Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit.
Criminal Minds became a ratings success for CBS, consistently ranking among the network’s most-watched programs and winning the People’s Choice Award for Best TV Crime Drama in 2017. Its success has spawned a media franchise, with several spinoffs, a South Korean adaptation, and a video game.
Criminal Minds originally culminated after its fifteenth season on February 19, 2020; however, it was revived and re-titled Criminal Minds: Evolution for its sixteenth season, which premiered on Paramount+ in November 2022. In March 2025, Criminal Minds was renewed for a nineteenth season.
Premise
The series follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit using behavioral analysis and profiling to help investigate crimes and find the suspect known as the unsub.The team is supervised by Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, and later Emily Prentiss. The team included Jason Gideon, the founder of the BAU, who was known as the best profiler in the Bureau; Derek Morgan, an ex-Chicago Police officer who is an expert on obsessional crimes; Spencer Reid, an expert on geographic profiling; Jennifer Jareau, the team's communications liaison, who later becomes a profiler; Elle Greenaway, an expert on sex crimes; David Rossi, one of the original BAU agents who is also an expert in criminal profiling; Ashley Seaver, a rookie FBI agent; Alex Blake, a linguistics specialist helping with nuances in communication; Kate Callahan, a seasoned undercover agent; Tara Lewis, a forensic psychologist; Luke Alvez, an expert fugitive tracker who becomes a profiler on the team; Stephen Walker, an expert on counterintelligence; and Matt Simmons, an expert profiler who joins the team from the FBI International Response Team.
Episodes
Characters
Main
- Jason Gideon, FBI Senior Supervisory Special Agent and formerly BAU Unit chief.
- Aaron Hotchner, FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Chief of the BAU, previously an agent in the Seattle field office.
- Elle Greenaway, FBI Supervisory Special Agent.
- Derek Morgan, FBI Supervisory Special Agent and former Chicago Police officer. Morgan is a confident, assertive, and often hot-tempered character. He was raised by his mother Fran along with his two sisters, Sarah Morgan and Desiree Benita, after the death of his police officer father right in front of him. Derek was a troubled Chicago youth headed for juvenile delinquency. He was rescued and mentored by Carl Buford, who turned out to be a sexual predator who molested Derek and other young boys; he was eventually arrested for murder. After developing an interest in football, Derek attended Northwestern University on a scholarship. After a football injury left him unable to play, he joined the Chicago Police Department's bomb squad and later joined the FBI and the BAU. He has an emotionally intimate but platonic relationship with technical analyst Penelope Garcia; the two have a unique shorthand and banter. In the season 7 premiere, Derek shows utter hatred toward Ian Doyle for killing SSA Emily Prentiss, but when Emily returns alive, he has mixed feelings. In season 11, Derek is kidnapped and tortured by the father of Giuseppe Montolo, a hitman whom Derek put away and who later died while in custody. Derek escapes and when he learns his girlfriend Savannah is pregnant, he realizes that he does not want to put his family through something like this again. Derek leaves the BAU in the episode "A Beautiful Disaster" to care for his now-wife and newborn son.
- Dr. Spencer Reid, FBI Supervisory Special Agent
- Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, FBI Supervisory Special Agent and former BAU communications liaison.
- Penelope Garcia, BAU technical analyst and BAU communications liaison.
- Emily Prentiss, supervisory special agent and BAU Unit Chief
- David Rossi, senior supervisory special agent with an Italian background. Rossi is a highly experienced profiler who once worked the BAU in its origins, then took early retirement in 1997 to write books and go on lecture tours about criminal analysis, until volunteering to return shortly after SSA Jason Gideon's departure in 2007. He has been married three times and is quite wealthy because of his successful writing career. In the episode "From Childhood's Hour", David reconnects with his first wife, Carolyn Baker, who has shocking news for him. It is revealed that she came to him because she was diagnosed with ALS and wants David to assist in her suicide. In the next episode, Carolyn dies after taking a drug overdose. It is also revealed in this episode that David had a son who died at birth. In the season 8 episode "The Fallen", it is revealed that David was a Marine Corps|Marine] in Vietnam. The season 7 finale reveals SSA David Rossi may be having a secret relationship with Section Chief Erin Strauss; this was discovered when technical analyst Penelope Garcia and SSA Dr. Spencer Reid spot them both leaving a hotel. In the last season 8 episode we see their relationship has been known to the entire team. The episode is an emotional one for SSA David Rossi since Unit Chief Erin Strauss is murdered by The Replicator. She was taken from her hotel room, where he had planned to meet her that night, drugged and put on the streets of New York disoriented for Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner to find her. The episode's last scene is SSA David Rossi eulogizing her to the team after her funeral, at a gathering at his home. In season 10 we learn that David has a daughter from his second wife. Since then, he is shown to have a strong relationship with his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, even approving of her husband's Italian heritage. In season 11 Rossi reunites with his second wife, and they give their relationship a second chance.
- Ashley Seaver, FBI cadet and special agent.
- Alex Blake, FBI linguistics expert, supervisory special agent, and professor at Georgetown University.
- Kate Callahan, former FBI undercover agent and supervisory special agent.
- Tara Lewis, forensic psychologist and supervisory special agent.
- Luke Alvez, fugitive task force agent and supervisory special agent.
- Stephen Walker, supervisory special agent
- Matt Simmons, supervisory special agent, and former member of the International Response Team.
- Tyler Green, special agent.
- Elias Voit
Recurring
- Erin Strauss, an assistant director and the BAU Unit Chief's direct superior. While her FBI experience was primarily in administration, SSA Derek Morgan remarked on her masterly marksmanship after observing her at a firing range. In early episodes, Strauss appeared only concerned with herself and appearances within the Bureau, going so far as to force SSA Jennifer Jareau to accept a promotion to the Pentagon in the episode "JJ". Further character development revealed her alcohol abuse. After being confronted by Morgan and Hotchner, Strauss accepts help and achieves sobriety. In the season 8 finale, The Replicator breaks into Strauss's hotel room in New York, drugs her, and forces her—at gunpoint—to drink alcohol from her room's minibar. Hotchner finds her on a bench near the hotel, where Strauss dies in his arms. Her death is avenged when Rossi traps the Replicator in an exploding house. Fittingly, Strauss's sobriety helps defeat the Replicator as Rossi uses her sobriety chip to escape the Replicator's trap and taunts him with it. After attending her funeral, the members of the BAU gather in a still-emotional Rossi's backyard, reminisce, and toast her memory. Showrunner Erica Messer chose to kill Strauss off because she felt that the character had come full circle since she was first introduced.
- Haley Hotchner is Agent Aaron Hotchner's wife and the mother of his only son, Jack Hotchner, born in late 2005. The couple's marriage was troubled, and she walked out on him. She later appeared with divorce papers, and he accepted reluctantly so as not to cause any trouble for his son with the divorce. In the episode "100", Haley and Jack were captured by a killer known as "The Reaper"; though Jack was saved, Haley was shot and died before Aaron could save her. Aaron later beat The Reaper to death. In the episode "Route 66", Hotch collapses from internal bleeding and dreams about Haley. She tells him that he should stop blaming himself for her death and to make sure Jack knows that he can talk about his mother's death. Haley leaves Hotch by telling him that he and Beth have a good relationship and he shouldn't mess it up by not telling her how he feels.
- Jessica Brooks, is Agent Aaron Hotchner's sister-in-law, Jack's aunt, and Haley's sister.
- Jordan Todd is SSA Jennifer Jareau's handpicked replacement to serve as the BAU's media director during Jennifer's maternity leave, from late 2008 through early 2009. Jordan had formerly served in the FBI counterterrorism division, but follows Jennifer for only one day of shadowing before Jennifer goes into labor. Jordan seemed to get along well with most of the team, even flirting platonically with SSA Derek Morgan. She is especially close with SSA David Rossi, who is seen to counsel her while they are on cases. However, Jordan has clashed several times with Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. She eventually leaves when she decides she can't handle the stress that comes with her job.
- Diana Reid, the mother of BAU team member Dr. Spencer Reid. Like her son, she has a high IQ. She was once a university professor of literature, but has schizophrenia and is hospitalized in a Las Vegas sanitarium, where Spencer committed her when he was 18. Her husband, William Reid, left prior to her diagnosis because of his inability to cope with her illness, and he could not deal with protecting her after she witnessed a murder. She is functional when on her medication, but frequently lapses into regression to her university career. Diana spent much time reading aloud to Spencer while he was growing up, and he continues to write her a letter every day. She is proud of her son but disapproves of the FBI, as it is a government-run organization; she refers to his colleagues as "fascists". She seems to be showing signs of improvement in later episodes, when Reid states that she went on a supervised field trip to the Grand Canyon without feeling the need to notify him. However, she did not forget him, with Reid later receiving a postcard and a gift from her.
- William LaMontagne Jr. is SSA Jennifer Jareau's husband and the father of Jennifer's sons, Henry and Michael. Will and Jennifer met while she was working a case in his hometown. As of early season 4, Will had moved to Virginia and is a stay-at-home dad for Henry until he became a detective for the Metropolitan Police Department as shown in the season 7 finale. It is also stated that the couple had made a deal that in a life-threatening situation, they would do everything so that one of them could live to look after Henry. Jennifer accepted his marriage proposal and they were married officially; however, when their son was born, they exchanged rings with insets of Henry's birthstone, citrine. He is seen briefly in the 100th episode getting medicine for Henry with Jennifer, as well as the episode "The Slave of Duty", accompanying Jennifer and the team at Haley Hotchner's funeral. In the season 7 finale, Will works alongside JJ to stop the bank robbers and is eventually taken hostage. Afterward, they agree to get married and unknowingly attend a surprise wedding ceremony thrown by Rossi and Will.
- Kevin Lynch first appears in the episode "Penelope", in which he is required to search Penelope Garcia's computer to learn who shot her. Kevin sends the team live video alerting that the unsub is in the BAU headquarters. He is intensely impressed by Penelope's computer skills, and the feeling is mutual. At the end of the episode, Penelope is introduced to Kevin, and the two become romantically involved. In the episode "I Love You, Tommy Brown", Kevin proposes to Penelope, but she turns him down, saying that "things are going too fast", and ultimately the couple break up.
- Mateo Cruz takes over from the late Erin Strauss as the new BAU section chief in season 9. He has a past working relationship with JJ. It was revealed in "200" that the two had worked on a task force together in the Middle East. He was the only person to know of her pregnancy and miscarriage during her time on the task force. In the same episode, they are both kidnapped by Tivon Askari, who was a traitor within the task force. They are both physically and mentally tortured into giving the access codes given to them during the mission. He is shocked to discover that Michael Hastings, one of the men with whom they had worked on the task force, was the mastermind behind the plan and threatened to rape JJ to give him the access codes. He gives in and is later stabbed by Askari, who is quickly killed by Hotch. Cruz is taken to the hospital following the incident and is believed to be alive. Several episodes later, he reappears in the season 9 finale, "Angels" and "Demons", when he asks the team to investigate a case brought to him by his friend Peter Coleman, the sheriff of Briscoe County, Texas. They first arrive to investigate a series of murders involving prostitutes, but as they investigate, the team soon finds that they are caught in a ring of corrupt deputies—ironically the only officer not involved being Sheriff Coleman—and find their lives in danger. After a fatal shootout with the corrupt, drug-peddling Preacher Mills, Sheriff Coleman is killed, Morgan is wounded, and Reid is critically wounded and hospitalized as a result. Distraught by this turn of events, Cruz travels to Texas with Garcia to help the team investigate and apprehend the ring leader, Deputy Owen McGregor. He is not seen again until late in season 10 when he needs the BAU to help the FBI's international team, led by Jack Garrett, to catch an unsub who has kidnapped a family while on vacation in Barbados. The case is especially critical because this unsub has eluded both the domestic and international BAU teams by killing a family in Aruba, then in Florida one year later. This episode was the backdoor pilot for the upcoming spinoff, titled Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. He has not been seen since.
- Savannah Morgan is Derek Morgan's wife. She works as a doctor at Bethesda General Hospital. Savannah first appeared in Season 9's "The Return", and it is presumed that Morgan and Savannah started dating prior to Season 9 and first met after she approached him when he was depressed over a case that ended badly. Before they started dating, they used to be neighbors. She was introduced to the show because Shemar Moore, the actor who portrays Morgan, requested that his character get a romantic partner.
- Joy Struthers is Rossi's daughter from his short-lived second marriage to French diplomat Hayden Montgomery. When they divorced, Hayden didn't tell him she was pregnant, and Joy thought her father was her mother's second husband, who finally told her the truth before dying from cancer. In the episode, "Fate", Joy seeks Rossi out and they're getting to know each other. Joy is a reporter and true-crime writer and is married. She has a two-year-old son named Kai.
- Kristy Simmons is Matt Simmons' wife, and the mother of his four children.
Reception
Season 1
The first season of Criminal Minds received mixed reviews from critics. It has a Metacritic score of 42 based on 21 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Dorothy Rabinowitz said, in her review for The Wall Street Journal, "From the evidence of the first few episodes, Criminal Minds may be a hit, and deservedly" and gave particular praise to Gubler and Patinkin's performances. Ned Martel in The New York Times was less positive, saying, "The problem with "Criminal Minds" is its many confusing maladies, applied to too many characters." The reviewer felt that "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." The Chicago Tribune reviewer, Sid Smith, felt that the show "may well be worth a look", though he too criticized the "confusing plots and characters". Writing in PopMatters, Marco Lanzagorta criticized the show after its premiere, saying it "confuses critical thinking with supernatural abilities" and that its characters conform to stereotypes. In the Los Angeles Times, Mary McNamara gave a similar review, and praised Patinkin and Gubler's performances.
Season 2
said, in her review for Entertainment Weekly, "Like every procedural crime series of late, Minds is stocked with weary, overworked detective types. But here they also seem bored, bitter, and unengaged."Ross Ruediger, had a more positive review, in his review for Bullz-Eye.com, he said, "The producers and writers deserve major kudos for developing a strategy for keeping the show on the air without dumbing it down, and the second season of "Criminal Minds" sets a higher bar for this type of network series." He praised the show for not repeating its themes, and highlighted Matthew Gray Gubler's performance as the usual standout of the show. He also mentioned the performances from the rest of the cast, saying, "There isn't a weak performer in the BAU ensemble."
Season 3
Bruce Simmons said, in his review for Screen Rant, "Last season, they started showing both sides of the equation... It took some of the fun out of wondering who or what, but they made up for it with decent character interaction and development, and there were many last season."Cynthia Fuchs, in her review for PopMatters, focuses on David Rossi's, played by Joe Mantegna, addition to the show. In her review, she said, " needs signs of effort, gritty character work rather than shorthand "traits" ripped off from other shows It's tempting to think Patinkin was tired of the same-old. Rossi's traditional earnestness and self-reliance, his recklessness and self-doubt, might juice this too-slick series into a semblance of originality, even relevance." She explained how she thought the addition of his character could shake up the formula of Criminal Minds, giving it a more interesting angle. She rated the season a 6 out of 10.
