The 24 Best 'Criminal Minds' Episodes, Ranked from Least to Most Anxiety-Inducing

Full disclosure: if you're not obsessed with Penelope and Derek's loving and flirty friendship, then "Exit Wounds" might not rank among your favorite Criminal Minds episodes. That said, if you, like me, believe that this relationship is the emotional heart of the BAU, then you'll also be a fan of this episode that brings Penelope out into the field, causing her to question her place on the team.

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The BAU travels all over the country tracking down serial killers, but that doesn't mean they can't have some fun. In "Jones," the team heads down south to New Orleans, where an UnSub is copying Jack the Ripper. While working the case, JJ meets a charming detective, Will LaMontagne (Josh Stewart).

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Emily's undercover past takes center stage in "Lauren" when she disappears, prompting the BAU to look into her undercover past with a dangerous criminal, Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy).

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Every now and then, Criminal Minds will have an episode that dives deep into the backstories of the BAU team members. In "Memoriam," it's Reid's turn. After a case inspires nightmares, he decides to look into a case of a missing boy that has bothered him since childhood, which means getting answers from his mother (Jane Lynch) and estranged dad.

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Technically, this episode is part of Criminal Minds: Evolution, the recent Criminal Minds revival that aired on Paramount+, but it is considered as a continuation of the original series, so I felt it deserved at least one mention on this list. This episode falls towards the end of the 10-episode season, and juggles the team's investigation into Sicarius (the season's major big bad) and the episode's UnSub of the week.

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These are technically two episodes, but they work as a two-part finale for Season 12. In "Green Light," an increasingly anxious Reid is worried his mother has been abducted and enlists the BAU to investigate, meanwhile the team is still working overtime to clear his name and get him out of prison. But getting him out is only one part of the puzzle. In "Red Light," the BAU goes after the man who landed him behind bars in the first place: their longtime rival, Mr. Scratch (Bodhi Elfman).

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The fallout from Reid's arrest for murder continues as the BAU are simultaneously tracking down two UnSubs and trying to figure out how best to help Reid behind bars. The real reason this episode is one of the best? It's the first episode where newbie Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) really feels like he's part of the family. (Bonus points for guest star Harold Perrineau, who appears as a menacing inmate targeting Reid.)

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Poor Reid could never catch a break. Case in point: "Zugzwang," a tense episode where Reid enlists the BAU to find his girlfriend, whom he's never actually met face-to-face, after she is abducted by her longtime stalker.

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A child abduction case quickly escalates as the BAU find a connection between a little girl's disappearance and the abduction of a young boy eight years ago. But the big draw is the guest stars: Beth Grant! A baby Evan Peters! And, yes, it's disturbing AF.

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Criminal Minds is serial killer focused, which means the BAU usually focuses on individual offenders. In "Minimal Loss," however, they are forced to mediate a stand-off between a cult (led by a very convincing Luke Perry) and law enforcement when two of their own are caught in the middle.

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Horror fans will delight in this twisted episode directed by Matthew Gray Gubler himself. "The Lesson" puts the BAU on the case of an UnSub who seems to be slowly killing his victims, leaving them horribly injured and disjointed. The twist? The killer has been turning people into living puppets to relive a childhood trauma. It is, quite literally, the stuff of my nightmares.

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Spoiler alert: if you haven't watched this episode, turn back now. In "It Takes a Village," the BAU team are questioned by a Senate Committee after Emily's death, but things take a turn when the FBI agent returns to the team.

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The 2-part Season 4 finale "To Hell...And Back" features what might be one of the most disturbing UnSubs the team has ever tracked. The episode begins when the team are alerted to a string of disappearances of unhoused people, sex workers, and others that one man is convinced is the sign of a serial killer. The BAU investigation takes the team up to Canada, where they come face-to-face with an unexpected killer.

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The BAU is called in when skeletal remains wash up on the shore in Jacksonville. It's a puzzling case, which is complicated by Derek's aunt's belief that her daughter might be among those dead. Add in a terrifying killer who enjoys torturing families, and you've got a perfect episode of Criminal Minds.

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"Sex, Birth, Death" put a twist on the Criminal Minds procedural by shifting away from a case and towards the psychology upon which the show is based. In this case, the serial killer targeting prostitutes takes a backseat to a teenage boy, Nathan (Anton Yelchin), who seeks Reid out due to his violent fantasies, raising questions about whether a killer is born or made.

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Penelope Garcia is usually kept out of the action, safely behind her wall of computers, but in "Penelope," she isn't just involved in the case; she's the victim. After being shot by a date, Penelope has to let the team take care of her as they investigate who could have targeted their favorite tech genius. Come for the intrigue, stay for Morgan's protectiveness going into overdrive. No one messes with his baby girl and gets away with it!

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When a school bus of teenagers goes missing, the BAU is brought onto the case, where a pair of young men are using the teens as guinea pigs in their twisted, deadly games. None of the team members are really in danger in this episode, but the stress of watching teens in shock collars fighting for their lives is enough to scar you for life.

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Forget human puppets, in "The Uncanny Valley," the BAU is on the lookout for an UnSub who turns victims into human dolls. The entire episode is disturbing, but when the killer is revealed, it becomes a twisted tragedy you won't be able to stop thinking about.

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It's a race against the clock in "Amplification," when the BAU goes up against an UnSub who targets his victims using a new strain of anthrax that, of course, has no known antidote. The team realizes that the UnSub is working his way up to a bigger attack, and are racing to stop it when one of their own is exposed.

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Saying goodbye to a cast member on your favorite show is never easy, but at least Shemar Moore got a grand sendoff with "A Beautiful Disaster," his last episode as a series regular, which focused on Derek's wild hunt for the UnSub targeting him after his pregnant fiancée is shot. The episode is emotional, more than a little ridiculous, and absolutely perfect. (This one was also co-written by Penelope Garcia herself, Kristen Vangsness!)

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