Search - Criminal Minds: The First Season on DVD

One of the best shows on TV today!

rnorton828 | Riverbend, IL | 02/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Criminal Minds is one of the best programs currently airing on television. Since its debut on CBS in the fall of 2005, the program has impressed viewers not only with its excellent cast, but also with top-notch writing and production. Criminal Minds follows a group of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit who track down a broad range of criminals, including serial killers, rapists, arsonists/bombers and child abductors, among others. The profilers get inside the heads of these criminals by establishing psychological profiles of their subjects and thinking as they do.



Mandy Patinkin (Chicago Hope) stars as Special Agent Jason Gideon, and Thomas Gibson (Dharma & Greg) is Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. Gideon and Hotchner head up the BAU team. Each member of the team has his or her own area of expertise. Derek Morgan (former soap star Shemar Moore) specializes in obsessive crimes, while Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini) has a background in sexual offenses. Matthew Gray Gubler is Dr. Spencer Reid, the geeky, socially-challenged genius. A.J. Cook plays rookie agent Jennifer "J.J." Jareau, and Kirsten Vangsness is Penelope Garcia, the techie. The producers have assembled an excellent cast, with each actor well suited for his/her role, and they have great chemistry, playing off each other very well.



The writers and producers of Criminal Minds consult with staff at the real-life Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. This allows the writers to come up with some incredibly realistic storylines for the show. It is because of this gritty realism that some of the stories come off incredibly dark and heavy, as seen in one episode in which a serial killer forces husbands to watch while their families are murdered and the killer collects the husbands' wedding rings. Many of the writers have confessed that these darker plots have been very difficult for them to write, and some have said writing for this program has been so creepy that they have been checking the doors and windows in their own homes.



DVD bonus features include three featurettes. The first is "The Making of Criminal Minds" which includes comments from the show's creators, writers and producers as well as the cast members. "Inside Quantico and the Criminal Mind" takes a look inside the real-life FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. The third featurette is "Meet Matthew Gray Gubler," a look at the actor who plays Dr. Spencer Reid, which includes comments from his co-stars, and the production staff was well as from Gubler himself. There are also commentary tracks for several episodes. Along with the original CSI, Criminal Minds is one of my favorite programs on television today. They started off with a very strong first season. I am currently watching and enjoying Season Two while looking forward to Season Three.





"

A Great First Season T A Promising Series

Antonio Vicente Caballero | 03/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Now a days all tv shows from CBS follow the CSI formula, and if they dont follow it to perfection then its something kinda reminiscent of CSI. What i mean we get a lot of flashy scenes and some gory effects (not that im complaining i love CSI) but somewhere during that proccess the characters feel sort of underdeveloped, like they have no emotions or no personal life. Sometimes with these shows there is a certain lack of feeling...its centered on the clues and thats it, that's why Criminal Minds is somewhat of a welcomed change. In Criminal Minds Gideon and his team catch serial killers and rapists and such by identifying with them, by getting inside this people's heads and the show always shows the toll the job has on each character..how hard it is to go on living a normal life after the day job is over. Another surprising twist the show offers is this sort of i dont know what to call it...sympathy for the bad guy...once the profile is complete and they know how to catch the bad guy...i am always surprised at how fragile and human this killers are (well...most of them).

The first season was great with episodes like riding the lightning and L.D.S.K. and others more (i dont have the box set here to ennumerate my favorite episodes)...that said the first season DID have some very cliche episodes that left me kind of surprised at the lack of originality...like "kingfisher pt1." where some old creep is obsessed with gideon's team and sends them on a quest to solve a mystery of a missing girl....reminds me too much of seven or silence of the lambs...and its been done before...or the pilot episode...my least favorite episode in the show...

Anyways Criminal Minds is a great set...despite some very cliche and done to death episodes (which are like 3 or 4)the other episodes are excellent and a very compelling watch"