12 Shows Like Criminal Minds And How To Watch Them
Criminal Minds was a ratings hit for CBS during its 15-year tenure, with audiences tuning in for the grisly crimes committed by the unsubs and the interpersonal relationships of the FBI’s behavior analysts trying to track them down. Criminal Minds was canceled after 15 seasons in 2020 but brought back as Minds: Evolution (available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription) in 2022 to continue the story, with several members of the cast reprising their roles.
The series is still going strong on streaming, too, with Season 17 set to start filming in January 2024, so while we wait for Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Joe Mantegna’s David Rossi and the rest of the BAUs to get back to work, here are some other shows like Criminal Minds that you might want to check out, along with information about how you can watch them.
The Killing
Based on a Danish crime drama, The Killing ran on AMC from 2011 to 2013, with a fourth season getting picked up by Netflix in 2014. The series follows murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman).
Why The Killing Is Like Criminal Minds: Because Linden and Holder are focused on one overarching case at a time, The Killing is a slower burn than fans of the BAU group might be used to. However, the AMC series captures a similar darkness and sense of danger that penetrates the lives of the people working the case, which is something that might appeal to Criminal Minds fans.
Mindhunter
Mindhunter follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), who launch a project to research the minds of imprisoned serial killers through interviews, in hopes of understanding how their brains work and using that knowledge to solve other cases.
Why Mindhunter Is Like Criminal Minds: This series from David Fincher is a dramatization of how the Behavioral Analysis Unit (or Behavioral Science Unit) was actually created, with bone-chilling cases based on real events that go toe-to-toe with any of the fictional murders from Criminal Minds in terms of the monsters they’re dealing with.
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior And Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
In 2011, CBS launched a spinoff of the police drama, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, which follows a BAU team in San Francisco. The series stars Forest Whitaker and Janeane Garofalo, with Richard Schiff playing the FBI director, but despite its juggernaut of a cast, Suspect Behavior was canceled after one season
In 2016, a second spinoff, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders was launched, with Gary Sinise and Alana de la Garza starring as members of the FBI’s International Response Team, which solves cases involving Americans on foreign soil. Despite being regarded as the rare spinoff that’s as good as its original, Beyond Borders lasted only two seasons on CBS.
Why Suspect Behavior And Beyond Borders Are Like Criminal Minds: The spinoffs’ change in location gives viewers a twist on the original, but anybody who needs more FBI crime-solving action can definitely find it here.
Buy Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior On Amazon Prime.
Buy Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders On Amazon Prime.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
The first spinoff of NBC’s Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit focuses on the faction of the NYPD that investigates and prosecutes sexually oriented crimes, as well as child abuse, human trafficking and domestic violence. The series premiered in 1999 starring Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, and is heading into its 25th season on NBC.
Why Law & Order: SVU Is Like Criminal Minds: These procedurals both tackle some pretty intense subject matter, with the agents in the respective series having to figure out how to live without the depravity they see at work bringing them down.
Stream Law & Order: SVU on Hulu.
Stream Law & Order: SVU on Peacock.
Hannibal
Set before the events of Silence of the Lambs, NBC’s Hannibal features FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) working with forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lector (Mads Mikkelsen) on a serial killer investigation. An interesting bond forms between the killer/cannibal and the man who solves murders by envisioning that he committed them. Hannibal premiered in 2013 and ran for three seasons.
Why Hannibal Is Like Criminal Minds: The members of the BAU have to put themselves inside the minds of the unsubs they’re trying to catch, and no two characters on television embody that practice better than Will Graham and Hannibal Lector.
Stream Hannibal on AMC+.
Stream Hannibal on Shudder.
Teen Wolf
Teen Wolf, a reimagining of the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie, premiered in 2011, starring Tyler Posey as Scott McCall. Scott is bitten by a werewolf, becoming one himself, and on top of balancing this complication with being a high-schooler, he also has to defend his town from other supernatural creatures. The series ran for six seasons on MTV.
Why Teen Wolf Is Like Criminal Minds: While there may not be many similarities between these shows’ plots or formats, they both come from the creative mind of Jeff Davis. Davis was inspired to do Teen Wolf because of his love for horror, and his reimagining is a drama, rather than a comedy like the films. The darker themes, violence and gore are reminiscent of Davis’ work on Criminal Minds.
Dexter
To his colleagues at the Miami Police Department, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is a quiet but friendly blood spatter expert. What they don’t know, though, is that in his off time, Dexter tracks down murderers and enacts vigilante justice as a way of satisfying the “dark passenger” that compels him to kill. Dexter ran on Showtime from 2006 to 2013 and was brought back for the 10-episode limited series Dexter: New Blood in 2021.
Why Dexter Is Like Criminal Minds: Dexter Morgan is what happens if you combine the BAU agents with the unsubs. You get the crime-solving, the fascinating blood analysis and the grisly murders, all in one sociopathic package.
Stream Dexter on Showtime.
Stream Dexter on Paramount+.
Cold Case
Cold Case, another CBS police procedural, premiered in 2003 and ran for seven seasons, as viewers followed Philadelphia homicide detective Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris) on her work involving investigations that are no longer being pursued by the police department.
How Cold Case Is Like Criminal Minds: The format between the two CBS series are similar, often tackling one case per episode, and both feature some pretty heinous crimes. The big difference, however, is that there’s not often hope of saving anyone on Cold Case.
Without A Trace
On Without a Trace, which aired on CBS from 2002 to 2009, the agents in the FBI’s Missing Persons Unit — including Anthony LaPaglia’s Jack Malone and Poppy Montgomery’s Samantha Spade — attempt to track down missing people, usually under tight time constraints.
How Without A Trace Is Like Criminal MInds: The Missing Persons Unit is another faction of the FBI, but whereas the BAU is searching for the criminals, the characters on Without a Trace are trying to track down the victims. Basically these shows are two sides of the same coin.
Buy Without a Trace on Amazon Prime.
NCIS
NCIS is headed into its 21st season on CBS, having debuted in 2003. Mark Harmon starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs until he exited the series in 2022. NCIS focuses on the primary law-enforcement agency of the U.S. Navy, with its team investigating criminal activity involving that branch of the military as well as the Marine Corps.
How NCIS Is Like Criminal Minds: For those who like the crime-solving aspect and procedural format of Criminal Minds without all the gritty content, NCIS might be just what you’re looking for. It still has an element of mystery, characters to root for and comedic moments, but doesn’t delve as much into killers’ psyches.
Stream NCIS on Paramount+.
Stream NCIS on Netflix.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Debuting back in 2000 and airing for 15 seasons on CBS, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation follows the Las Vegas Police Department’s team as they use physical evidence to solve murders. This flagship series has spawned multiple spinoffs.
Why CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Is Like Criminal Minds: When it comes to crime procedurals, few TV series are as iconic as CSI. This show has the intriguing mysteries, the suspense and the longevity that people love about Criminal Minds.
Stream CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on Hulu.
Stream CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on Paramount+.
Scorpion
Running for four seasons on CBS from 2014 to 2018, Scorpion stars Elyes Gabel as Walter O'Brien, whose colleagues are the last line of defense against technological threats around the world. The team works with the Department of Homeland Security, so while they might not be getting hands-on with the grisly murders, it’s fascinating in a different way to see how they neutralize the global threats.
Why Scorpion Is Like Criminal Minds: Anyone who was a fan of Matthew Gray Gubler’s Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds should enjoy Scorpion’s group of socially awkward geniuses.
Stream Scorpion on Paramount+.
There are plenty of crime procedurals out there if you need a change of pace from Criminal Minds, and hopefully this list helps you focus in on what to watch based on what you like about the longtime series. When you’re ready to dip back into Criminal Minds, however, all 16 seasons are available on Paramount+, while the first 15 seasons can also be streamed with a Hulu subscription.
