Criminal Minds

(Mandy Patinkin; Seasons 1–3), FBI Senior Supervisory Special Agent and formerly BAU Unit chief.
Gideon is widely known as the BAU's best profiler. After a series of emotionally troubling cases and the murder of his girlfriend Sarah by fugitive serial killer Frank Breitkopf (Keith Carradine), he begins to feel burned out. The last straw occurs when Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner is suspended for two weeks by the team's boss—an action for which Jason feels responsible. He retreats to his cabin and leaves a letter for Spencer Reid, whom he knows will be the one to look for him. When Spencer arrives at the cabin, he finds the letter and Jason's FBI credentials and firearm. Jason is last seen remarking to a Nevada diner waitress that he does not know where he is going or how he will know when he gets there, leaving the diner and driving off. In season 10, he is killed (off-screen) by a suspect he had tracked down from one of his first cases.

Jason Gideon

(Thomas Gibson; Seasons 1–12), FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Chief of the BAU, previously an agent in the Seattle field office.
Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner is a former prosecutor and was originally assigned to the FBI field office in Seattle. He is one of the most experienced agents in the BAU. He struggles to balance the demands of his job with his family life, but his wife, Haley Brooks (Meredith Monroe), divorces him in season 3. In the episode "100" (season 5), Haley is killed by fugitive serial killer George Foyet (C. Thomas Howell), also known as "The Boston Reaper", whom Aaron fights and beats to death. He also has a son named Jack (Cade Owens) and a brother named Sean. After Haley is murdered, he has custody of Jack, and Haley's sister, Jessica Brooks (Molly Baker), helps him take care of Jack. When SSA Jennifer Jareau leaves the BAU, Aaron and technical analyst Penelope Garcia take over her job as communications liaison. Aaron dated a woman named Beth Clemmons (Bellamy Young), who first appeared in the episode "The Bittersweet Science" (season 7), before the couple separated after Clemmons accepted a job in Hong Kong. Following an on-set altercation, Thomas Gibson was removed from the main cast after season 12, episode 2, at which point Hotch went on a temporary assignment. In a later episode, it is revealed Aaron and Jack went into witness protection after Jack was stalked by Peter "Mr. Scratch" Lewis, a serial killer from a previous BAU case. Following Lewis's death in the 13th-season premiere, Prentiss reveals that Aaron has opted not to return to the BAU to focus on his son, but believes Prentiss should continue being chief.

Aaron Hotchner

Elle Greenaway (; Seasons 1–2), FBI Supervisory Special Agent.
Greenaway is assigned to the FBI field office in Seattle and assigned to the BAU as an expert in sexual offense crimes. Elle develops extreme emotional trauma after being shot by an unsub in the season 1 finale ("The Fisher King (Part 1)"). In the season 2 premiere ("The Fisher King (Part 2)"), Elle survives and returns to duty sooner than SSA Jason Gideon and Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner would like. Several episodes later, while alone on a stakeout of a suspected serial rapist, she murders the suspect by shooting him in cold blood and planting her gun on the unarmed victim. The local police deem it self-defense, but Jason and Aaron question her ability as a profiler after this. Elle resigns, turning in her badge and gun to Aaron, declaring that it is "not an admission of guilt".

Lola Glaudini

(Shemar Moore; Main: Seasons 1–11, Guest: Season 12–13), 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 (Julius Tennon). Buford 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 ("It Takes a Village"), Derek shows utter hatred toward Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy) 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.