Season 4
Todd R. Ramlow, in his review for PopMatters, criticized the fourth season's depiction of Islam, saying that the "manipulation of racial assumptions and liberal guilt" is problematic, aligning themselves with the principle that if someone looks like a terrorist, then they are a terrorist. He criticizes the season for "further linking Islam to a so called 'culture of death', as opposed to the "culture of life" seemingly celebrated by the Christian West". He said, "It's unfortunate that even when the architects of the "global war on terror" have changed their phrasing and perhaps their presumptions, Criminal Minds steps back in with such absolutism." He rated the season a 4/10.Will Harris, in his review for Bullz-Eye.com, focuses on the performances of the guest stars, citing how the opportunity to play villains within the show brings out some of their best acting performances. He said, "There's clearly something about playing a bad guy on "Criminal Minds" that brings out the best in the show's guest stars, as some of the season's best episodes come courtesy of one-off performances by recognizable faces who have taken on that very challenge. Luke Perry plays a deluded cult leader, Mitch Pileggi plays a "normal" guy who snaps after a personal tragedy and turns into a killer, and Alex O'Loughlin is a murderer with enough of a conscience to leave messages at his crime scenes asking for help."
Season 5
Anthony Ocasio, in his review for Screen Rant, focused on Aaron Hotchner's storyline, which was one of the main points of the season. He stated the episode "100", which was also the show's 100th episode, was amazing and said, "The whole angle about Hotchner never being able to see his son again was pretty intense. I can't believe they went in that direction with it. It's something I wasn't expecting it at all." However, he heavily criticized the season's finale, citing that it was flat from the beginning and had a poor cliffhanger. He said, "The fifth season finale of Criminal Minds was terrible, at best. Even an amazing guest star like Tim Curry was unable to save this lack-luster 'cliffhanger'."Season 6
Darragh Mcmanus of The Guardian, gave the season a positive review, saying that Criminal Minds was only getting better with each season. They said that despite the fact that it wasn't groundbreaking or new, it was still thoroughly entertaining. They said, "Season six has since settled into the groove nicely, with two excellent subsequent episodes rinsing out memories of Toothy Tim. JJ had a tense plot, almost like a play, centred on two Leopold and Loeb types, and a touching denouement as the titular Agent took her leave, while last Friday Remembrance Of Things Past was gruelling and gruesome, and scarier than usual, with the team tracking down a killer come out of retirement – a residual nightmare from Rossi's past."Steve Marsi, in his review for TV Fanatic, said that the season was overall good, rating it a 4 out of 5, but cited casting issues. He praised A.J Cook's performance as the "performance of a lifetime" and lamented her departure from the show that season. He said, "It's a shame that 'The Longest Night' marked a career high point for Jennifer Jereau, a character who just delivered so strongly, only to be shown the door next week. Was this CBS' way of sending her off on a high note? If so, it worked in a sense. She was great. But it made us even more confused and sad about Cook's departure."
Season 7
Renatta Selliti, in her review for TV Fanatic, gave the season a positive review with a 5 out of 5 rating, and said, "What's equally compelling as the profiling aspect on a show like Criminal Minds is the personal connection between the characters, and this group has it pitch perfect." She praised the season's writing and memorable moments such as Prentiss' return, stating that it created emotional scenes that kept viewers engaged, saying, "Moments like these are what primetime television viewers live for."Anthony Ocasio, in his review for Screen Rant, also had a positive review. He said that the storyline which focused on Emily Prentiss' fake death, and the aftermath of such, was a new format that while it wasn't the representation of an amazing Criminal Minds case, it was refreshing from the usual case of the week approach. He stated that each character got their moment to shine, and the writing resulted in compelling character moments. Specifically, he praised Matthew Gray Gubler's performance, especially in the judiciary meeting scene and said, "The moment where the Senator stated "Calm down, Mr. Reid," and Gubler replied, "I am calm - and its doctor," may very well be one of the best performances of a line in the history of the series." Finally, he stated the season wrapped up well, and said, "Of course they're going to be fine. Of course nobody from the team is going to be permanently suspended. But that doesn't mean the manner in which we came to this resolution wasn't appropriately earned, or deserved."
Season 8
Douglas Wolf, in his review for TV Fanatic, gave the show a positive review with a 5 out of 5 rating. He focused particularly on the two-part finale, which featured Mark Hamill, saying, "The Criminal Minds two-part finale left me on the edge of my seat, earning a perfect rating and leaving my jaw hanging open in shock." He stated that the buildup was really well done, and that it explored new layers of the characters. For example, he said that the depiction of the relationship between Strauss and Rossi was memorable, as it was unexpected. He said, "I didn't realize the depth of his commitment to Strauss, nor was I aware that he was pretty much cheering in her corner as she obtained her medallion for one year of sobriety. The writing around the relationship of these two was compelling and real - and so his agony over her death, and especially about how it would affect her kids, was compelling."Broadcast and ratings
In 2016, a study by The New York Times of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "like several of the other police procedurals", Criminal Minds "is more popular in rural areas, particularly in the southeastern half of the country. It hits peak popularity in Alabama and rural Tennessee and is least popular in Santa Barbara, Calif."- Note: The series premiere episode aired outside of its regular day and time at Thursday 10:00 p.m.
All episodes are available to stream on Paramount+ in the United States and on Disney+ in Canada. The series, which ABC Signature co-produces while also handle worldwide distribution, is available on Disney+'s Star content hub with all 16 seasons in selected territories.
Franchise
''Criminal Minds: Evolution'' continuation
The series originally culminated after its fifteenth season on February 19, 2020. In February 2021, a revival of the series was in early development at Paramount+, with a 10-episode revival officially greenlit. This change modified the show's format to better fit into a more serialized arc, preferred by streaming modern audiences. It was announced to still be in development by the time of the Television Critics Association winter press tour in February 2022. In July 2022, Paramount+ officially gave the revival a full season order. The main cast of the previous seasons would return, with the absence of Daniel Henney and Matthew Gray Gubler. The season began filming in August 2022.In January 2023, Paramount+ renewed Evolution for a second season. In May 2023, CBS Home Entertainment announced that Evolution would be released to Blu-ray and DVD on June 20, 2023; with the home release officially dubbing it the "sixteenth season" of the series overall.
Showrunner Erica Messer confirmed that all main characters from the sixteenth season will be returning for the seventeenth: filming began in January 2024, and the 10-episode season premiered on June 6. On June 5, Criminal Minds was renewed for an eighteenth season, which premiered on May 8, 2025 and will consist of ten episodes. In March 2025, Criminal Minds was renewed for a nineteenth season.
''Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior''
The Season 5 episode, "The Fight", introduced a second BAU team and launched a series called Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. The spin-off series debuted February 16, 2011, on CBS but was canceled after a short 13-episode season owing to low ratings. On September 6, 2011, CBS DVD released The Complete Series on a four-disc set. It was packaged as "The DVD Edition".The cast features Forest Whitaker as the lead role of Sam Cooper; including Janeane Garofalo, Michael Kelly, Beau Garrett, Matt Ryan, Richard Schiff, and Kirsten Vangsness, who reprises her role as Penelope Garcia from the original series.
''Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders''
A proposed new series in the Criminal Minds franchise to be named Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders was announced in January 2015. Former CSI: NY star Gary Sinise and Anna Gunn were cast in the lead roles of Jack Garrett and Lily Lambert, though the latter departed after the backdoor pilot. Tyler James Williams was cast as Russ "Monty" Montgomery and Daniel Henney as Matt Simmons, with Alana de la Garza as Clara Seger and Annie Funke as Mae Jarvis further being cast as series regulars.The series follows the FBI agents of the International Response Team helping American citizens who are in trouble abroad. CBS aired a backdoor pilot on April 8, 2015, in the Criminal Minds slot, with a crossover episode titled "Beyond Borders". The second spin-off series debuted March 16, 2016, on CBS. On May 16, 2016, CBS renewed the series for a second season. On May 14, 2017, CBS canceled the series after two seasons due to low ratings.
''The Real Criminal Minds''
In addition to Evolution, a true-crime docuseries titled The Real Criminal Minds was ordered by Paramount+. The series will feature a real former FBI profiler and examine real cases and real behavior, illustrated by clips from the fictional Criminal Minds series.''Criminal Minds Korea''
In 2017, tvN launched their own Korean version of Criminal Minds. The episodes are based on the original American version after its third season. On the cast is Lee Joon-gi as Kim Hyun-joon, Moon Chae Won as Ha Sun-woo, Son Hyun-joo as Kang Ki-hyung, Yoo Sun as Nana Hwang, Lee Sun-bin as Yoo Min-young, and Go Yoon as Lee Han. The episodes are an hour-long.Video games
CBS announced in October 2009 that Legacy Interactive would develop a video game based on the show. The game would require players to examine crime scenes for clues to help solve murder mysteries. The interactive puzzle game was released in 2012, but the show's cast was not involved with the project so it did not feature any of their voices. The second game, developed by Tilting Point, was released on November 20, 2018, for Android and iOS devices.Awards and nominations
In January 2017, Criminal Minds won the Best TV Crime Drama award at the People’s Choice Awards.| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2006 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite New Television Drama | Criminal Minds | Nomitated |
| 2006 | Hollywood Post Alliance | Outstanding Editing – Television | Jimmy Giritlian | Nomitated |
| 2006 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top TV Series | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won |
| 2007 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top TV Series | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won |
| 2008 | Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing – Music for Short Form Television | Lisa A. Arpino For episode "True Night" | Nomitated |
| 2008 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Mark Mancina | Won |
| 2008 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination | Tom Elliott For episode "Tabula Rasa" | Nomitated |
| 2009 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Mark Mancina | Won |
| 2009 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination | Tom Elliott For episode "Normal" | Nomitated |
| 2010 | Hollywood Music In Media Awards | Best Score in a TV Show | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won |
| 2010 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Steffan Fantini | Won |
| 2011 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nomitated |
| 2011 | Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "Remembrance of Things Past" | Nomitated |
| 2011 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Steffan Fantini | Won |
| 2012 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nomitated |
| 2012 | Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "The Bittersweet Science" | Nomitated |
| 2012 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Steffan Fantini | Won |
| 2012 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination | Tom Elliott For episode "The Bittersweet Science" | Nomitated |
| 2013 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nomitated |
| 2013 | MovieGuide Awards | Faith and Freedom Award | Criminal Minds For episode "The Fallen" | Nomitated |
| 2013 | Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "The Pact" | Nomitated |
| 2013 | BMI Film & TV Awards | BMI TV Music Award | Mark Mancina | Won |
| 2013 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Television Series | Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini, Scott Gordon | Won |
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nomitated |
| 2014 | Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series | Janine Sherman Barrois For episode "Strange Fruit" | Won |
| 2014 | Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Shemar Moore | Nomitated |
| 2014 | Image Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Rob Hardy For episode "Carbon Copy" | Nomitated |
| 2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nomitated |
| 2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor | Shemar Moore | Nomitated |
| 2015 | Prism Awards | Drama Episode – Mental Health | Criminal Minds For episode "The Edge of Winter" | Nomitated |
| 2015 | Monte-Carlo TV Festival | International TV Audience Award – Best Drama TV Series | Touchstone Television, The Mark Gordon Company | Nomitated |
| 2015 | Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Shemar Moore | Won |
| 2015 | Image Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Hanelle Culpepper For episode "The Edge of Winter" | Nomitated |
| 2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Nomitated |
| 2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor | Shemar Moore | Nomitated |
| 2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | Criminal Minds | Won |