Criminal Minds: The First Season

Criminal Minds is one of the best programs currently airing on television. Since its debut on CBS in the fall of 2005, the program has impressed viewers not only with its excellent cast, but also with top-notch writing and production. Criminal Minds follows a group of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit who track down a broad range of criminals, including serial killers, rapists, arsonists/bombers and child abductors, among others. The profilers get inside the heads of these criminals by establishing psychological profiles of their subjects and thinking as they do.

Mandy Patinkin (Chicago Hope) stars as Special Agent Jason Gideon, and Thomas Gibson (Dharma & Greg) is Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. Gideon and Hotchner head up the BAU team. Each member of the team has his or her own area of expertise. Derek Morgan (former soap star Shemar Moore) specializes in obsessive crimes, while Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini) has a background in sexual offenses. Matthew Gray Gubler is Dr. Spencer Reid, the geeky, socially-challenged genius. A.J. Cook plays rookie agent Jennifer "J.J." Jareau, and Kirsten Vangsness is Penelope Garcia, the techie. The producers have assembled an excellent cast, with each actor well suited for his/her role, and they have great chemistry, playing off each other very well.

The writers and producers of Criminal Minds consult with staff at the real-life Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. This allows the writers to come up with some incredibly realistic storylines for the show. It is because of this gritty realism that some of the stories come off incredibly dark and heavy, as seen in one episode in which a serial killer forces husbands to watch while their families are murdered and the killer collects the husbands' wedding rings. Many of the writers have confessed that these darker plots have been very difficult for them to write, and some have said writing for this program has been so creepy that they have been checking the doors and windows in their own homes.

DVD bonus features include three featurettes. The first is "The Making of Criminal Minds" which includes comments from the show's creators, writers and producers as well as the cast members. "Inside Quantico and the Criminal Mind" takes a look inside the real-life FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. The third featurette is "Meet Matthew Gray Gubler," a look at the actor who plays Dr. Spencer Reid, which includes comments from his co-stars, and the production staff was well as from Gubler himself. There are also commentary tracks for several episodes, as well as deleted scenes. Along with the original CSI, Criminal Minds is one of my favorite programs on television today. They started off with a very strong first season. I am currently watching and enjoying Season Two while looking forward to Season Three.