Criminal Minds has had an enduring tenure on television. The original era of Criminal Minds ran for 15 seasons and acquired a strong fanbase. The series would go on to be revived with Criminal Minds: Evolution continuing the series with additional seasons.

Criminal Minds follows a team of FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit profilers who investigate uniquely depraved cases committed by serial offenders. The BAU’s specialty is serial killers, and those comprise a majority of cases depicted in Criminal Minds episodes. However, there are a few standout episodes that deviate from the serial killer norm. These episodes prove that Criminal Minds is a fascinating series, no matter the subject matter it’s covering.

10 “Saturday” Sees the Team on a Day Off Work

“Saturday” is one of the most bold diversions from the standard Criminal Minds episode style. Instead of focusing on crime, “Saturday” focuses on the members of the BAU team on a rare day off. “Saturday” gives fans of the series a unique window into how these crime-fighters spend their time when they aren’t devoted to putting depraved offenders behind bars.

In “Saturday”, Rossi and Prentiss help Simmons and his wife prepare for the arrival of their child while Garcia helps a friend in need with Alvez’s assistance and Reid follows the advice of his therapist and meets someone new. The unique approach in “Saturday” provides a great emotional context for the characters. The episode emphasizes the individuality and personal motivations of the team, while also highlighting how the team has a familial bond that extends beyond the job.

9 “P911” is a High Stakes Case in New Territory

“P911” sees the BAU team aiding a former profiler with an emotional case. Former BAU profiler SSA Katie Cole returns to the BAU to ask for help in her fight against child predators. The BAU team aids her in locating a young boy who is being sold online by a dangerous predator who has escaped SSA Cole’s clutches in the past.

“P911” sets the BAU on a very fast-paced chase with a literal ticking clock in the background. The team and SSA Cole have a short window of time to locate the offender before the young boy is sold to the highest bidder. This terrifying notion ratchets up the tension for the episode and has the characters giving the case their all. The addition of SSA Katie Cole introduces a new player into this well-oiled machine and gives a fresh perspective to the profilers who don’t normally operate on this kind of case.

8 “Compulsion” Takes the BAU Back to School for an Arson Case

“Compulsion” is the second episode of Criminal Minds, and proved that the series was not going to creatively pigeonhole itself and instead offer some great underrated episodes. “Compulsion” follows a serial arsonist terrorizing a college campus. Though the killer is a multiple murderer, “Compulsion” is completely different than the standard Criminal Minds serial killer episode. “Compulsion” has the profilers scratching their heads as they chase an arsonist who isn’t behaving in any manner they are familiar with.

“Compulsion” is a great example of how the BAU’s investigative process works. The BAU agents cycle through several different theories to explain the bizarre behavior exhibited by the arsonist. The final reveal of the arsonist’s psyche and following arrest is shocking and sets the tone for how Criminal Minds will continually surprise viewers.

7 “Wheels on the Bus” Follows a Shocking Mass Kidnapping

“Wheels on the Bus” is one of the most shocking episodes of Criminal Minds. In “Wheels on the Bus” sees a mass kidnapping of schoolchildren on a school bus by two disturbed abductors. The BAU is quickly dispatched to this bizarre case to locate the missing children and arrest whoever is responsible.

Several aspects of “Wheels On The Bus” are truly terrifying, such as the abductors being two psychopaths who are intent on recreating a video game they were banned from playing and using the children to enact their sick fantasy. This episode is anything but typical as the BAU works to free the children from this nightmarish hell that only a sick mind could concoct.

6 “Hamelin” Follows a Truly Bizarre Kidnapping Case

“Hamelin” follows the BAU agents as they investigate a string of bizarre kidnappings in a small town. The BAU profilers are shocked to see footage of the children disturbingly being lured away from their homes by a form of suggestive mind control. This is truly unlike any other case the BAU has investigated, so the rules are out the window.

“Hamelin” is an incredibly complex episode that takes place in a standard small town that would be familiar to a lot of viewers. The complexities of this case are engrossing as a revenge plot plays out on a suburban stage with local children being used as pawns in a dangerous game. “Hamelin” will have viewers on a wild ride as the case evolves at a rapid pace and has the BAU chasing an unsub with dangerous skills.

5 “Amplification” Saw the BAU Fighting Terrorists

“Amplification” is an incredibly intense episode of Criminal Minds with stakes spanning national security. The BAU is recruited by the government to work with the CDC when an anthrax attack occurs at a local park. Fearing a larger-scale attack, the BAU must profile the offender and gain insight into an unsub seeking a higher body count than any they have captured before.

“Amplification” fully embraces the high stakes of the threat of a real terrorist attack and transforms the episode significantly from a regular Criminal Minds episode into something different entirely. The stakes only increase more when one of their own is infected in the process, and the race to arrest the mad scientist and locate the cure becomes a personal matter of life and death. “Amplification” packs a punch and shows how the profiling skills of the BAU have diverse uses.

4 “Unknown Subject” Tackles a Disturbed Serial Rapist

“Unknown Subject” sees the BAU take on a case involving a serial rapist dubbed ‘The Piano Man’ who has resumed his reign of terror. An interesting and particularly sadistic detail is that the victims he is assaulting are the same women he assaulted prior to going dormant. By re-traumatizing his victims, ‘The Piano Man’ establishes himself as a particularly brutal foe.

“Unknown Subject” also ties in personally to the members of the BAU. Fan favorite character Emily Prentiss’s trauma is explored from her intense storyline regarding her fake death during her investigation into international terrorist Ian Doyle. Trauma and its different manifestations and impacts are the central theme of this episode, and it cuts deep for all involved. “Unknown Subject” examines trauma through various approaches and is an emotionally raw episode.

3 “Coda” is an Emotional Journey for All Involved

“Coda” follows the BAU on an abduction case that poses a unique challenge to investigators. In the tragic episode, the parents of an autistic young boy are brutally abducted, and their son is the only witness. The BAU’s unique skillset makes them the perfect investigators to locate the missing parents and potentially communicate with the only witness.

“Coda” is an incredibly human episode that touches on the various difficulties of everyday life. A truly beautiful part of this episode is the vulnerabilities presented by all involved including both the investigators and the civilians. The residents of this small town are all hit hard by the economy and the victims have the relatable challenge of providing the best life possible for their son with limited resources. Their young son Sammy is the beating heart of the episode. A famous scene from “Coda” includes Reid and Sammy playing the piano together in order to communicate. “Coda” tugs on the heartstrings and still provides an intense case for the BAU to solve.

2 “It Takes a Village” Concludes an Iconic Plotline

“It Takes a Village” is a season premiere episode that drops a metaphorical nuclear bomb on the BAU team. The episode sees the BAU team being grilled by an oversight committee relating to the Ian Doyle case that resulted in the death of SSA Emily Prentiss, a believed friend and team member of the BAU team. Prentiss was the subject of a long plotline surrounding her past work as an intelligence operative that led to her and her old Interpol team imprisoning Doyle.

Doyle then escaped and launched a brutal campaign of retaliation campaign against Prentiss and her former colleagues, killing several of them and then apparently Prentiss herself. The BAU comes under fire for how they resolved the investigation, and Prentiss reveals herself to be alive and faked her death with the assistance of Agents Jareau and Hotchner. This shocking plot twist is an intense conclusion to one of the most different and intense storylines of Criminal Minds.

1 “Gabby” Is a Uniquely Complex Abduction Case

“Gabby” may be a solo abduction case, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a teeming underlayer to this apparently simple case. The BAU begins their investigation, and it appears to be a simple abduction by the girl’s estranged father. However, as the team continues to search for young Gabby they quickly learn there is nothing simple about this case.

“Gabby” has a sinister undertone to it as the abductor and their motivations are truly hiding in plain sight and behind a mask of civilization. Even experienced fans of crime and police procedurals would be hard-pressed to see the twists in this episode. “Gabby” is a great episode to exemplify how Criminal Minds can find the unique darkness the series has become known for in any kind of case.