“Criminal Minds” ran for 15 seasons, from 2005 to 2020. It follows FBI’s BAU as they tackle twisted criminal cases. This team uses psychological profiling to get inside criminals’ heads and stop them from doing more awful stuff. Known for suspense and memorable characters, it digs deep into psychology of crime. Who knew crime could be so entertaining?

Meet the characters from Criminal Minds

Dr. Spencer Reid

Oh man, Reid is the walking encyclopedia with the softest, most awkward smile — brilliant, anxious, endearingly literal, and always three steps ahead in a conversation you weren’t even having. He’s got that eidetic memory and a brain that pulverizes statistics for breakfast, but also somehow hoards weird candies and popsicle sticks like a squirrel (seriously, why does he have so many popsicle sticks?). He’s shy and painfully honest and will correct your math in the middle of a funeral, then apologize profusely — the sweetest nerd energy. Also, he reads poetry and watches terrible reality TV when stressed, which is both tragic and adorable.

Penelope Garcia

Garcia is the neon-haired, glitter-sprinkled tech sorceress who turns crime scene chaos into a confetti party of data — booming personality, heart-of-gold, and zero patience for BS. She decorates everything (including the mood) with color-coded chaos and the best nicknames, but also delivers the most brutal, necessary comebacks when someone crosses the line. She’s cuddly and fierce at once, a pop-song playlist and a steel trap for cybercriminals — and I’m pretty sure her desk has its own gravitational field. Sometimes she’s childlike and sometimes she’s a tiny butt-kicking general; honestly, she’s both and that’s the point.

Jennifer Jareau

JJ is the agreement-maker-turned-kickass-agent who memorizes everyone’s coffee orders and then flips a van when needed — the unofficial mom but also the one who will take your skull if you mess with her team. She’s empathetic and organized to the point of surgical precision, yet she’ll randomly use a motivational poster quote and make it work (don’t roll your eyes, it’s effective). She has this calming “we’ve got you” vibe but also a guilt streak that makes her human and stubborn in the best way. Oh, and she drinks too much cold brew and has a secret cereal stash — typical.

David Rossi

Rossi is the grizzled, charming veteran who writes books and stories like someone who’s lived a hundred lives — theatrical, stubborn, and infinitely warm under that crusty exterior. He’ll roast you with one eyebrow and then bring lasagna to your mourning house; the professor-uncle energy but with cigars instead of knitting. He’s a storyteller who uses charm as both weapon and balm, and his old-school methods blend with a surprising tenderness. Also he’s opinionated about everything (especially writing and Italian food) and will absolutely tell you so.

Aaron Hotchner

Hotch is the immovable, quiet anchor — laser-focused, fiercely ethical, and somehow always on-call for moral crisis management (also dad energy, yes, very much). He runs the team like a Swiss watch, clinical and exacting, but he carries this heartbreak like it’s a second uniform you can’t see — stoic, yes, but soft underneath in ways he’d never admit. He’s the kind of guy who’ll plan a mission and then make you rehearse it twice; very neat, very efficient, also occasionally sarcastic in a dry, low-key way. Small personal quirk: collects pens? Maybe rare stamps? He owns something oddly analog and serious, probably.

Derek Morgan

Derek is the muscle with the grin — huge, fast, and bafflingly into romantic gestures but will also punch a wall if you threaten his people, in the best protective-dog way. Brash, charming, the guy who knows everyone’s backstory and keeps the team laughing (and hiding snacks), but also has trauma that makes him complicated and fierce in the gentlest sense. He loves working out, cars, and sometimes reading sappy love stuff when no one’s looking — don’t ask. He’s confident and impulsive and also a big softie with a stubborn streak that is basically adorable.

Emily Prentiss

Prentiss is the quietly lethal chameleon — cultured, razor-smart, and morally complicated in all the best, interesting ways. She shifts between undercover personas like it’s casual (but then tells you about classical composers at brunch) and keeps secrets that make her both vulnerable and formidable. She’s empathetic but doesn’t take crap, and she’ll unexpectedly drop a savage one-liner and then hand you tea like nothing happened. Also she collects tiny, useless mementos and insists she hates clutter but has a weird attachment to one single, ridiculous souvenir — who knows why.