Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama series that premiered September 22, 2005 on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) at Quantico, Virginia. The show is produced by The Mark Gordon Company in association with CBS Television Studios and ABC Studios. The original title for Criminal Minds was Quantico, and the pilot was filmed in Vancouver. In the Quantico script, Jason Gideon was named Jason Donovan. Originally, the series centered on Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) and the rest of the BAU team. For the first season, that included Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini), Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Jennifer Jareau, or "JJ" (A. J. Cook), and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). During the second season, Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini) left after the sixth episode, "The Boogeyman," and Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) replaced her in the ninth episode, "The Last Word." At the beginning of the third season, Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) departed after two episodes, making his last appearance in "In Name and Blood." After a gap of several episodes, David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) came out of retirement in episode six, "About Face," to replace him. Current Characters FBI BAU Supervisory Special Agent/Former Unit Chief Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner - played by Thomas Gibson, Hotch used to be a prosecutor, and was formerly assigned to the FBI Field Office in Seattle. He is divorced (his ex-wife is Haley) and has a son named Jack. FBI BAU Senior Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi - played by Joe Mantegna, David, a "founding father" of the BAU", was in early retirement until his voluntary return to the BAU in 2007. FBI BAU Senior Supervisory Special Agent/Unit Chief Derek Morgan - played by Shemar Moore, Morgan is a confident and assertive everyman character, the son of an African-American father and Caucasian mother. FBI BAU Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid - played by Matthew Gray Gubler, Doctor Reid is a genius who graduated from a Las Vegas public high school at age 12. FBI BAU Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau - played by AJ Cook, JJ acts as the team's liaison with the media and local police agencies. She has a son named Henri, with detective William LaMontagne Jr. FBI BAU Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss - played by Paget Brewster, Prentiss is the daughter of an ambassador. After Agent Elle Greenaway left the BAU, Prentiss showed up with papers stating she was the newest member of the BAU. FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia - played by Kirsten Vangsness, Garcia is the team's Computer Technician at BAU Headquarters in Quantico, VA. She is flamboyant, fun-loving, and provides the rest of the team with comic relief. The first season ran from September 22, 2005 to May 10, 2006, and the second season ran from September 20, 2006 to May 16, 2007. The series' third season, ran from September 26, 2007 to May 21, 2008 and was interrupted in late 2007 by the industry-wide WGA strike. On May 14, 2008, Criminal Minds was renewed for a fourth season, which ran from September 24, 2008 to May 20, 2009. According to Michael Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly, the ABC and CBS studios are discussing the possibility of a spin-off. This has been confirmed by studio producer Ed Bernero, who disclosed that "it's safe to say there will be something soon." However, it still remains unclear whether the new show will feature a completely new cast or crossovers. Furthermore, a game spin-off has been announced by Legacy Interactive.About the Author:
