The 15 Best Criminal Minds Episodes Ranked

For over two decades, "Criminal Minds" has been terrifying and titillating viewers with compelling stories about the most psychologically complex killers they can imagine. The FBI procedural (which aired on CBS for the first 15 seasons before making the jump to Paramount+ for "Criminal Minds: Evolution") follows the investigations of the agency's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), tasked with profiling and tracking down dangerous individuals often referred to as "UnSubs" (short for "unknown subject").

The best episodes of "Criminal Minds" go far beyond the usual procedural format and explore the psychologies, flaws, and personal histories of this ensemble of crime fighters. The stakes are higher, the criminals more dangerous, and the potential for someone (usually Reid) to be traumatized for life is extremely likely. In reviewing the case files, we've determined that these are indeed the 15 best "Criminal Minds" episodes, ranked.

UnSub: An enigmatic serial killer and cult leader known as "The Strangler."

"Criminal Minds" closed out its 13th season with an episode centering one of its most reliable players: Matthew Gray Gubler's Dr. Spencer Reid. Dr. Reid had spent the near entirety of the season up to this point trying to recover psychologically from a litany of extreme personal emergencies, including his imprisonment in season 12. The season 13 finale "Believer" forces Reid and the rest of the BAU to test their faith in him as an agent, as he's led on a mission to rescue an FBI agent (James Urbaniak) being held captive in a storage container by a serial killer called "The Strangler."

"Believer" works because it pairs the team with two antagonists who each force them to confront different aspects of Reid's personality. The story also bravely pushes the character to the limits of his morality through a series of impossible choices that reveal where his true sense of justice lies outside of the protocols and practices he'd prefer to rely on. Heading into the sequel episode (the season 14 premiere "300"), the audience has a new understanding of who Reid is now — as well as who he's always been.

UnSub: A "house cleaner" who chemically burns vulnerable homeless people. 

"Criminal Minds" often and admirably tries to twist its procedural set-up in a way that it can somehow explore the lives of real-world first responders and veterans, particularly the complexities of their jobs and the hardships they can face. The season 8 episode "The Fallen" does this on two levels by, again, introducing two key guest stars who can help the series explore the trauma this sort of work can leave one with, as well as the institutional neglect they can experience despite their sacrifices.

While investigating a serial killer who seemingly wants to lethally purge unhoused people from the street, David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) unexpectedly reconnects with his old friend Harrison Scott (Meshach Taylor). Like Rossi, Harrison is a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War. His return to the states was difficult, and without promised support from the government for his service, Harrison relies on a homeless shelter to survive, potentially putting a man who saved Rossi's life in the crosshairs of a brutal UnSub.

UnSub: A mysterious assailant responsible for killing five people decades in the past.

"The Fallen" is only one example of "Criminal Minds" engaging with complicated and potentially difficult subject matter. In the season 9 episode "Strange Fruit," the series explored the ways supposedly bygone eras of racism can still haunt families of color in the present. A Black family living in the American South is taken into custody and ruthlessly questioned when the FBI uncovers buried human remains in their yards. Though they all protest their innocence, mounting evidence suggests any one of them could be hiding a grim secret.

"Strange Fruit" is significantly bolstered by one of the strongest ensembles of guest-stars the series has ever seen. L. Scott Caldwell, Glynn Turman, and Seth Gilliam make up the embattled Johnson family, while the antagonistic and hard-headed FBI Section Chief Director Mateo Cruz is portrayed by Esai Morales.

UnSub: A thrill killer known as "The Road Warrior" who targets women on the highway.

Season 4 of "Criminal Minds" had some of the series' best episodes and storylines overall, which is largely why we found it to be our favorite when we ranked every season of "Criminal Minds" worst to best. The writing team was clearly at the top of their game during this time period, as evidenced by the episode "Normal."

It follows the agents of the BAU as they try to solve a case from far behind. Someone has been brazenly shooting blonde women on the highway with a sawed-off shotgun, leaving behind little evidence and no survivors, until a rushed kill results in a single, paralyzed survivor. It's not a spoiler to reveal that the culprit is Norman "The Road Warrior" Hill (Mitch Pileggi), a mild-mannered wife-guy who otherwise would appear to be a totally "normal" husband. The balance between his crimes and the maintenance of his normal life makes him one of the most memorable unsubs in all of "Criminal Minds."

UnSub: The stalker Diane Turner, played by the late Michelle Trachtenberg.

The best episodes of "Criminal Minds" almost always found a way to make things as personal as possible for the BAU. The tragic target of this unfortunately powerful storytelling device was often Spencer Reid, as was the case in "Believer" and the season 8 episode "Zugzwang." The episode sees him rally the team to help rescue his girlfriend Maeve Donovan (Beth Riesgraf), whom he had been seeing throughout the season.

