There are several shows currently on television that feature police or crimes in some way.  Those type of shows have been around for years and I've watched several of them.  I have watched Criminal Minds on and off since it began airing.  I recently picked up Criminal Minds - The Complete First Season.

Criminal Minds began to air on CBS in the fall of 2005.  The hour long crime drama airs on Wednesdays at 9:00 P.M. EST.  The show is in its fifth season as of the fall of 2009 and has started to air in syndication on a few stations.

The main characters in Criminal Minds are profilers for the FBI who work on violent investigations all around the country.  The profilers are part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, an elite team made up only of profilers.  They are experts in analyzing the minds of criminals.  I have seen other shows and movies with profiler characters, but this is the first time I have seen something that has a whole team of them working together to investigate crimes.  I know the are profilers working for the FBI, though I have no idea if groups of them actually work together like is depicted in the show.  They are shown dealing with all aspects of an investigation once the team is called in.  Before seeing this show, I had mainly thought the profilers would sort of consult on a case to create the profile of a suspect and then move on to the next profile while other agents finished the investigation.

During the first season of Criminal Minds, the profilers are led by Jason Gideon and Aaron Hotchner.  Jason had a bit of a breakdown before the series began and he hadn't been working with the team for a while.  The first episode shows Jason returning to the team.  Two members of the team specialize in a certain type of crime.  Elle Greenway, who officially joins the team in the second episode, specializes in sexual crimes.  Derek Morgan knows more about obsessive types of crimes.  Dr. Spencer Reid is a genius who knows all sorts of odd things that end up helping in some way.  He is also the youngest member of the team and he does seem to have some issues with social situations.  Jennifer Jareau, J.J., isn't a profiler.  Instead she serves as a liaison between the team and local police and media.  She is the one who will give statements at press conferences and she usually doesn't go out in the field with the team.  Penelope Garcia is a computer technician for the team.  She is very talented with computers and able to dig out all sorts of information with her computers.  

Each episode of the first season of Criminal Minds deals with a different investigation that the team works on.  A few things about the various members of the team are shared over the course of the season, but most of the episodes stand alone well.  Every episode except the last one of the season has a story that is concluded by the end of the episode.  The last episode is the first of a two part episode, so the season does end with a cliffhanger.  The crimes they deal with tend to be violent or at the very least, upsetting and sometimes are higher profile.  Local authorities request the team to help with cases.  With several of the episodes, some of the crimes are shown, usually before the team is called in.  The various crime scenes are shown, and many of them are disturbing to see.  Some violence in shown and while it is somewhat graphic at times, it isn't that explicit.  Anyone that doesn't like to see those types of things will probably want to avoid this show.  Some action turns up at different times through chases, fights, and even some explosions.  Special effects are used every so often, sometimes to help illustrate something one of the profilers is thinking.

A lot of time is devoted to the criminals in Criminal Minds, which makes the show a little different from other crime shows that will be more focused on the victims.  The profilers look at the crime scenes and evidence and then try to determine how the criminals think.  With certain episodes, some of the preparation the criminal does is shown.  That includes how they get to the victims through open windows or unlocked doors.  Those types of scenes do illustrate some basic safety precautions that many people take for granted or just flat out don't even think about.  Some of that is enough to make a person paranoid.  I've always been cautions and made sure that doors and windows are locked.  If I don't know a person, there is no way I am willingly letting them in my car or home.  I don't look at everyone I see out and about as a potential killer, but I am cautious because they are a lot of messed up psychos in the world and they aren't easily identified.  There are no helpful flashing neon signs that say danger, crazy killer, run for the hills.  The crimes that are featured during the first season are believable and realistic, which is probably why I do get freaked out at times when watching the show.  The fact that the team manages to solve things fairly quickly isn't as believable, but that doesn't bother me.  I don't think any of the crimes shown are based on real crimes, though some things may have been at least somewhat inspired by real crimes.  A few different real criminals are mentioned throughout the season.

Most of what happens in each episode of the first season of Criminal Minds is tied to the work the team does investigating the various crimes.  The stress that the profilers are under because of their work is addressed a few times and I have a feeling it will continue to come up over the course of the series.  The breakdown that Jason had before the beginning of the series is brought up a few different times and that does help to explain certain things about him.  Jason mentions once or twice that he tries to focus on the people he has been able to help as a way to cope with the horrible things he has face as part of his job.  The profilers put in very long hours, travel a lot, and seem to basically be in call all the time.  That makes it hard for them have any sort of life away from work let along an actual relationship.  That is mentioned a few different times as well.  Hotch is married and things do seem to be fine between him and his wife early in the season with her being very supportive and understanding about his work.  Strain in the relationship is starting to show later in the season with her being frustrated by the demands of his job.  A few of the characters do talk about having nightmares related to their work, something I think is entirely understandable and believable given the type of crimes they investigate.  I think the fact that the stress and other issues are brought up helps to make the characters more realistic.

Jason Gideon has been a profiler for a long time.  He is good at his job, though he can be kind of oblivious to some things at times.  He seems to mostly be clueless about who Penelope is even after he basically took over her office when he couldn't go in the field.  Jason tends to dress very casual.  He is a very complex character and I think Mandy Patinkin does well with the part.  Aaron Hotchner has also been a profiler for a while and he has ambitions beyond his current position.  Everyone calls him Hotch and he gets along well with the rest of the team.  He is married and has some issues with balancing his work and his personal life with his wife and baby.  Hotch is always in a suit and many times is the only member of the team that actually looks like an FBI agent.  Thomas Gibson does really well with the part.

Derek Morgan has had experience with the bomb squad before joining the FBI.  He sometimes acts a little more lighthearted, especially when he is calling Penelope for something, but he takes his work very seriously.  Derek has concerns about Jason returning to the team that he brings up a few times before it is dropped.  Shemar Moore does well with the part.  Derek and Penelope have a sort of playful friendship that involves flirting a bit when they talk on the phone and calling each other names.  Even though they act like that with each other, they are just friends and there isn't any romance between them.  Penelope is very good at her job and helps with all the investigations even though she almost always stays in her office.  She likes to keep her work space neat, though she does have a few fun little items around. The character does help to add some lightness to the overall serious tone of the show.  Kirsten Vangsness does well with the part.

Dr. Spencer Reid is a genius who has several degrees.  At one point it is said that he has been with the team for three years and he has his twenty-fourth birthday during the season, so he was very young when he joined.  Some people don't take him seriously as an agent because of his age.  He knows all sorts of obscure things that usually end up helping an investigation in some way.  He does have some issues in social situations, but he is likable overall.  Matthew Gray Gubler does well with the part.  J.J. isn't around as much as the others since she tends to stay in various police stations during the investigations to coordinate things with local authorities and release information to the press.  A.J. Cook does fine with the part.

Elle Greenway shows up in the first episode of the season as someone helping the investigation locally.  She expresses then that she wants to join the team, and by the second episode, she is the newest member of the team.  She has a lot of experience working on investigations dealing with sexual assaults.  She handles the work well for the most part, but she is starting to worry about dealing with the work and having a personal life.  She does get along well with the other members of the team and she is accepted by them.  Lola Glaudini does fine with the part.  There are many characters who turn up just for one episode as a member of local law enforcement or other people somehow connected to the crime for the episode.  

Main Cast

A.J. Cook - Jennifer Jareau     
Thomas Gibson - Aaron Hotchner
Lola Glaudini - Elle Greenway
Matthew Gray Gubler - Dr. Spender Reid
Shemar Moore - Derek Morgan
Mandy Patinkin - Jason Gideon
Kirsten Vangsness - Penelope Garcia

DVD Information

Criminal Minds - The Complete First Season includes twenty-two episodes on six discs.  There is no option to play all of the episodes on a disc, they have to be selected one at a time.  If an episode has extras associated with it, like deleted scenes or a commentary, another screen will load up with the option to watch those things.  Most of the special features are on the last disc.  The Making of Criminal Minds has different people involved with the show talking about different things connected to the show.  All the main cast members are at least briefly featured and things about each character are shared.  

Inside Quantico & The Criminal Mind deals with how the show tries to be accurate in depicting things.  An actual FBI profiler is shown talking about the work, and he also serves as a consultant for the show.  During this extra, some of the people working on the show talk about how they are now more aware of things and try to be more careful about certain safety issues.  I don't feel as bad for getting freaked since people working on the show got freaked as well.  Meet Matthew Gray Gubler is a short featurette focused on Gubler.  He talks about getting the part and some of his ideas for the character.  All of the extras are interesting.

Criminal Minds is a well done, entertaining crime show, though it isn't for everyone.  Criminal Minds - The Complete First Season is a good DVD set for fans of the series.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD