10 Shows To Watch if You Love ‘Criminal Minds’

With an impressive 17 seasons, renewed for an 18th, Criminal Minds is one of the most popular police procedural crime dramas on television today. Those who fell in love with the show likely appreciate both the action aspect of solving crimes as well as the deeper, psychological profiling. The series focuses on criminal profilers in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) who use analysis and profiling to determine who committed a crime and why.

The stories combined with the fabulous cast have made Criminal Minds a winner. For those who have watched through all the episodes, it’s worthwhile finding a similar show, or one that will appeal for related reasons, to check out next.

10 ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ (2000-2015)

Created by Anthony E. Zuiker

Like Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation focuses on a different aspect of the criminal justice system beyond the usual taking down criminals in the field and arguing for or against them at trial. The spotlight is on the crime scene investigators (CSI) who use their skills of perception and deduction, along with heavy scientific backgrounds, to help law enforcement solve murders.

There’s the same intriguing focus on a different aspect of crime with a compelling team of individuals with special skills that make them invaluable to the team. All the best episodes of CSI dive deep into cases and provide a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes methods used to solve them along with the quirky, sometimes socially awkward, personalities that do it.

9 ‘Lie to Me’ (2009-2011)

Created by Samuel Baum

The BAU members on Criminal Minds would love to have Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) from Lie to Me on the team. He uses applied psychology to interpret usually undetectable microexpressions using the Facial Action Coding System, as well as slight body language to determine if someone is lying or telling the truth. It’s almost like he’s a human lie-detector machine. What’s most fascinating about the character is that he’s based on a real person named Paul Ekman, who has advised both police and anti-terrorism groups, and also serves as a consultant on the show.

Lie to Me is like an extension of Criminal Minds, showing how someone like Dr. Lightman could be someone worth hiring to help in certain cases as a first or last line of defense. It’s the perfect show to have a crossover with that one.

8 ‘Mindhunter’ (2017-2019)

Created by Joe Penhall

On Criminal Minds, the team sometimes investigates serial killers. Mindhunter actually tells the story of how the BAU, where the characters in Criminal Minds work, first came into existence. Two FBI agents and a psychologist work together to try and get into the minds of serial killers, eventually coining this term for the “repeat killers” that didn’t initially have a name to describe them. They believed by exploring the psychology of these individuals, they might be able to use the information about how they think to help them solve other crimes.

While Criminal Minds shows cases largely rooted in fiction, Mindhunter dives into the minds of real-life serial killers, using actors who are eerily convincing in their roles and even dialogue pulled from the transcripts of actual prison interviews with everyone from Charles Manson to Ed Kemper. Mindhunter is a wonderful background show to other crime shows like Mindhunter. It provides context about how characters in Criminal Minds eventually came to have the jobs they do in the first place.

Watch on Netflix

7 ‘Hannibal’ (2013-2015)

Created by Bryan Fuller

Hannibal is like watching a game of psychological ping-pong. While FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is seeking help from forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lector (Mads Mikkelsen) in dealing with the intense emotions he feels from hunting serial killers, he has no idea that Lector is a serial killer and cannibal himself. Basking in his position of ultimate control, Hannibal toys with Will, causing him to tap into his deepest desires, unbeknownst to Will. But then something odd happens as the two men grow closer and closer, and Hannibal starts to feel an affinity towards Will.

The entire series of Hannibal represents the process those in Criminal Minds undergo to try and get into the minds of serial killers. Will is desperate to do this so he can find the one he’s searching for. Hannibal gives him a glimpse into that thought process, but creepily coming from his own personal experience.

6 ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ (1999-)

Created by Dick Wolf

While Law & Order: Special Victims Unit follows the standard format of other shows in its franchise, including detectives taking down criminals followed by their trials, the show has a similarly dark vibe to Criminal Minds. That’s because this particular show focuses on especially heinous crimes, including those against children or involving rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking.

For something with a similar level of intensity, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit meets Criminal Minds toe-to-toe in SVU‘s very best episodes, even surpasses it by depicting the most deplorable types of criminals.

5 ‘Found’ (2023-)

Created by Nkechi Okoro Carroll

There’s one character on NBC’s Found who is reminiscent of some of the work done on Criminal Minds, though her skills rely on intuition and perception, and are borne out of tragedy. Margaret Reed (Kelli Williams) works on Gabi Mosley’s (Shanola Hampton) team of individuals dedicating their lives to finding missing persons the police aren’t bothered to look for. She has incredible observational and deductive reasoning skills, which she developed after spending years searching for her own son, who was kidnapped in a train station 13 years prior.

She can instantly look at a scene and determine if something looks out of place. As she observes people, she notices things like clenched fists, beads of sweat, or twitches of eyes that suggest they’re lying or hiding something. She could easily get a job consulting with the Criminal Minds team, even without any formal training.

Watch on Peacock

4 ‘Dexter’ (2006-2013)

Created by James Manos Jr.

While the characters on Criminal Minds use their behavioral analysis skills to dive into the minds of killers, viewers get a first-hand view of that mindset in Dexter. The inner monologue of vigilante serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is the narration through this entire series, so fans learn exactly how Dexter is thinking at all times, how he justifies his actions, and times when he is completely devoid of emotion. It’s the kind of monologue BAU staff wish they could hear in real life.

What’s so interesting about Dexter is that he works for the police as a blood spatter analyst, often the first on crime scenes to figure out what happened. He uses this knowledge and access to solve cases himself before proceeding to murder the perpetrator once he finds proof of guilt.

3 ‘The Mentalist’ (2008-2015)

Created by Bruno Heller

Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) in The Mentalist is a psychic medium whose skills have become integral to the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with which he works to help solve cases. While he doesn’t technically possess psychic abilities, he had previously used his keen observational skills to purport to read people’s minds, and he was good enough at it to convince people he had a gift. Now, he is using it for good.

There’s an overarching story in The Mentalist about Patrick only working with law enforcement to try and find the serial killer who murdered his wife and daughter. He’s the type of character who would fit right in with the profilers in Criminal Minds while Red John, the killer he is tracking down, is just like the ones the BAU on Criminal Minds captures and tries to figure out.

Watch on Hulu

2 ‘The Following’ (2013-2015)

Created by Kevin Williamson

The Following demonstrates how charming and suave a killer can be, centered on the cat and mouse game between serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) and former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon). Joe is so captivating that the well-spoken and well-read former professor has managed to establish a cult of followers. Even after being imprisoned, he’s able to control their activities and get them to carry out acts for him, including helping him escape.

The Following is exciting, action-packed, and beautifully acted. Seeing how Joe, one of the most terrifying TV serial killers, manipulates, taunts, and gets into even Ryan’s head proves how cunning some serial killers are, and how difficult they can be to control and capture.

1 ‘The Fall’ (2013-2016)

Created by Allan Cubitt

Jamie Dornan stars as serial killer Paul Spector in The Fall, a family man who ironically works as a grief counselor during the day and then does his ritualistic kills at night. Gillian Anderson is detective superintendent Stella Gibson who is hunting down the killer. Her observational skills and intuition lead her to suspect Paul but building a case to have him arrested and find evidence that it’s him proves challenging.

The Fall features some scenes between Stella and Paul where she tries to get into his head while he tries his best to keep his cover. Focusing on the psychology of the kills when the killer is a seemingly normal person is the most fascinating part of the show.

NEXT: The Best ‘Criminal Minds’ Episodes, Ranked