"Zugzwang" is a tense hour of television, even by "Criminal Minds" standards, and it's definitely not one fans are especially eager to relive. At the same time, Matthew Gray Gubler is just too great as Reid here, fully committed to the heightened emotions the plot requires of him to give the procedural the gravitas of a serious serial drama. Riesgraf and Michelle Trachtenberg deserve a lion's share of the credit for the episode's success as well, the latter actor stepping in to play the disturbed stalker who kidnaps Maeve. It's a defining episode in Reid's larger character arc that changes the course of his journey dramatically.

UnSub: A killer (or killers?) who shoots people in New York seemingly at random.

"Criminal Minds" loves to leave audiences on the hook with a season finale cliffhanger. The execution of this trope leads to mixed results in this series, occasionally making the tension feel a little more manufactured than usual. That's not the case with the season 3 finale "Lo-Fi."

What makes "Lo-Fi" stand out from other "Criminal Minds" finales is how small it starts. There's no reappearance of an old foe or the introduction of a new, enigmatic criminal mastermind who will obviously take more than an episode to take down. In these episodes, the audience is mostly waiting to see who of the cast's loved ones they'll kill in the final act. Instead, "Lo-Fi" follows a series of seemingly random killings in New York City that are so unexciting the NYPD is annoyed that the BAU is even involved at all. But what starts with a man in a hoodie and single gunshot ends spectacularly, raising the stakes of the BAU's mission arguably higher than they've ever been raised and promising to start season 4 in blockbuster fashion.

At the same time, "Lo-Fi" also has really strong supporting plots. The confusingly tense triangle between Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), and British-American agent Kate Joyner (guest-star Sienna Guillory) allows the show to manage the pace of the mystery without losing energy. Meanwhile, Jennifer "J.J." Jareau (A.J. Cook) takes a major step with her partner William (Josh Stewart).

UnSubs: Husband-and-wife serial killers and death row inmates Jacob (Michael Massee) and Sara Jean Dawes (Jeannetta Arnette).

Though "Riding the Lightning" may feel quaint after 14 seasons of spectacle, it feels satisfyingly complicated psychologically, especially for an episode so early in the show's run. The 14th episode of the first season follows the BAU as they get involved with an investigation after the UnSubs have been apprehended.

Married psychopaths Jacob and Sara Jean Dawes have been convicted of abusing and murdering at least a dozen children, but Senior Agent Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) believes there's more to be learned about their victims before they're both executed by the state. After speaking with them individually and doing a sweep of Sara Jean's home, the team starts to grow concerned that one of them may actually have been innocent — or potentially a victim themselves. They must then race against the clock to prove so, lest an innocent person be wrongfully executed for a crime they didn't commit.

UnSubs: A conspiracy of killer cops.

Though "Demons" is a cut above its predecessor "Angels," you may want to consider revisiting both as a single story. When the second half of the two-part season 9 finale begins, we're already in the middle of a shootout, the BAU having come close to uncovering the dark secrets behind a string of murders connected to drug trafficking, illicit sex work, local law enforcement, and the local religious community in a Texas town.

Suspecting Preacher Justin Mills (Brett Cullen, who went on to play Thomas Wayne in "Joker") of having killed several sex workers, the team (partnered with Esai Morales' Director Cruz) track him to a restaurant where he opens fire and nearly kills Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan.

If you can believe it, the episode gets even crazier from there. "Demons" takes everything "Angels" sets up and uses it to deliver an hour of nearly non-stop action and tension, moving at a breathless pace as the BAU uncovers hidden corruption that is threatening to tear an entire town apart.

UnSub: Irish terrorist Ian "Valhalla" Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy).

Given that she had spent so long dealing with the absolute worst of imagined humanity on "Criminal Minds," it isn't surprising Paget Brewster lept at the chance to break away for a bit to join the cast of "Community." Still, there's no denying she's done some of her best work as an actor on the former show, as seen in the season 6 episode "Lauren."

Perhaps seeing her transition out of "Criminal Minds" on the horizon, the series gives Brewster's Emily Prentiss a jaw-dropping storyline that will propel her into her "final" season as a series regular. It explores the fallout of her last mission as an agent of Interpol, in which she went deep undercover as an arms dealer named "Lauren" to get close to international terrorist Ian Doyle. In the past, we see how her efforts take her places you'd never expect Emily to go — in the present, we see how much further she's willing to venture in order to protect her friends.

"Lauren" is a welcome showcase of talent for Brewster (and director Matthew Gray Gubler, for that matter) that surprisingly sticks the landing as it moves into the genre realm of the political action thriller. Especially on a first watch, it has the potential to be the most narratively impactful episode of the series so far.

UnSub: Garcia's date from hell.

Though nobody on "Criminal Minds" is treated quite as harshly as poor Spencer Reid, we'd argue BAU tech whiz Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) comes in at a close second. Case in point: the episode named for her (season 3's "Penelope"), which picks up right after a man she goes on a date with tries to kill her.

That man is Deputy Jason Battle (Bailey Chase), a killer cop concerned that the BAU may be investigating his murders. In actuality, he only went on a date with Penelope in the preceding episode "Lucky" in an attempt to get closer to the investigation, but panicked at the last minute and decided to take out a potential threat.

The casework side of "Penelope" is lifted greatly by the personal stakes it's given. The most interesting scenes of the hour come from Penelope's processing of what happened, as well as the bits and pieces we learn about her past as a consequence. The action, meanwhile, has an almost vengeful quality that makes their hunt for her shooter all the more gratifying.

UnSub: The terrifying proxy serial killer Peter Lewis — aka "Mr. Scratch" (Bodhi Elfman).

The season 10 episode "Mr. Scratch" begins with a perplexing premise. At least three people — all seemingly normal, well-adjusted adults — have committed the horrible act of murder, all claiming to have seen the same demonic figure they come to call Mr. Scratch. The two major possibilities, then, are that these three individuals are somehow connected as a group of serial killers, or there's some kind of metaphysical being out there capable of getting others to do his bidding. The latter is closest to the truth.

We won't spoil the twists or backstory here, as most of what makes the episode compelling is understanding how Mr. Scratch is able to do what he does — and, more compelling still, why he does it in the first place. Suffice it to say, Mr. Scratch is arguably the most prolific and memorable recurring serial killer on "Criminal Minds," and his self-titled debut is no less impactful.

UnSub: Disturbed religious serial killer Tobias Hankle ("Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek).

The beginning of "Criminal Minds'" habit of torturing Spencer Reid can be traced back to the season 2 episode "Revelations." The second part of a story following religious serial killer Tobias Hankle, the episode begins with Reid having been kidnapped by the sin-obsessed criminal and taken to a cabin where no one will be able to find them. We quickly learn that Hankle has the not-so-accurately-portrayed 2000s crime show version of dissociative identity disorder, which forces him to shift uncontrollably between his own personality and that of his abusive father Charles.

Like "Penelope," the personal side of this story is more interesting than the crime itself. What we learn about Reid's childhood and personal psychology — though genuinely difficult to witness — shapes the next ten seasons of his character development. And while the plot can veer into the tropey, "crazy religious fanatic tropes" you've seen time and time again in various crime procedurals, the writing and the performances of Van Der Beek and Matthew Gray Gubler elevate it to a vital piece of storytelling in the "Criminal Minds" canon.

UnSub: George Foyet — The Reaper.

If there was anyone who could claim Mr. Scratch's status as the most dangerous recurring killer on "Criminal Minds," it would be The Reaper. Real name George Foyet ("The Outsiders" star C. Thomas Howell), he first appeared in the season 4 episode "Omnivore" before becoming a recurring character in the show's fifth season. As strikingly vile as he is varied in his methods, he was the perfect villain to be enlisted as the big bad for the show's 100th episode.

Given this production landmark, it should have been unsurprising for fans of "Criminal Minds" that the writers would want to mark the occasion with an especially deadly, traumatizing, and ultimately tragic event. Boy, do they deliver. It's a particularly momentous episode for Aaron Hotchner, who's relentless pursuit of Foyet reveals much about who he is when pushed to the edge.

UnSubs: An underground network of hitpeople that (thankfully) includes Aubrey Plaza.

An international hitwoman played by Aubrey Plaza? Say no more.

The season 11 "Criminal Minds" episode "Entropy" was a reunion for the "Parks and Recreation" star and Spencer Reid actor Matthew Gray Gubler, the two having previously appeared in the gross zombie breakup fable "Life After Beth" in 2014. In the episode, Reid goes on an undercover "date" with hitwoman Cat Adams (Plaza), under the pretense of hiring her to murder his wife and child (a kind of very out-of-pocket assignment for the BAU to send Reid on, given what happened to Maeve, but we digress).

We could watch these two play out this constantly reversing cat-and-mouse dynamic for hours, the duo effortlessly keeping the tension at a steadily rising pace despite the fact that they spend much of the episode just sitting at a table. "Entropy" is an effective hour of drama that feels like a short film, and Plaza's performance as Adams is among the actor's best.

UnSub: A murderer obsessed with the Fisher King myth.

Rewatching many of the episodes from "Criminal Minds" seasons 1 and 2 makes us miss Mandy Patinkin's Jason Gideon, but none in the same way the two-parter "The Fisher King" does. As the BAU faces its most terrifying UnSub yet, he's a grounding force for everyone to rally around, remaining cool even as the killer targets one of their own.

The second part (which kicks off the show's second season) picks up with the aftermath of the shooting of Elle Greenaway (the proto-Prentiss, played by Lola Glaudini). A single word is scrawled on her wall that seems to hold the key to solving the mystery of the titular serial killer, played by Charley Rossman. Part of his mystique is that he's managed to learn intimate, private details about the lives of the BAU team, which leads to the introduction of Spencer Reid's mother (Jane Lynch, in one of the most fascinating roles of her career).

The character writing is top notch, and the mystery is written in such a way that the audience can "play" along with the investigators. Moreover, "The Fisher King (Part 2)" perfectly exemplifies the delicate balance between procedural, personal drama, and gruesome thriller that makes "Criminal Minds" one of the best crime series ever made.