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The Best Episodes of Criminal Minds

Every episode of Criminal Minds ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Criminal Minds!

An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's...
Genres:CrimeDramaMystery
Networks:CBSParamount+

Best Episodes Summary

"Entropy" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds". It scored 9.3/10 based on 10 votes. Directed by Heather Cappiello and written by Breen Frazier, it aired on 1/13/2016. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Memento Mori".

  • Entropy
    9.3/1010 votes
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    #1 - Entropy

    Season 11 Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/2016

    The BAU implements an elaborate strategy to try and take down the “Dirty Dozen” hitmen ring, with Reid playing a central role.

    Director: Heather Cappiello

    Writer: Breen Frazier

  • Memento Mori
    9.2/103 votes
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    #2 - Memento Mori

    Season 16 Episode 9 - Aired 2/2/2023

    Rossi will go to any lengths to prove that Elias Voit is Sicarius. But Voit turns Rossi into his own worst enemy, putting his future at the BAU in jeopardy.

    Director: Douglas Aarniokoski

    Writer: Breen Frazier

  • Alpha Male
    8.9/108 votes
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    #3 - Alpha Male

    Season 12 Episode 15 - Aired 3/1/2017

    The BAU investigates when several young men and women are victims of disfiguring acid attacks. Also, Dr. Reid begins to settle into his new surroundings.

    Director: Rob Bailey

    Writer: Karen Maser

  • Believer
    8.9/107 votes
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    #4 - Believer

    Season 13 Episode 22 - Aired 4/18/2018

    When Reid discovers former FBI Special Agent Owen Quinn locked inside a storage unit, the BAU questions the credibility of Quinn's bizarre accounts of searching for an UnSub that he named "The Strangler".

    Director: Glenn Kershaw

    Writer: Breen Frazier

  • ...And Back (2)
    8.8/105 votes
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    #5 - ...And Back (2)

    Season 4 Episode 26 - Aired 5/20/2009

    The BAU tracks a serial killer who chooses junkies, prostitutes and the homeless off the streets of Detroit as his victims and takes them across the border into Canada, and an agent's life is in peril.

    Director: Edward Allen Bernero

    Writer: Edward Allen Bernero

  • 100
    8.8/1016 votes
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    #6 - 100

    Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/2009

    The BAU team races to help Hotchner find The Reaper and save his family before it's too late.

    Director: Edward Allen Bernero

    Writer: Erica Messer, Edward Allen Bernero, Simon Mirren, Rick Dunkle, Chris Mundy, Breen Frazier, Oanh Ly

  • True Genius
    8.8/1012 votes
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    #7 - True Genius

    Season 7 Episode 11 - Aired 1/18/2012

    A series of murders in San Francisco bearing the tell-tale signs of the infamous Zodiac Killer have the BAU wondering if the notorious serial killer has returned. Also, Reid ponders if he should be doing more with his genius abilities.

    Director: Glenn Kershaw

    Writer: Sharon Lee Watson

  • Mr. Scratch
    8.8/1012 votes
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    #8 - Mr. Scratch

    Season 10 Episode 21 - Aired 4/22/2015

    When three people implicated in murders claim they were attacked by a “clawed shadow monster” at the moment each crime occurred, the BAU searches for an UnSub who is controlling their minds. Also, the search for the culprit puts one of the team in jeopardy.

    Director: Matthew Gray Gubler

    Writer: Breen Frazier

  • Scarecrow
    8.8/108 votes
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    #9 - Scarecrow

    Season 12 Episode 8 - Aired 12/7/2016

    The team heads to Yakima, Washington when the remains of a dozen people are found along a creek bed.

    Director: Christoph Schrewe

    Writer: Karen Maser

  • Red Light
    8.8/106 votes
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    #10 - Red Light

    Season 12 Episode 22 - Aired 5/10/2017

    Derek Morgan brings the BAU a lead in the case against serial killer and escaped convict Mr. Scratch.

    Director: Glenn Kershaw

    Writer: Breen Frazier

  • Devil's Backbone
    8.7/109 votes
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    #11 - Devil's Backbone

    Season 11 Episode 21 - Aired 4/20/2016

    When guards at a Virginia prison intercept a package with evidence relating to the kidnapping of two boys several years ago, the BAU questions a notorious serial killer who may have information on the boys’ whereabouts.

    Director: Félix Enríquez Alcalá

    Writer: Sharon Lee Watson

  • Killer App
    8.7/106 votes
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    #12 - Killer App

    Season 13 Episode 4 - Aired 10/18/2017

    The BAU investigates a workplace shooting committed by a state-of-the-art drone in Silicon Valley.

    Director: Alec Smight

    Writer: Stephanie Sengupta

  • Lucky Strikes
    8.7/106 votes
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    #13 - Lucky Strikes

    Season 13 Episode 5 - Aired 10/25/2017

    Morgan lends emotional support to Garcia when she experiences anxiety over a case that is personal to her from her past.

    Director: Tawnia McKiernan, Aisha Tyler

    Writer: Jim Clemente

  • Ex Parte
    8.7/107 votes
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    #14 - Ex Parte

    Season 13 Episode 19 - Aired 4/4/2018

    The BAU takes charge of a hostage situation at a law firm in D.C., where Matt Simmons’ wife, Kristy works.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Dead End
    8.7/103 votes
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    #15 - Dead End

    Season 16 Episode 10 - Aired 2/9/2023

    With Rossi in Voit’s clutches, he grapples with the limits of his technical know-how and mental strength. As the BAU tightens their grip on Voit, he reveals just how far he’s willing to take his deadly crusade.

    Director: Glenn Kershaw

    Writer: Christopher Barbour

  • No Way Out: The Evilution Of Frank (2)
    8.6/1015 votes
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    #16 - No Way Out: The Evilution Of Frank (2)

    Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 5/16/2007

    When the prolific serial killer Frank returns and murders Gideon's girlfriend, Gideon takes off to find him without telling the team where he is going. The BAU must then profile Gideon as well as Frank to find both of them.

    Director: Edward Allen Bernero

    Writer: Simon Mirren

  • Conflicted
    8.6/1016 votes
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    #17 - Conflicted

    Season 4 Episode 20 - Aired 4/8/2009

    The team travels to Fort Lauderdale during spring break to find a serial killer who is targeting co-eds on vacation.

    Director: Jason Alexander

    Writer: Rick Dunkle

  • Amplification
    8.6/1015 votes
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    #18 - Amplification

    Season 4 Episode 24 - Aired 5/13/2009

    When a new type of chemical warfare is released into the open air, the BAU must act quickly to find the source before any more innocent people are exposed.

    Director: John Gallagher

    Writer: Oanh Ly

  • Zugzwang
    8.6/1013 votes
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    #19 - Zugzwang

    Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 1/16/2013

    When Reid discovers that his girlfriend has been kidnapped by her stalker, he and the BAU team band together to find her before it's too late.

    Director: Jesse Warn

    Writer: Breen Frazier

  • Demons (2)
    8.6/1013 votes
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    #20 - Demons (2)

    Season 9 Episode 24 - Aired 5/14/2014

    The investigation in Texas reveals a deep web of corruption; Garcia must save a friend.

    Director: Glenn Kershaw

    Writer: Erica Messer

  • The Bond
    8.6/107 votes
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    #21 - The Bond

    Season 11 Episode 13 - Aired 1/27/2016

    The BAU searches for a motive and an UnSub when victims are found in truck stop restrooms along highways throughout the South.

    Director: Hanelle M. Culpepper

    Writer: Kimberly A. Harrison

  • Seek and Destroy
    8.6/108 votes
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    #22 - Seek and Destroy

    Season 12 Episode 10 - Aired 1/11/2017

    BAU team investigates a series of home invasions in upscale neighborhoods in San Diego involving casualties.

    Director: Diana Valentine

    Writer: Erik Stiller

  • The Bunker
    8.6/105 votes
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    #23 - The Bunker

    Season 13 Episode 6 - Aired 11/8/2017

    Several women go missing in Virginia and the BAU must figure out what they all have in common in order to find them.

    Director: Aisha Tyler

    Writer: Karen Maser

  • The Capilanos
    8.6/108 votes
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    #24 - The Capilanos

    Season 13 Episode 17 - Aired 3/21/2018

    The BAU is called to Oklahoma to investigate a murderous clown terrorizing the sleepy town of Guymon.

    Director: Matthew Gray Gubler

    Writer: Erica Messer

  • Revelations (2)
    8.5/1015 votes
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    #25 - Revelations (2)

    Season 2 Episode 15 - Aired 2/7/2007

    In this conclusion of a special two-part episode, finding the serial killer becomes critical to the BAU when the team realizes Reid is being held captive and a live feed of him being tortured is shown on the internet. Meanwhile, Reid's troubled childhood is revealed in flashback sequences as he drifts in and out of consciousness.

    Director: Guy Norman Bee

    Writer: Chris Mundy