Derek Morgan

Dr. (Matthew Gray Gubler; Main: Seasons 1–15), FBI Supervisory Special Agent^[9][10]
The youngest member of the team, Reid is a genius who graduated from Las Vegas High School at age 12 and holds Ph.D.s in mathematics, chemistry, and engineering as well as Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology and sociology. As of season 4, he is also working on a B.A. in philosophy. It has been revealed that he has an IQ of 187, can read a dizzying 20,000 words per minute, and has an eidetic memory. It is also shown throughout the series that Reid is autistic, mostly through his actions, which don't make sense to many of the other characters, as well as is mentioned in seasons one and eight. Most of the members of the team are intimidated by his profound knowledge. He is habitually introduced as "Dr. Spencer Reid" in contrast to the other agents, who are introduced as "supervisory special agents". The purpose of this, as explained by Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner in the pilot episode ("Extreme Aggressor"), is to create a respectable first impression of Spencer, deflecting judgments about his age. His mother, Diana Reid (Jane Lynch), has schizophrenia and is committed to a mental institution. In season 6, Reid starts suffering from cluster headaches and when doctors cannot diagnose why Reid thinks he might be in the early stages of schizophrenia himself. Reid takes SSA Emily Prentiss' death very hard and, when it was revealed the death was faked, was distrustful of both Prentiss and SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (who helped in the cover-up) for some time. During season 8, Reid becomes involved with a woman who was being stalked. In the episode "Zugzwang", her stalker ultimately kidnaps her and kills her, devastating Reid. In season 11, he is deeply affected by Derek Morgan's decision to leave the BAU but understands and supports his reasons. Originally, he was supposed to be canonically bisexual, but the network wouldn't allow this to be confirmed, instead giving him a supposed "crush" on his best friend, JJ, even setting the two up on a date to a football game in season one. As the series progresses, their relationship continues to be more of the brother–sister kind, however, JJ confesses her feelings for him, which he does not return. Morgan and Reid maintained a brotherly relationship and Morgan refers to Reid as his "little brother" prior to his departure in season 11. Other names included "pretty boy", although he is mostly referred to by the older agents as simply "kid". Spencer is also the godfather of Jennifer's son, Henry, and Derek's son, Hank. Derek also gives his child the middle name of "Spencer", in honor of Reid, further signifying their bond. In season 12, Reid is arrested and finds himself in prison for the back half of the season, during which time he is forced to do terrible things in order to survive. In season 15, he gets another girlfriend, Max, but she only appears in two episodes (episodes 4 and 6). He also has a flirtatious relationship with serial killer Cat Adams, starting in season 11. It is obvious she has feelings for Spencer, though it is impossible that those feelings were returned, as she is responsible for the kidnapping of his mother, as well as his time in jail.^[9][10]

Spencer Reid

(A. J. Cook; Main: Seasons 1–5 and 7–present; Recurring: Season 6), FBI Supervisory Special Agent and former BAU communications liaison.
JJ served as the communications liaison on the team to local police agencies in seasons 1–5. She dates and marries William LaMontagne (Josh Stewart), a New Orleans Police Department detective. They have two sons, Henry LaMontagne (Mekhai Andersen) and Michael LaMontagne (Phoenix Sky Andersen). Both boys are played by A.J. Cook's real-life sons. In the episode "JJ" (season 6), Jennifer is forced to accept a promotion at the Pentagon, causing her departure from the team, although Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner expresses his hope that she will return to the BAU in the future. Jennifer returns in the episode "Lauren" (season 6) to assist the team in finding SSA Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster). Jennifer returns as a series regular in the season 7 premiere as a legitimate profiler and admits to helping fake Prentiss' death, much to the dismay of her colleagues. In the 200th episode, JJ is kidnapped because of a secret mission she performed while at the Pentagon. At the end of season 10, JJ reveals she is pregnant with her second child and consults over the phone for a few episodes of season 11 before rejoining the team in the field in the episode "Target Rich".

Jennifer "JJ" Jareau

(Kirsten Vangsness; Recurring: Season 1, Main: Seasons 2–present), BAU technical analyst and BAU communications liaison.
Garcia joined the BAU after bringing attention to herself by illegally accessing some of their equipment, while she was an underground hacker; she is offered a job in lieu of a jail sentence. She submitted her resume to Hotch on pink stationery. She usually supports the team from her computer lab at Quantico but occasionally joins them on location when her skills can be used in the field. She is a leader in a support group for those who have lost someone in their lives. Her parents were killed by a drunk driver when they were out looking for her when she was a teen and had missed her curfew. She enjoys a flirtatious relationship with SSA Derek Morgan, often engaging in comical banter of a sexually suggestive nature when he calls for information. He calls her "Baby Girl". She was once shot and almost killed by Jason Clark Battle, who lured her on a date in the episode "Lucky" (season 3). When SSA Jennifer Jareau leaves the BAU, Penelope and Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner take over her job as communications liaison. She is kidnapped once again at the end of season 13. SSA Sam Cooper (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior) often calls when his team needs her computer skills. Penelope is the godmother of both Jennifer's son, Henry, and Morgan's son, Hank.

