual "whodunits" with the twist of catching the criminal before the next crime happens instead of just catching the criminal after the crime has been committed. It also uses psychology, or takes into consideration the motive driving the criminal. This is what some people are really interested in anyway whenever a REAL crime is reported on the news. Why did he/she/they do it? Why did the crime have to happen in the first place?

Admittedly, Criminal Minds lacks the "flash" of the CSI series, despite having a cast that is a mix of veteran actors and pretty things (Shemar Moore is a hunk, Matthew Gray Gubler makes nerds/geeks look cool, AJ Cook is a beauty). The stories ARE good. The show is something I like to watch when winding down after a day's work. It's not a whodunit that makes it impossible to guess who the criminal is, usually the viewer knows by the middle of the episode. What I like about it is that it makes me contemplate how some people could think so horribly different from the majority and just how much crime there is in the world ... not to mention the variety of deadly crimes being committed.


Another thing I liked about the show during the first season is that the characters form a snug, closely knit family. Gideon played the father type that everybody goes to for advice. Hotchner was like everybody's big brother. Reid was the greenhorn that knows a lot theoretically but have yet to earn the same amount of experience in the field. Elle was like the pretty but stern oldest sister. Morgan and JJ are characters that weren't well defined in the first season, although they each play a specific role in the team. Morgan seems to be a playful character, what with flirting with Garcia and playing jokes on Reid. Garcia is the quirky reminder that not all work happens in the field. She embodies the total computer nerd who at first glance wouldn't even strike you as working for the FBI (starting with the hair).

Already in its third season, the series has had 3 cast changes.

Lola Glaudini, who played Elle Greenaway, left early in Season 2, stating as one of her reasons that she wants to be working closer to home (New York). She was replaced by Paget Brewster who now plays Emily Prentiss, the latest newbie who must prove she got on the team because she has the qualities they need and not because her mother is a VIP.

Season 2 paid more attention to Morgan and JJ than the series did in Season 1. The chemistry of the cast shifted with Prentiss on board. Unlike Greenaway who is tough on the field but is generally mild and gentle otherwise, Prentiss looks and acts tough most of the time. I guess the character has to be that way, especially when she realizes she is an outsider until she proves she deserves her slot. Reid now moves to being the sophomore, with Prentiss being this season's freshman.



Mandy Patinkin left in Season 3. He reportedly just did not show up during a rehearsal or reading, which some people say he already did in a previous project when he decided to quit. He was released from his contract as he wished, but agreed to appear in a few more episodes to ease out his character's exit from the series.

With Patinkin gone, the series started Season 3 with this picture on its website:


If you ask me, this picture meant that Gideon is the character holding these individuals together. He was a mentor to all of the characters on different levels: helping Hotchner become a better leader, teaching newbies to be better team players, and helping agents deal with the stress and nightmares that come with the job. Without Gideon, the team was in danger of falling apart.

Joe Mantegna stepped in to fill Patinkin's shoes and now plays Rossi ... like Gideon, he is a veteran whose failure in one case haunts him. Some have commented on how he's a grumpy character who hasn't blended with the team yet. I think these people forget that Gideon was just about the same in Season 1. The writers are just following the same formula.

I couldn't really comment much on Mantegna's Rossi since I haven't seen any episode of the third season. The show stopped airing on Philippine cable when local free TV Channel 23 got the rights to it ... when they did start showing it on Free TV, they freaking started from Episode 1 of SEASON 1. Which means that these days, I usually click on to watch the first minute ... just to know what episode is on, then I switch off if I've already watched it. I sometimes watch a full episode if it's a favorite.

I'm really looking forward to see how Mantegna does, hoping he is the perfect replacement to Patinkin. The series is too good to die just because some people have stopped watching when Gideon left.

The latest picture used on Criminal Mind's site is shown below. Note how it is once more a cast picture, with Rossi near the middle, although Hotchner now stands in the middle where Gideon used to be. This reveals how much importance the creators of the show place on the veteran character, which I guess to them holds the key to keeping the team together.