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The Best Episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Every episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent!

The third installment of the “Law & Order” franchise takes viewers deep into the minds of its criminals while following the intense psychological approaches the...
Genre:Drama

Best Episodes Summary

"Endgame" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent". It scored 9.1/10 based on 587 votes. Directed by Jean de Segonzac and written by Julie Martin, Warren Leight, it aired on 5/14/2007. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Frame".

  • Endgame
    9.1/10587 votes
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    #1 - Endgame

    Season 6 Episode 21 - Aired 5/14/2007

    Goren and Eames find a scrapbook belonging to a serial killer on death row. It suggests that he may have had more victims than previously known.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: Julie Martin, Warren Leight

  • Frame
    9.0/10500 votes
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    #2 - Frame

    Season 7 Episode 22 - Aired 8/24/2008

    Bobby is visited by the past when he finds a picture at his mother's grave indicating an old nemesis has returned, and the case only gets more complex when his brother and a mentor reappear.

    Director: Norberto Barba

    Writer: N/A

  • Anti-Thesis
    8.7/10564 votes
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    #3 - Anti-Thesis

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/13/2002

    As Goren and Eames sift through the likely suspects in the murder of a university president and his assistant, they discover that the culprit is a wily adversary who has more than these crimes to hide.

    Director: Adam Bernstein

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Eric Overmyer

  • In the Wee Small Hours (2)
    8.7/10400 votes
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    #4 - In the Wee Small Hours (2)

    Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/2005

    The squad continues the investigation into the murder of a teenage girl visiting from Iowa. The detectives uncover the sordid family life of a local judge whose son is linked to the Iowa teenager and another victim. Goren and Logan discover that the judge is a formidable foe as they come under scrutiny.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: Stephanie Sengupta

  • Amends
    8.7/10392 votes
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    #5 - Amends

    Season 7 Episode 1 - Aired 10/4/2007

    Eames re-opens the case into her husband's murder.

    Director: Jesús Salvador Treviño

    Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Siobhan Byrne O'Connor

  • Badge
    8.6/10474 votes
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    #6 - Badge

    Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/28/2002

    When the murder of a city auditor and his family seems too perfect, Goren and Eames turn their attention towards law enforcement personnel after learning that the auditor was investigating a number of former cops upon suspicion of double-dipping.

    Director: Constantine Makris

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Marlane Meyer, Marlane Gomard Meyer

  • Probability
    8.6/10467 votes
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    #7 - Probability

    Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 2/16/2003

    While probing the seemingly random murders of several homeless men, Goren and Eames uncover a scam involving a crooked insurance agent. However, an unsual twist leads the detectives to an unlikely suspect.

    Director: Frank Prinzi

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Gerry Conway

  • A Person of Interest
    8.6/10397 votes
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    #8 - A Person of Interest

    Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 5/18/2003

    Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a former nurse and discover a possible anthrax terrorist plot. The case takes a turn for the worse when Goren is blamed for driving a suspect to commit suicide. Now disgraced, Goren learns that a cunning adversary from his past may be involved.

    Director: Frank Prinzi

    Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

  • In the Wee Small Hours (1)
    8.6/10453 votes
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    #9 - In the Wee Small Hours (1)

    Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 11/6/2005

    Detectives Eames, Goren, Barek, and Logan must solve a case that involves a teenage girl missing in New York City. While Barek and Logan search around for another missing girl, Eames and Goren work to uncover a mystery with a judge and his son.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

  • Blind Spot
    8.6/10497 votes
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    #10 - Blind Spot

    Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/2006

    Captain Danny Ross closely oversees Goren and Eames as they hunt for a possible serial killer. This difficult and harrowing case brings Goren back in touch with his old mentor, a profiler, and his mentor's daughter.

    Director: Norberto Barba

    Writer: Warren Leight, Charlie Rubin

  • Untethered
    8.6/10421 votes
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    #11 - Untethered

    Season 7 Episode 9 - Aired 12/6/2007

    Goren investigates when his nephew, a prisoner who's bipolar, claims that inmates are being abused to the point of murder.

    Director: Ken Girotti

    Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Diana Son, Charlie Rubin

  • Last Rites
    8.6/10345 votes
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    #12 - Last Rites

    Season 7 Episode 21 - Aired 8/17/2008

    Logan jeopardizes his and Wheeler's careers when a priest convinces him to re-open a murder case that's over a decade old which involves a politically-aspiring ADA who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

    Director: Tom DiCillo

    Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Siobhan Byrne O'Connor

  • Loyalty (Part 1)
    8.6/10379 votes
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    #13 - Loyalty (Part 1)

    Season 9 Episode 1 - Aired 3/30/2010

    Captain Ross finds himself at the tragic center of an overseas conflict, galvanizing the assistance of Major Case detectives Goren, Eames and Nichols.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: Walon Green

  • Loyalty (Part 2)
    8.6/10350 votes
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    #14 - Loyalty (Part 2)

    Season 9 Episode 2 - Aired 4/6/2010

    With an illegal arms deal and a hunt for Somali terrorists hanging in the balance, Detectives Goren, Eames, Nichols and newcomer Stevens combine resources in an attempt to bring justice.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: Barbara Hall

  • Dead
    8.5/10466 votes
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    #15 - Dead

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/2002

    The murder of a mortician and the discovery of corpses at a crematorium lead the detectives to a family man claiming to have a consulting business but suspected of being a contract killer with a penchant for perfection. Goren attempts to prove this by setting up a scheme that puts his "fear of making a mistake" in jeopardy.

    Director: Darnell Martin

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

  • Want
    8.5/10459 votes
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    #16 - Want

    Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 10/10/2004

    After he gets into the head of an insane man driven to torture, murder, and cannibalism by overwhelming despair and loneliness, Goren surprises his colleagues with a passionate plea that the man be spared the death penalty, and engineers the confession that will save the man's life through a plea bargain.

    Director: Frank Prinzi

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Elizabeth Benjamin

  • Grow
    8.5/10416 votes
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    #17 - Grow

    Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 9/25/2005

    When city health inspector Larry Chapel is found dead in an elevator, a quick look into Chapel's home life introduces them to Chapel's recently widowed brother, Evan, and little girl Gwen. Goren isn't very surprised to learn that Nicole Wallace is Evan's fiancée and the future mother to his little girl, but Major Case soon realizes they're off the mark in who they believe the suspect is, and Goren's only hope is to get Nicole to help him trap the killer. Logan joins the Major Case squad, but isn't pleased with being relegated to the background while the other detectives solve the cases, and Deakins tries to find a partner for him.

    Director: Frank Prinzi

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Marlane Meyer, Marlane Gomard Meyer

  • To the Bone
    8.5/10393 votes
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    #18 - To the Bone

    Season 5 Episode 20 - Aired 5/7/2006

    Logan and Barek investigate a series of home invasions that result in grisly murders and their search leads them to local foster mother Chesley Watkins who had a series of young men going in and out of her home throughout the years. One of the young men involved in the home invasions was one of her boys, and while trailing the young man, Logan shoots a suspect who was brandishing a weapon at himself and Barek. When the suspect turns out to be a cop, Logan finds himself in the hot seat, and Barek sticks up for her partner, knowing that the truth is on their side. The investigation leads to Watkins as a suspect, and Logan is forced to deal with memories from his own past as Watkins plays on the weaknesses she sees.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: Charlie Rubin

  • Purgatory
    8.5/10362 votes
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    #19 - Purgatory

    Season 7 Episode 11 - Aired 6/8/2008

    Still on leave from the force, approached in a bar after a confrontation, and pondering his future, Goren meets another officer on suspension (Winters) who makes him an interesting job offer. Goren decides to tip the balance in his favor with an undercover operation.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac, Jesús Salvador Treviño

    Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Siobhan Byrne O'Connor

  • Major Case
    8.5/10316 votes
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    #20 - Major Case

    Season 8 Episode 14 - Aired 7/26/2009

    Detective Eames assists with Nichols' case involving the death of an addict who was just days from going straight when Wheeler is otherwise engaged in the labor and delivery of her baby.

    Director: Christopher Zalla

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Andrew Lipsitz

  • Homo Homini Lupis
    8.4/10428 votes
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    #21 - Homo Homini Lupis

    Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 3/3/2002

    When an business executive's wife and two daughters are kidnapped for a loanshark because the loan hasn't been paid off, Goren and Eames are frustrated by the man's lack of cooperation, which stymies them further when the man's released daughter proves to have been sexually assaulted.

    Director: David Platt

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf

  • But not Forgotten
    8.4/10392 votes
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    #22 - But not Forgotten

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/19/2003

    When a bookkeeper goes missing, Goren and Eames are led back to the death of her brother, a hitman, two years earlier. An imprisoned mobster seems to be their best bet, but when another body turns up it takes the case to a whole new level.

    Director: Constantine Makris

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Gerry Conway

  • Great Barrier
    8.4/10364 votes
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    #23 - Great Barrier

    Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 10/17/2004

    When Goren and Eames search for a jewel thief who murdered her accomplice, they discover that the clever larcenies are the brainchild of her lover, Nicole Wallace, Goren's long-standing nemesis. As the detectives delve into the personal and working relationships between the two women, they uncover a plot to cause the death of Wallace's ex-husband, the only person who can lead them to evidence of the very first murder Wallace committed.

    Director: Frank Prinzi

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Diana Son

  • One
    8.3/10694 votes
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    #24 - One

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/30/2001

    Goren and Eames are called in when a jewelry heist leaves behind three bodies. After ruling out mafia involvement, they realise that the thefts are directly connected to recent credit card thefts and stolen identities. They're led to an extremely charismatic thief, and their only hope is convincing one of his partners to turn on him.

    Director: Jean de Segonzac

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf

  • Poison
    8.3/10463 votes
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    #25 - Poison

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/11/2001

    The detectives investigate a murderer who poisons hospital victims with cyanide. They suspect a nurse whose profile is typical, but when they discover more murders away from the hospital they have to widen their search.

    Director: Gloria Muzio

    Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta