Criminal Minds has so many great episodes that it’s hard to rank them. However, as huge fans, we have narrowed it down to the top 35 episodes. Go to Hulu to watch any of the episodes listed below.
The best episodes of Criminal Minds are:
35. No Way Out (Season 2, Episode 13)
The BAU team interviews a prolific serial killer, Frank, who has committed crimes for over thirty years. He first drugs the victims, disables them, and takes a part of their ribs. Once he has murdered them, he dumps the bodies in a remote location. BAU is looking at how he has been able to stay under the radar for so long and what his next move is.
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34. Mosley Lane (Season 5, Episode 16)
This episode is about a child abductor who has been similarly abducting children for the past eight years. A familiar face comes up in the office from a mother believing her son is still alive. Her son was the first child abducted eight years ago when he was eight. The BAU noticed striking similarities between the abduction cases and started narrowing down suspects.
33. Lauren (Season 6, Episode 18)
In this episode, Prentiss is on a mission to track down her old nemesis Doyle and kill him. She ends up going missing without letting the team know. The BAU starts piecing together where Doyle is, which means Prentiss isn’t far behind from finding Doyle. Doyle is dangerous, and Prentiss doesn’t realize what she has done when she crosses him. The team must track down Prentiss before it is too late.
32. Parishville (Season 11, Episode 6)
In this storyline, the BAU team is presented with an overwhelming pool of suspects and can’t figure out how to narrow it down to a smaller list. The crime occurs in a small town in Florida where there are 2,000 sex offenders. While the BAU is trying to track down a killer, one of the team members is offered a promotion, which means leaving the BAU and is faced with a dilemma.
31. Anonymous (Season 10, Episode 12)
In this twisted case, a serial killer calls the team to report a crime before the murders are committed. The killer shot the victims carefully as if he didn’t want them to die fast and drag the death out longer.
30. Believer (Season 13, Episode 22)
When Quinn is found by Reid locked in a storage unit. Quinn broke protocol on a case leading him to leave his job as an FBI special agent. He asks the BAU for help on the topic of finding the unsub he named the “Strangler.” They question Quinn, his family, and his colleagues, trying to find the truth about what Quinn is telling them about the strangler.
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29. The Job (Season 11, Episode 1)
Hotch is conducting interviews when one of their own quits the BAU team. The rest of the team is working on a case where they have two men dead: a drug dealer and a suburban dad, different lifestyles, different cities in two days. A third killing happens, which paints a clear picture for the BAU; there’s not just one suspect but multiple people involved in the crime.
28. The Bunker (Season 13, Episode 6)
Four young professional women end up missing in this case. They are all successful in their careers. A young lady contacted the team about her teenage sister, who disappeared five years ago. The BAU team tries to connect the recent cases and the teenage girl’s disappearance to find t e killer.
27. The Capilano’s (Season 13, Episode 17)
A young boy witnesses the killing of his father by a man dres ed as a clown. There have been similar killings in other small towns that have the locals shaken. Garcia discovers more cases in Colorado that are tied to this case. The team works to help Dylan with his trauma in the hope that they can get more information on what happened.
26. The Pact (Season 8, Episode 2)
Two murders are committed an hour apart from ea h other in different cities. The BAU thinks there are two killers connected to the case. The method of killing is similar, but the victimology is different. The episode is filled with exciting events that build up throughout the episode.
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25. Doubt (Season 3, Episode 1)
At a college in Arizona, three female students are found dead. They have been brutally stabbed, and the team thinks they have caught the killer when a security guard fits the profile. However, another killing happens, leading to many arguments within the team, and they started hating their abilities.
24. JJ (Season 6, Episode 2)
In this episode, a teenage girl go s missing while on vacation. The BAU team believes two young men have done something to the girl. JJ deals with the young girl’s parents, who refuse to leave the police station until they get answers.
23. And In The End (Season 15, Episode 10)
Dr. Reid suffers from a brain injury after an encounter with Everett Lynch. He ends up experiencing hallucinations and is visited by ghosts from his past. You will see if Dr. Reid improves or not.
22. Hashtag (Season 10, Episode 7)
This killer has a more modern take on his murders and is targeting social media influencers and then photoshopping pictures of the prey he has his eyes on. All the crime scenes have a hashtag symbol with suggested similarities. To solve this crazy case, they will need to pull out all their resources.
21. Hamelin (Season 14, Episode 12)
This case involves a father seeking revenge over his three children’s abduction. During the investigation, the BAU figured out that the kidnapper was someone the children knew, and they had dark motives.
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20. 300 (Season 14, Episode 1)
The BAU took down a cult leader over a decade ago. The cult resurfaced with a new leader Benjamin and so f r, he has killed 299 people. He has his eyes set on Reid. The BAU needs to figure out how the old case is connected to this new one.
19. Conflicted (Season 4, Episode 20)
Two male college students are raped and murdered while on vacation. The team found out that the men were lured by a woman but raped and killed by a man. Reid digs deeper to find out the truth by reading between the lines of the case.
18. Jones (Season 2, Episode 18)
A serial killer that is supposed to be dead is on the loose in New Orleans. It has been two years since the killer committed a murder and the BAU works with the New Orleans Police to solve the crime.
17. Sex, Birth, Death (Season 2, Episode 11)
In Washington, D.C the prostitutes are in danger when several of them are found murdered. A high school student is a suspect as the team continues investigating. They are getting pressure from political figures to keep the case low.
16. Hit (Season 7, Episode 23)
This is the season 7 finale episode, and the team encounters a gang of serial killers who rob a bank. Garcia can identify a few robbers, but the one robber she can’t identify is doing all the killings. The team soon realizes the leader has a group working on the outside and needs to figure out the motives before more killings happen.
15. Demons (Season 9, Episode 24)
The BAU team faces a life-or-death situation when they unravel a corrupt organization. This episode grips t e audience as Reid finds himself in serious condition aft r a shootout. We see a fellow team member decide to leave the BAU.
14. Extreme Aggressor (Season 1, Episode 1)
The BAU travel to Settle on a mission to capture the person responsible for the four missing women. One of the women’s bodies is found in a remote area, and the BAU race against time to find the other three women before the killer takes any more lives.
13. The Replicator (Season 8, Episode 24)
T is episode is a dramatic phenomenon where a former FBI agent becomes a serial killer. The plot is bad on revenge, and the killer starts to copycat crimes the BAU has previously solved. The stakes rise when the killer comes after one of the team members leaves the episode in such a perfect ending for an exciting season.
12. Mr. Scra ch (Season 10 Episode 21)
The BAU is struggling to handle three different murderers. A fourth murder case pops up that links each of the cases. The BAU tries to find the suspect controlling the four murderers’ minds with a dangerous drug.
11. Entro y (Season 11, Episode 11)
Reid goes undercover to take down a high-profile assassin. His blind date is a women name Cat. She is more intelligent than she leads Reid and the BAU team to think. Soon Reid comes clean about their intentions to each other, and it is worth watching what happens next.
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10. Date Night (Season 15, Episode 6)
An old enemy of the BAU team resurfaces, Cat. She demands to go on a date with Reid, and for him to comply, she kidnaps his girlfriend’s sister and father. You are left at the edge of your seat, wondering if the team can solve this case and if there will be a happy ending.
9. Zugzwang (Sea on 8, Episode 12)
In this suspense episode, Reid’s girlfriend Maeve gets kidnapped by her stalker. The team comes together to help Reid. The BAU finds shocking facts about Maeve that even Reid himself didn’t know.
8. Amplification (Season 4, Episode 24)
Many people visiting a specific park die from anthrax poisoning. When the team investigated more, they fou d that it is a highly sophisticated strain of anthrax that someone with a background in science can only develop. Things turn for the worse as one of the teammates gets infected.
7. Penelope (Season 3, Episode 9)
This is one of the many thrilling episodes where we see Penelope Garcia battling for her life when she is shot outside her building. s the BAU team works to solve the case, secrets start to unfold about Penelope and what she d es outside of work. The killer knows that Penelope is still alive and will stop at nothing until she is dead.
6. True Genius (Season 7, Episode 11)
This episode features a killer who has been murdering since 19 4 named the Zodiac Killer. The BAU travels to the San Francisco Bay area, where the series of murders took place We see Reid doubt his abilities as he approaches his 30s, wondering what he has achieved in his life so far.
5. L.D.S.K (Season 1, Episode 6)
In this episode, we see the BAU scrambling to nail down an expert sharpshooter w o goes after individuals during the day. When the killer is in law implementation, things get frightening for the serial killer. You will see entertaining comments between Agent Hotch and Spencer Reid.
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4. The Fisher King (Season 1 Episode 22)
The story is in between two episodes. Criminal Randall Garner, who has a mental illness, contacts the BAU to save a woman with little to go on. The vacation ends abruptly for the BAU as they are on a quest to solve this case. This episode will keep you at the edge of your seat as it takes an unexpected turn.
3. Revelations (Season 2 Episode 15)
Dr. Spencer Reid gets kidnapped and tortured by a religious fanatic serial killer named Tobias. Tobias has a split personality disorder caused by his abusive father, who was Bible-obsessed. Reid suffers from flashbacks while he is kidnapped from when he was drugged as a child.
2. 100 (Seas n 5, Episode 9)
The Reaper, one of the most dangerous villains and serial killers, re-emerges after being in hiding for 11 yea s. The Reaper plans to go after Hotch and his entire family, and the BAU team comes together to try and protect the family before it’s too late. The roller coaster of emotions you will experience watching this episode will have you screaming at the TV.
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1. Masterpiece (Season 4, Episode 8)
A narcissist c maniac features in this episode who calls himself Professor Rothchild approaches the BAU team and turns himself in for murdering seven people. He gives them proof of the crime scenes and states that another five people’s lives he kidnapped are at stake if they don’t listen to what he has to say and give him what he wants.
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