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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!

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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 most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Criminal Minds Season 19 Episode 1 - Now and Then
    10.0/10(125 votes)

    #1 - Now and Then

    S19:E1

    The BAU hunts kidnappers targeting couples as Elias Voit faces a familiar darkness in prison.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  2. Criminal Minds Season 19 Episode 2 - Cluster
    10.0/10(77 votes)

    #2 - Cluster

    S19:E2

    The BAU investigates a veteran's death as Prentiss and Voit move to shut down a podcast from conspiracy theorist Brian Garrity.

    Director:Anthony Vietro
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  3. Criminal Minds Season 16 Episode 9 - Memento Mori
    9.4/10(732 votes)

    #3 - Memento Mori

    S16:E9

    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

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  4. Criminal Minds Season 4 Episode 26 - ...And Back (2)
    9.1/10(588 votes)

    #4 - ...And Back (2)

    S4:E26

    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

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  5. Criminal Minds Season 11 Episode 11 - Entropy
    9.1/10(3868 votes)

    #5 - Entropy

    S11:E11

    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

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  6. Criminal Minds Season 16 Episode 10 - Dead End
    9.0/10(826 votes)

    #6 - Dead End

    S16:E10

    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

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Criminal Minds

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  7. Criminal Minds Season 17 Episode 10 - Save the Children
    9.0/10(496 votes)

    #7 - Save the Children

    S17:E10

    When the identity of the last Gold Star member is revealed, the pieces of the puzzle click together. Prentiss, now in mortal danger, must confront Jade and her accomplice to expose the truth behind the “conspiracy” before time runs out for the BAU.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  8. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 9 - 100
    8.9/10(4678 votes)

    #8 - 100

    S5:E9

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

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

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  9. Criminal Minds Season 12 Episode 15 - Alpha Male
    8.9/10(1955 votes)

    #9 - Alpha Male

    S12:E15

    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

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  10. Criminal Minds Season 16 Episode 8 - Forget Me Knots
    8.9/10(693 votes)

    #10 - Forget Me Knots

    S16:E8

    Voit’s internal struggles with himself lead him to a desperate kidnapping. But Rossi’s obsession brings the BAU closer to the truth than they’ve ever been.

    Director:A.J. Cook
    Writer:Carlton Gillespie

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  11. Criminal Minds Season 7 Episode 11 - True Genius
    8.8/10(3075 votes)

    #11 - True Genius

    S7:E11

    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

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  12. Criminal Minds Season 12 Episode 8 - Scarecrow
    8.8/10(1909 votes)

    #12 - Scarecrow

    S12:E8

    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

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  13. Criminal Minds Season 12 Episode 22 - Red Light
    8.8/10(2124 votes)

    #13 - Red Light

    S12:E22

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

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  14. Criminal Minds Season 16 Episode 5 - Oedipus Wrecks
    8.8/10(809 votes)

    #14 - Oedipus Wrecks

    S16:E5

    A surprising connection forces Deputy Director Bailey to ask the BAU to take a case involving young D.C. socialites who are bitten by a sadistic UnSub. But when the case turns political, the BAU finds themselves in the crosshairs from a high-powered senator. The team is led to a second shipping container that’s rigged to blow.

    Director:Sharat Raju
    Writer:Jayne A. Archer

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  15. Criminal Minds Season 18 Episode 1 - Swimmer's Calculus
    8.8/10(491 votes)

    #15 - Swimmer's Calculus

    S18:E1

    When bodies wash up on the Maryland shoreline, the BAU races to find the UnSub. After surviving a prison attack, Elias Voit has been placed in a medically induced coma while Rossi is investigated for the incident.

    Director:Bethany Rooney
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  16. Criminal Minds Season 2 Episode 23 - No Way Out: The Evilution of Frank (2)
    8.7/10(3260 votes)

    #16 - No Way Out: The Evilution of Frank (2)

    S2:E23

    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

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  17. Criminal Minds Season 10 Episode 21 - Mr. Scratch
    8.7/10(3298 votes)

    #17 - Mr. Scratch

    S10:E21

    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

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  18. Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 4 - Killer App
    8.7/10(1709 votes)

    #18 - Killer App

    S13:E4

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

    Director:Alec Smight
    Writer:Stephanie Sengupta

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  19. Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 5 - Lucky Strikes
    8.7/10(1594 votes)

    #19 - Lucky Strikes

    S13:E5

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

    Directors:Tawnia McKiernan, Aisha Tyler
    Writer:Jim Clemente

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  20. Criminal Minds Season 18 Episode 10 - The Disciple
    8.7/10(333 votes)

    #20 - The Disciple

    S18:E10

    After Voit and Ochoa are kidnapped by "The Disciple", the team races to find them. While in The Disciple's custody, Voit wrestles with keeping the monster inside him at bay.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Christopher Barbour

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  21. Criminal Minds Season 2 Episode 15 - Revelations (2)
    8.6/10(4266 votes)

    #21 - Revelations (2)

    S2:E15

    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

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  22. Criminal Minds Season 4 Episode 18 - Omnivore
    8.6/10(2835 votes)

    #22 - Omnivore

    S4:E18

    Agent Hotchner revisits the first case he worked at the BAU when details come forth that one of the deadliest serial killers in New England's history has struck again after a 10-year hiatus.

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writer:Andrew Wilder

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  23. Criminal Minds Season 4 Episode 20 - Conflicted
    8.6/10(3586 votes)

    #23 - Conflicted

    S4:E20

    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

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  24. Criminal Minds Season 4 Episode 24 - Amplification
    8.6/10(3257 votes)

    #24 - Amplification

    S4:E24

    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

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  25. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 18 - Lauren
    8.6/10(3245 votes)

    #25 - Lauren

    S6:E18

    As Prentiss faces off against Ian Doyle, JJ receives a call and returns to help them find Prentiss and capture Doyle before it's too late.

    Director:Matthew Gray Gubler
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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Best Episodes Summary

"Now and Then" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds". It scored 10/10 based on 125 votes. Directed by Douglas Aarniokoski and written by Erica Messer, it aired on 5/28/2026. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Cluster".