Rank 6: Season 1
The first season, consisting of 22 episodes, narrowly misses the Top 5. With 7.718 out of a possible 10 stars, it is rated slightly better than Seasons 7 and 9. The original cast of Criminal Minds investigates here: Jason Gideon, Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Jennifer Jareau, and Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini). The beloved technical analyst Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) also starts here, but only becomes a regular cast member from episode 14.
Rank 5: Season 5
7.726 stars catapult Season 5 (2009 to 2010) to … 5th place! With 23 episodes, it is exactly one longer than Season 1 and boasts one of the highest episode ratings in the series with 9.2 stars for episode 9. No episode received a rating below 7.2 stars. With this season, the spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
was also launched in episode 18, which unfortunately only lasted one season.
