9.3/1010 votesLoading...#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
9.2/103 votesLoading...#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
8.9/108 votesLoading...#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
8.9/107 votesLoading...#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
8.8/105 votesLoading...#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
8.8/1016 votesLoading...#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
8.8/1012 votesLoading...#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
8.8/1012 votesLoading...#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
8.8/108 votesLoading...#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
8.8/106 votesLoading...#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
8.7/109 votesLoading...#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
8.7/106 votesLoading...#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
8.7/106 votesLoading...#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
8.7/107 votesLoading...#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
8.7/103 votesLoading...#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
8.6/1015 votesLoading...#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
8.6/1016 votesLoading...#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
8.6/1015 votesLoading...#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
8.6/1013 votesLoading...#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
8.6/1013 votesLoading...#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
8.6/107 votesLoading...#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
8.6/108 votesLoading...#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
8.6/105 votesLoading...#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
8.6/108 votesLoading...#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
8.5/1015 votesLoading...#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
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
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".