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The Worst Episodes of Criminal Minds

Every episode of Criminal Minds ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Criminal Minds!

Worst episode
S18E8 Tara
5.9628 votes
Best episode
S5E9 100
9.24,808 votes
Top season
Season 2
8.0avg
Binge time
10d 21h
364 episodes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons19

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Criminal Minds Season 18 Episode 8 - Tara
    5.9/10(628 votes)

    S18:E8

    When the team works to hunt down the person who shot Tara, they discover "The Disciple" deliberately had them chasing their tails. While undergoing critical surgery, Tara gets to the root of her relationship issues.

    Director:Sharat Raju
    Writer:Chikodili Agwuna

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  2. Criminal Minds Season 11 Episode 8 - Awake
    6.7/10(2425 votes)

    S11:E8

    Victims are kidnapped in Phoenix and forced to endure sleep deprivation. Meanwhile, JJ copes with exhaustion from juggling work and caring for her newborn son; and Hotch and Garcia deal with threats from the "Dirty Dozen," an underground hit man group.

    Director:Christoph Schrewe
    Writer:Kimberly A. Harrison

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  3. Criminal Minds Season 11 Episode 10 - Future Perfect
    6.7/10(2330 votes)

    S11:E10

    The BAU searches for an UnSub who may be fascinated with medical experimentation.

    Director:Laura Belsey
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  4. Criminal Minds Season 12 Episode 12 - A Good Husband
    6.7/10(2215 votes)

    S12:E12

    The BAU team is called in to investigate when male victims are found with no way to identify them.

    Director:Laura Belsey
    Writers:Jeff Davis, Jim Clemente, Erik Stiller

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  5. Criminal Minds Season 4 Episode 17 - Demonology
    7.0/10(2991 votes)

    S4:E17

    Agent Prentiss has a personal connection to one of the victims in a series of deaths with religious overtones.

    Director:Edward Allen Bernero
    Writer:Chris Mundy

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  6. Criminal Minds Season 10 Episode 19 - Beyond Borders
    7.0/10(2518 votes)

    S10:E19

    When a family of four is abducted while on vacation in Barbados, the BAU is called to assist Unit Chief Jack Garrett and his International Unit on their investigation. Garrett and his unit, the FBI's top division for handling cases involving Americans abroad, work jointly with Hotch and his team when they discover that this case matches one the BAU investigated last year in Florida.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  7. Criminal Minds Season 11 Episode 9 - Internal Affairs
    7.0/10(2342 votes)

    S11:E9

    After two undercover DEA agents are murdered and a third goes missing, the BAU joins the NSA to investigate whether an underground Internet drug syndicate is involved. Also, Hotch hopes the team’s work with the NSA brings them closer to finding the “Dirty Dozen” hitmen ring.

    Director:Diana Valentine
    Writer:Sharon Lee Watson

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  8. Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 10 - Submerged
    6.9/10(1255 votes)

    S13:E10

    When a series of backyard pool homicides are reported in California, the BAU team searches for an UnSub with a puzzling past.

    Director:Rob Bailey
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  9. Criminal Minds Season 11 Episode 20 - Inner Beauty
    7.0/10(2045 votes)

    S11:E20

    The BAU searches for an UnSub who is purposely disfiguring victims. Also, Rossi has an awkward reunion with his ex-wife, Hayden Montgomery, who kept his daughter, Joy, a secret from him for nearly 30 years.

    Director:Alec Smight
    Writer:Haben Merker

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  10. Criminal Minds Season 11 Episode 3 - 'Til Death Do Us Part
    7.0/10(1963 votes)

    S11:E3

    When brides-to-be in Savannah are killed on the eve of their nuptials, the BAU suspects a jilted UnSub is at work.

    Director:Joe Mantegna
    Writer:Karen Maser

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  11. Criminal Minds Season 1 Episode 11 - Blood Hungry
    7.1/10(3551 votes)

    S1:E11

    While Gideon is stuck at the office on crutches, the rest of the team travels to Tennessee to track down a killer who disembowels his victims and supposedly eats their organs.

    Director:Charles Haid
    Writer:Edward Napier

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  12. Criminal Minds Season 2 Episode 20 - Honor Among Thieves
    7.1/10(3073 votes)

    S2:E20

    Elizabeth Prentiss, a foreign ambassador and SSA Emily Prentiss' mother, seeks the aid of the BAU when a Russian immigrant is kidnapped and held for ransom.

    Director:Jesús Salvador Treviño
    Writer:Aaron Zelman

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  13. Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 8 - Neon Terror
    7.0/10(1364 votes)

    S13:E8

    When an UnSub in Miami sensationalizes his crimes by giving the local media exclusive footage, the BAU is called in to investigate.

    Director:Bethany Rooney
    Writer:Erik Stiller

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  14. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 9 - Magnificent Light
    7.1/10(2450 votes)

    S8:E9

    An attendee at a popular motivational-speaker's conference in Seattle is murdered and the speaker himself disappears soon afterward. Meanwhile, Garcia is puzzled when Morgan refuses to attend a dinner honoring an old family friend.

    Director:John T. Kretchmer
    Writer:Sharon Lee Watson

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  15. Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 20 - All You Can Eat
    7.0/10(1249 votes)

    S13:E20

    The BAU is called to investigate a series of deaths in Virginia suspected by the Center for Disease Control to be caused by bio-terrorism; Garcia visits her stepbrother to take care of a family issue.

    Director:Diana Valentine
    Writer:Karen Maser

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  16. Criminal Minds Season 10 Episode 17 - Breath Play
    7.1/10(2239 votes)

    S10:E17

    The BAU is called to Wisconsin in search of a serial killer, and the team looks for a connection among the victims for clues to the UnSub. Also, Kate has trouble dealing with her niece, Meg, when she begins acting out.

    Director:Hanelle M. Culpepper
    Writer:Erik Stiller

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  17. Criminal Minds Season 7 Episode 7 - There's No Place Like Home
    7.1/10(2205 votes)

    S7:E7

    When a series of tornadoes hits Kansas, the BAU is called in to investigate bodies of young boys that turn up in the aftermath of the storms. Also, work pressures cause tension on JJ's home front.

    Director:Rob Spera
    Writer:Virgil Williams

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  18. Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 21 - Mixed Signals
    7.0/10(1176 votes)

    S13:E21

    The BAU is called to Taos, N.M. to investigate an UnSub who is targeting his victims' temporal lobes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Criminal Minds Season 12 Episode 19 - True North
    7.1/10(2104 votes)

    S12:E19

    Three victims are found tied to stakes in the Arizona desert.

    Director:Joe Mantegna
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  20. Criminal Minds Season 11 Episode 13 - The Bond
    7.1/10(1973 votes)

    S11:E13

    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

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  21. Criminal Minds Season 12 Episode 4 - Keeper
    7.1/10(1938 votes)

    S12:E4

    The BAU team searches for a serial killer along the Appalachian Trail in rural Virginia.

    Director:Sharat Raju
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  22. Criminal Minds Season 12 Episode 5 - The Anti-Terrorism Squad
    7.1/10(1858 votes)

    S12:E5

    The BAU investigates if bullying may be the link between two high school students who are the sole survivors after both of their families are killed.

    Director:Tawnia McKiernan
    Writer:Stephanie Sengupta

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  23. Criminal Minds Season 15 Episode 7 - Rusty
    7.0/10(880 votes)

    S15:E7

    When the BAU team travels to Denver to investigate several murders, Prentiss is forced to evaluate her relationship with Special Agent Andrew Mendoza.

    Director:Rachel Feldman
    Writers:Erica Meredith, Erik Stiller

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  24. Criminal Minds Season 18 Episode 2 - The Zookeeper
    6.9/10(607 votes)

    S18:E2

    Voit awakens from his coma. The team finds videos from a dormant Sicarius Network killer called "The Zookeeper" indicating that the network has reactivated. With Voit still in recovery, the BAU must tackle this reawakened network on their own.

    Director:Aisha Tyler
    Writer:Christopher Barbour

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  25. Criminal Minds Season 1 Episode 19 - Machismo
    7.2/10(2929 votes)

    S1:E19

    The BAU team travels to Mexico to aid in the capture of a serial killer who is targeting elderly women.

    Director:Guy Norman Bee
    Writer:Aaron Zelman

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Tara" is the worst rated episode of Criminal Minds. It scored 5.9/10 from 628 votes. Directed by Sharat Raju and written by Chikodili Agwuna, it aired on June 26, 2025. This episode scored 0.8 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Awake".

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