Penelope Garcia

(Paget Brewster; Main: Seasons 2–7 and 12–present; Guest: Seasons 9 and 11), supervisory special agent and BAU Unit Chief^[11]
Prentiss is the daughter of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss (Kate Jackson). After SSA Elle Greenaway leaves the BAU, Section Chief Erin Strauss approves Emily to join the BAU. The plan was for Emily to report any problems within the BAU, but Emily remained loyal to the team and refused to report any problems, going so far as threatening resignation. Emily is also fluent in several languages, such as Spanish, French, Arabic and Italian, and has a working knowledge of Russian. She is apparently killed while being held hostage by Ian Doyle in the episode "Lauren" (season 6), but in the last scene of the episode, it is revealed that she survived her encounter with Ian and is seen with SSA Jennifer Jareau in Paris passing her passports and bank accounts for protection. In the season 7 premiere ("It Takes a Village"), she returns alive and well, much to the team's surprise. In the season 7 finale ("Run"), Emily decides to leave the BAU after accepting a position running and returning to the Interpol office in London. She returns for the 200th episode to help rescue a kidnapped SSA Jennifer Jareau and again in the episode "Tribute" (season 11), where she enlists the help of the BAU in catching a serial killer who had originally killed in Europe before killing in the United States. Paget Brewster was confirmed to return for a several-episode arc in season 12. Following the dismissal of Thomas Gibson, Brewster was promoted to a series regular again starting from season 12, episode 3; later Prentiss is promoted to Hotch's position of unit chief. Prentiss is suspended from her position for a brief portion of season 13, following scrutiny by her superior Linda Barnes on her behaviour as unit chief during Reid's imprisonment in Mexico. Prentiss was quickly reinstated, however, after the BAU worked a case that saved the life of a government officials daughter.

Emily Prentiss

(Joe Mantegna; Seasons 3–present), 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" (season 7), 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 (Lou Gehrig's disease) and wants David to assist in her suicide. In the next episode ("Epilogue"), 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 in Vietnam. The season 7 finale ("Hit") 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 ("The Replicator") 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.

David Rossi

(Rachel Nichols; Season 6), FBI cadet and special agent.
Seaver replaces SSA Jennifer Jareau after she is forced to accept a promotion at the Pentagon. She was chosen for her unique background; her father, Charles Beauchamp, was a horrific serial killer known as the "Redmond Ripper", who murdered dozens of women before being caught by the BAU, incidentally. At first, Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner was going to make her a special one-time consultant to the BAU, but SSA David Rossi allowed her to finish her remedial training with the team under the supervision of SSA Emily Prentiss. In the episode "... With Friends Like These" (season 6), she graduated from the academy and had been added to the team as a "probationary agent". In the season 7 premiere ("It Takes a Village"), Jennifer reveals to Emily that Ashley transferred to the domestic trafficking task force, which is led by Andi Swann.

Ashley Seaver

(Jeanne Tripplehorn; Seasons 8–9), FBI linguistics expert, supervisory special agent, and professor at Georgetown University.
Blake once worked for the BAU during the 2001 anthrax attacks but retired after a conflict with Chief Erin Strauss and rejoins the BAU after SSA Emily Prentiss transfers to the Interpol office in London. Alex first appears in the season 8 premiere ("The Silencer"). She makes a personal connection with Spencer Reid after he reveals to her that he has begun a romantic relationship with a woman whom he has never met. In the season 9 finale, after a difficult case in Texas in which the team is targeted by a group of corrupt sheriff deputies and Reid is shot, she escorts Reid to his apartment, explaining that the experience brought back memories of her son's death and that Reid reminds her of him. She leaves behind her credentials, which Reid finds in his bag before seeing Blake leave in a taxi, saddened but understanding.

Alex Blake

(Jennifer Love Hewitt; Season 10), former FBI undercover agent and supervisory special agent.
Callahan, as mentioned in the season 10 premiere, previously worked under Andi Swann's team, which is also Ashley Seaver's team since she left the BAU. She is a "seasoned undercover agent whose stellar work at the FBI has landed her a coveted position with the Behavioral Analysis Unit". She and her husband, Chris, have been the guardians of Kate's teenage niece, Meg, since Meg was a baby following her parents' deaths in the September 11, 2001, attacks. Kate and Chris discover they are expecting a baby in the middle of season 10, coinciding with the actress's real-life pregnancy. At the end of season 10, she decides to take a year off and raise her baby.^[12]

Kate Callahan

(Aisha Tyler; Main: Seasons 12–present; Recurring: Season 11), forensic psychologist and supervisory special agent.
Lewis is a psychologist with an eye on forensic psychology and its application to the criminal justice system. Her dream was to study psychopaths up close and personal—and her psychology background, combined with her experience in the FBI, brought her face to face with monsters. Her job was to stare them down and interview them, to determine if they were fit to stand trial. Lewis replaced both JJ (A. J. Cook) and Kate (Jennifer Love Hewitt) while they were on maternity leave in the 11th season.

Tara Lewis

(Adam Rodriguez; Seasons 12–present), fugitive task force agent and supervisory special agent.
Alvez is a member of the FBI fugitive task force that partners with the BAU to catch the serial killers that escaped in the season 11 finale.^[13] In the season 12 premiere, he works with the BAU to catch the "Crimson King", one of the escapees that attacked Alvez's old partner. The team discovers the real killer is "Mr. Scratch", who taunts the team by turning over the real "Crimson King", who was tortured to the point he no longer remembers who he was. After that, Alvez decides to join the BAU full-time and was Hotch's last hire. Alvez has a Belgian Malinois dog named Roxy (whom Garcia thought at first was his human girlfriend) and served in Iraq as an Army Ranger prior to joining the FBI.

Luke Alvez

(Damon Gupton; Season 12), supervisory special agent^[14]
Walker is a supervisory special agent with the BAU. Walker was a member of the Behavioral Analysis Program. He was contacted by Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) about joining the BAU to assist in the manhunt for Peter Lewis, a k a "Mr. Scratch". Walker is an experienced profiler with about 20 years under his belt and was a member of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Program before his transfer to the BAU. He is married to a woman named Monica and has two children with her, Maya and Eli. He met Emily Prentiss, then the chief of Interpol's London office, during his line of work. He was also mentored by David Rossi (Joe Mantegna). Stephen's first case concerned a terrorist cell in Belgium, and three agents were sent undercover to infiltrate it. However, Stephen's profile was wrong, and this resulted in the deaths of the undercover agents. He eventually moved on from the trauma and improved as he went along in his career. He and other BAP agents, including his longtime friend Sam Bower, were sent undercover to investigate corruption in the Russian government. Walker's skills include being fluent in Russian and playing the trombone. In the season 13 premiere, it is revealed he had died in the car crash Mr. Scratch had arranged as a trap for the team at the end of season 12.

Stephen Walker

(Daniel Henney; Main: Seasons 13–15; Guest: Seasons 10 and 12), supervisory special agent, and former member of the International Response Team.^[15]
Simmons is a special operations agent and formerly worked with the IRT. Simmons has a wife, Kristy (Kelly Frye), and has a total of four children, including two boys (Jake and David) and twin daughters, all of them under the age of 3. He was a former member of a special ops unit, and his experience with the unit allowed him to hone his profiling skills. Following the disbandment of the IRT, Simmons assists the BAU in taking down Mr. Scratch and is later recruited to the BAU as a replacement for the late Stephen Walker, becoming the last addition to the team in the series. At the end of the fourteenth season, Simmons and Kristy announce their pregnancy with the fifth child, and the following year, Kristy gives birth to daughter Rosemary Simmons (whom her parents had attempted to name after colleague David Rossi).

Matt Simmons

Tyler Green (Ryan-James Hatanaka; Main: Season 17; Recurring: Season 16), consultant.
Green is a former Army drone spotter. After his sister disappeared, Green searched for her and determined she had been killed by the serial killer Sicarius, deciding to infiltrate his network to find him. After being caught by the BAU, Green begins helping them on the Sicarius case and has a brief relationship with Garcia. In season 17, Green officially becomes a consultant for the BAU in helping with another case, though he has a tendency to work off the book.

[16]

Elias Voit (; Main: Season 17; Recurring: Season 16)^[17]
Voit, also known by the alias Sicarius, is a serial killer. During the COVID-19 pandemic he travelled around the United States and planted "kill kits". He later founded a network of serial killers who used these kits to commit their crimes. At the end of Season 16 Voit is caught and arrested, but the following season the BAU is forced to work with him to catch another serial killer.

Zach Gilford

Note: The series premiere episode aired outside of its regular day and time at Thursday 10:00 pm

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Criminal Minds

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Criminal Minds: Evolution

. TV Guide. Radnor, Pennsylvania: NTVB Media CBS Interactive (CBS Corporation) (digital assets).

"List of Criminal Minds Episodes"

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