Paramount+ Criminal Minds

[Snazzy Daisy]

Is Criminal Minds Literally Too Dark?

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Criminal Minds: Evolution viewers, did any of you — any single one of you! — fall for the harrowing cold open that turned out to be another Rossi nightmare?

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And are complaints about the show being too visually dark this season supported by this side-by-side of a Paramount+ screenshot and a press site still of the same scene?

[threebluestars]

Damn is that ever bad!

[Snazzy Daisy]

Felicity Huffman Previews Criminal Minds Debut — Will Gideon’s Ex Air the OG BAU’s Dirty Laundry?

[Snazzy Daisy]

Director's Spotlight: Aisha Tyler

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Zach Gilford on making his directorial debut with Criminal Minds and improvising lines to 'break' his costars

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It was “not intimidating at all” to direct a Mantegna and Huffman-focused episode in his first outing as director, a sarcastic Gilford quips to Entertainment Weekly.

[Snazzy Daisy]

This BTS clip has a much better lighting than the episodes.

How weird is that...

Edited July 18 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

Director's Spotlight: Zach Gilford

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

♦️ SPOILER ALERT! ♦️

 

Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on Found, #OneChicago, SEAL Team, Criminal Minds, S.W.A.T., Sex Lives of College Girls, Elsbeth, Tracker and More

Q: Any scoop you can give us for Criminal Minds‘ last episode of the season?

Spoiler

I’m about halfway through the Aug. 1 finale, and I will just say that 1) I was surprised to see who did and didn’t survive this week’s climactic [xxx], and 2) a pretty great bombshell is dropped in the aftermath.

Spoiler

Kirsten Vangsness teased the finale at the start of the season, saying, “It will all make sense at the end, but it’s a lot.”

Spoiler

Adam Rodriguez added, “It is a lot, and I think what [the team members] realize is that the ride is longer than we would like it to be — or anyone would expect it to be.”

Spoiler

Joe Mantegna meanwhile shared that, like last season’s finale, “Once again we leave it in a place where people are going to say, ‘Oh yeah. Let’s now lets see where we’re going to go with this.'”

 

Q: My question is about Criminal Minds: Will we get to see Nicholas D’Agosto reprise his role as Doug Bailey in a flashback this season?

Spoiler

You just might get that and then some.

 

Edited July 26 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

Scene study with Adam Rodriguez.

‘Criminal Minds’ Star Adam Rodriguez Watches First Scene: ‘Can’t Say No to Rossi’ (VIDEO)

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“I remember being really excited about this. I loved my intro when I read it in the script, and I was really excited to film it and bring this character to life. I hate watching myself. It’s always awkward, especially knowing that people are watching me watching myself now, but I love the way it was done. I love this intro. I thought it was a badass way to introduce Luke Alvez.”

 

Edited July 30 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on Umbrella Academy, Superman & Lois, NCIS: Origins, TWD: Daryl Dixon, Criminal Minds, Snowpiercer and More!

 

Q: Are there going to be any lighthearted moments/BAU family moments in the Criminal Minds: Evolution finale? Or will it just be really intensely packed?

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“Yes,” showrunner Erica Messer affirms. “By the end of a harrowing season, we will be thrilled to see the team in a setting like they were in at the beginning of the season.”

 

Q: Based on the promotional photos for the Criminal Minds: Evolution season finale, we see Penelope in the field with JJ. What can we expect for this?

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I covered a bit of this last week. But I handed your Q to show boss Erica Messer anyway, and she said to watch for “Garcia taking her MVP status on the road.”

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Zach Gilford thinks Voit can win over the BAU on CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION | TV Insider

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Looking ahead, Gilford expects to see a different side of Voit in Season 18, “which has been one of the really fun parts about the show. Season 1, you kind of see Voit as the family guy and just trying to protect his family and you don’t see him doing too much nefarious stuff. This season, I’ve been in a cell the whole time and I’m just trying to get out and trying to get under the BAU’s skin. So I’m kind of manipulative and annoying,” he explains. “And then next season I think, I don’t know exactly what it is, but I do know it’s going to be a whole ‘nother side. I did say to Erica, I was like, man, I’m bummed. I like being s**t-talking Voit.”

[Snazzy Daisy]

Criminal Minds: Evolution Boss Addresses Viewer Complaints About Those (Literally) Dark Scenes

 

Still photo

Screenshot from Paramount+

 

‘Criminal Minds: Evolution‘ on this writer’s Sony TV via Apple TV (in background) and running Paramount+ on a MacBook Pro (in foreground)

[JMO]

So tone deaf, and I didn't even watch the season, but I've been complaining about the dark for years.  Unless every program Paramount Plus puts out is equally dark, CM has to own the problem.  And to offer an explanation (they're using laptops) without a solution is ridiculous.  No one is asking 'why', they want you to fix it.  If you have reason to believe a large swath of your audience watches via a particular method, then make sure you cater to that method, lest said swath decides it's no longer worth staring at a dark screen.  And if the method used to watch the show doesn't matter (as per the comments here and with the article), go back to the drawing board.  And find MGG while you're at it.

[Danielg342]

9 hours ago, threebluestars said:

I'm tired of the cast looking so severe. All this flat hair, middle parts and tired faces.

I noticed it too, and, shallow it may be of me, it does rankle me a little. The cast members look old and tired, and the cast just reeks of "we're only here because we couldn't get a job anywhere else".

Do I think Hollywood is pedantic with its beauty and age standards, especially for women? All the time. If this wasn't CM, I might even say I'm happy that CM remembered that veteran actresses usually are far better at acting than many of the younger starlets who, despite being "prettier", look way in over their heads on a Hollywood screen.

A strong acting performance always is more noticeable than someone who is just there to be "pretty". I mean, if I just wanted to look at pictures of pretty women, Instagram does enough for me.

However, this is CM...and I see this as part of the larger malaise that plagues the program.

See, Erica Messer's modus operandi has been to always do things to "stand out" and be "noticed", to the complete detriment of things like basic storycraft and actual, real, character development.

The stuff that would actually not just get people to notice the program but actually stick around.

To wit, we have a show that gives us the following:

• We have a show with an older cast- especially among the women- so the show can say they're "different" because they're "not conforming to Hollywood beauty standards".
• We have a show where one of the active storylines are two supermodel-type men are pining after an overgrown woman-child who, frankly, is hardly attractive in any way, as some kind of response to all those Hollywood programs where "beautiful women" inexplicably fall for "ugly men".
• We have a show that prefers omnivore-type serial killers just so they can have primarily male victims get shown on screen to get cut up and killed, with the only female victims getting saved in the end with hardly a scratch, in what I can only assume is an attempt to counter the "monster misogyny" trope.
• We have a show that is filmed almost entirely in the dark- literally- out of some belief that it "creates mood".
• We have a show that awkwardly makes its characters swear simply because "we can do it now".
• We have a show that relies far too much on gratuitous and meaningless gore.
• We have a show that is so bad at crafting character stories that the only ideas they ever have to give their characters any kind of drama is to put them in some kind of peril or to kill someone close to them (if not both), since the show would rather have their "emotionally shocking moment" without putting in the actual work to, well, make it work.
• We have a show that routinely falls in love with the "Big Bad" trope because it's "cool" and, as is typical of Hollywood, does none of the actual legwork to make it work.

Oh, I would also criticize the fact that, some time during the crafting of Evolution, it was decided out of the blue to make Tara a lesbian (even though she had a husband whom she divorced on the broadcast series), but I think the show actually did pretty well with the Tara-Rebecca pairing (since the two have obvious chemistry), even if the stories they gave that pairing was crap.

Given it's track record, it's small wonder the show is falling flat on its face. They're so demonstrably pretentious and ostentatious that they're tripping over themselves by trying too hard to be "different".

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's bad, in principle, for any show to try to be different from others. However, you have to root everything you do into a well-thought, coherent and honest story, because if you're not providing people with a compelling story to follow, your ostentatiousness sticks out like a sore thumb.

Because that's where CM gets it wrong. They are, consistently, not trying to be "different" because they think a different angle on a popular trope is generally interesting and worth expanding upon. They are simply trying to be "different" because they simply want to get noticed and maybe be applauded for their "difference".

Their disingenuousness, dishonesty and hubris is just so disheartening, and it's small wonder to me why it doesn't connect with me anymore.

[threebluestars]

Yeah, it's not so much about a beauty standard, it's more I think they're going for severe=serious=gritty and dark. The OG show wasn't wholly like that - there were a lot of light moments (literally and figuratively lol).

And a very good point they are really missing the "young person on the team" vibe. I mean, there should be a few new, young agents by now, right?

[Annber03]

35 minutes ago, threebluestars said:

And a very good point they are really missing the "young person on the team" vibe. I mean, there should be a few new, young agents by now, right?

I feel like some of that could be due to them worrying about any potential backlash they'll get from those who'd be like, "OMG, that's why Reid's not back, they're replacing him!" Never mind that even if he did come back, he'd be just as much a veteran of the team as any of the other team members by now (if not more, in some cases, since some of the other team members, like Tara and Luke, joined well after he did). 

But yeah, I do think it would be interesting to see them get some new blood on the team. 

[BlackberryJam]

Regarding the age of the female cast and beauty standards, at this point in her life, JJ needs a new haircut. That limp, middle-part stringy look is just...bad. Cut it shorter with some layers, fluff it up, and give her the "I have kids, I showered and ran my fingers through it" style. Which would work for her. 

I do feel like JJ would be so much happier if she just got a good shampoo. 

As to Penelope, there are no words for my visceral, negative reaction to the character. 

MGG's Reid brought a sweetness and innocence to the show, if that makes sense. No matter how bad it got, there was a hopefulness in him that I don't see from anyone else. I mean, sure, the put him in prison and made him an addict, but MGG's acting made me feel like the character always saw a light at the end of the tunnel. 

[Retired at last]

Good discussion. It is especially relevant as I am watching today's marathon and am enjoying a season 4 show. The right people (although Garcia is still there), the right lighting, and interesting characters. The more often I see MGG and his character's growth, I appreciate (and miss it) it even more. I sincerely hope that if there is a new season, they will go back to when the stories and characters made for "must see" TV. I subscribed to Paramount+ JUST because of CM, and I sure haven't watched it much.

[JMO]

Even without having watched the current CM E season, I agree with those who think there should be newbie profilers on the team.

One of the things that happened in the first and second seasons of the original CM was that we watched as Gideon, and sometimes Hotch, overtly taught Reid about the process of profiling or sometimes quizzed him on it, each of which occasion served as a lesson for the audience as well.  We learned terms and concepts that we take for granted now, but someone newly encountering the show in later seasons would have had to go back to the early ones to get up to speed. 

They had an opportunity to correct that when JJ changed her role from screener to profiler, but they chose not to do it.  It would have made sense that she have questions, or want to verify concepts, as they handled cases.  I thought it was a mistake not to portray that, both because JJ came across as undeservedly overconfident, and because they missed the chance to educate new viewers.  

They're in the same situation now.  To fully understand, a new viewer would have to go back to seasons 1 and 2, but CM Evolution is a different show in many ways. Bringing newbies on would provide some of the necessary exposition in an organic way, while also bringing a bit of energy to the cast.  Even Reid is older now, and no matter how immature they might choose to write him, he can't serve the role he once did.  

 

[threebluestars]

I will die on the hill that I liked JJ better as the media liaison. I liked having that bridge between the team and the family - it really helped the dynamics, and I think it's a major reason why I prefer the early seasons.

[JMO]

2 hours ago, threebluestars said:

I will die on the hill that I liked JJ better as the media liaison. I liked having that bridge between the team and the family - it really helped the dynamics, and I think it's a major reason why I prefer the early seasons.

I fully agree with you.  And it would have saved them from the convolutions they went through trying to make it seem like it was appropriate for Garcia to find and present the cases.  

[Danielg342]

2 hours ago, threebluestars said:

I will die on the hill that I liked JJ better as the media liaison. I liked having that bridge between the team and the family - it really helped the dynamics, and I think it's a major reason why I prefer the early seasons.

They kept saying "we had no stories for JJ" yet they never tried, even once, to have a storyline or a subplot in an episode where JJ has to work hard to deal with panicky politicians who are threatening to undermine the work the BAU are doing because their citizens are at their necks because the bodies are piling up.

Far too often- given the criminals the BAU deals with- the places they travel to act like everything is just fine and peaceful. I don't know about you but if I lived in an area where a serial killer was known to be on the loose I'd be at least a little anxious. JJ could have been a great conduit to express a city's concerns and navigate some of that real world, public angst that the show far too often glossed over.

2 hours ago, JMO said:

Even without having watched the current CM E season, I agree with those who think there should be newbie profilers on the team.

I personally don't understand why Evolution didn't do this from the outset. Many revived series- like The Conners and Murphy Brown- hired newer, younger characters to kickstart their revivals, but CM opted to simply go with the same cast that ended the broadcast series, minus Matthew Gray Gubler and Daniel Henney. In doing so, I think the show shorn themselves of their best actors, since Henny brought a "presence" the show has lacked since Morgan and Gubler...well, I'm not sure I can summarize all the things he does well in his acting in one sentence or even one word, but I'll agree with others that he really did make things more human and more real.

I know I've said, partly in jest, that I would have loved seeing the show use the "long lost twin" trope as an excuse to bring back Amy Davidson just so I could experience Zoe Hawkes again, but I do think, in seriousness that kind of character would have been perfect for the revival. This kind of ties back to the JJ discussion in that the show glossed over the struggles she'd have adjusting to her new role as a profiler, and that really torpedoed her character early on in that process. If you want to create a great female character- heck, a great character, period- you need to have someone who struggles but eventually works through them and overcomes their struggles.

Plus, a younger profile opens up more possibilities for the rest of the cast. Prentiss and Rossi could become parental figures to the newbie. The newbie could also be there to not just learn profiling on the job (which, I would agree with @JMO is something Evolution should have done), but to challenge the team and explore new ways of doing things.

Which would have been especially pointed given that Evolution wanted to explore a "new" type of serial killer. Wouldn't a new agent, with fresh insights and without developing the habits that the older, more experienced agents have, be a great character to tell the team, "you can crack the case but only if you start looking at it differently"?

I could go on, but a new agent would be more than just some "pretty new thing" to look at it. It really could have opened up some more interesting narrative doors.

[BlackberryJam]

20 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

They kept saying "we had no stories for JJ" yet they never tried, even once, to have a storyline or a subplot in an episode where JJ has to work hard to deal with panicky politicians who are threatening to undermine the work the BAU are doing because their citizens are at their necks because the bodies are piling up.

 

I thought an affair/divorce story would have been perfect for the Hotchners. She was alone all the time. Beth meets a nice single dad at a soccer game. Aaron realizes what the BAU is costing him but is torn by the responsibility he feels to find serial killers, enter therapy and so on.

They could do that with JJ and Will. If JJ were still the liaison, they could fight over how she can present a calm, support front to others, but she's taking her stress out on him at home. He isn't sure this life is good for him or the boys. And so on. It could be a slow drip throughout a season.

[Snazzy Daisy]

BTS photos from Season 18.

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We're back, Profilers!

Criminal Minds Season 18 Is Underway (and Features One Hairy Throwback)

Source - X

[Danielg342]

On 8/20/2024 at 4:47 PM, BlackberryJam said:

I thought an affair/divorce story would have been perfect for the Hotchners. She was alone all the time. Beth meets a nice single dad at a soccer game. Aaron realizes what the BAU is costing him but is torn by the responsibility he feels to find serial killers, enter therapy and so on.

They could do that with JJ and Will. If JJ were still the liaison, they could fight over how she can present a calm, support front to others, but she's taking her stress out on him at home. He isn't sure this life is good for him or the boys. And so on. It could be a slow drip throughout a season.

I remember way back when I suggested pairing up the teammates romantically as ideas for storylines and I got roasted for it, the reason being that it was great that CM was the kind of show that didn't do that kind of thing.

I can kind of see that, though I was never of the opinion that the entire team ought to get paired up with each other. It seems strange to me that in 15 years of the broadcast series they never explored a workplace affair given how "close" the team supposedly was.

...and maybe there could have been something with JJ and Hotch. They were around each other far more often than they were around their own significant others.

Then again, I seem to recall both Erica Messer and Edward Allen Bernero stating they didn't see Hotch as the type who'd cheat on his spouse. I get that vibe with JJ too, so I'm hesitant to go "all in" on a "JJ cheats on Will" storyline.

That said, I think one of Evolution's better parts in its first season was that Will finally seemed to address the inequities in the relationship and JJ had to come to terms with working so hard she was neglecting her family. I don't know why they dropped that storyline, because it was refreshing to see the "person married more to the job than their family" storyline from a female perspective, as it's usually done from a male perspective.

I guess I just don't know where you go with this. It sounds to me that the more plausible one to cheat would be Will, because he actually has the time and energy to do something like that. I'm also not sure whom JJ can turn to in the current lineup of BAU agents, considering the only close to her age- Luke- is in a ridiculous chase after Garcia.

Is this where Reid comes back and we find out that Reid teaches at a local college and keeps up with JJ because the two often have lunch together? I'm sure there would be a few fans who'd like that, but then Reid would be accused of trying to break up a marriage that he's actually invested in (being the godfather to JJ's kids).

Then again, if it's played right it could be a storyline that works. If Reid and JJ become closer because JJ vents to him about her problems with Will and they develop a relationship because of it, that could more palatable than just starting an affair storyline right away. JJ and Reid already have that history- JJ has outright said that she's always loved Reid and they did have a date early in the series' run- so a love angle, with some hesitation first because I can't see either wanting to break up a marriage, could work.

I remember objecting to it during the series because I thought JJ and Reid had a great platonic relationship and that never gets represented in Hollywood, ever. I still have those same objections, but Reid no longer being a CM regular cast member and the show pursuing JJ/Will tensions makes me think that maybe there's an angle where JJ+Reid might work.

[BellyLaughter]

I’m glad someone else mentioned the gratuitous swearing… don’t get me wrong I have a potty mouth - I love a good swear word if the moment calls for it but it just doesn’t work for this show.  15 seasons of them not using swear words just makes it soooooo jarring when they do.  Everytime they swear I cringe… it’s just so unnecessary.  Also, ditch the smoking scenes… they are even more cringe.

[BlackberryJam]

On 8/23/2024 at 7:57 PM, Danielg342 said:

 

I guess I just don't know where you go with this. It sounds to me that the more plausible one to cheat would be Will, because he actually has the time and energy to do something like that. I'm also not sure whom JJ can turn to in the current lineup of BAU agents, considering the only close to her age- Luke- is in a ridiculous chase after Garcia.

 

Oh, I wasn't clear. I think it should absolutely be the non-BAU spouses who cheat. The BAU members always put their jobs over family. Will could cheat with another cop maybe? 

I wouldn't want the BAU members cheating on spouses with each other. Yuck. 

[Danielg342]

5 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Oh, I wasn't clear. I think it should absolutely be the non-BAU spouses who cheat. The BAU members always put their jobs over family. Will could cheat with another cop maybe? 

I wouldn't want the BAU members cheating on spouses with each other. Yuck. 

I see...my bad.

Well, I still think JJ could still vent to Reid about her own marital problems, even if she doesn't cheat on Will with Reid. Reid would still be her closest friend.

[Snazzy Daisy]

‘Dexter’ & ‘Lucifer’ Actress Aimee Garcia Joins ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ For Season 3

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In a multiple-episode arc, Garcia will portray Dr. Julia Ochoa, one of the country’s leading neuropsychiatrists who is assigned to help a high-profile patient recover from his injury-induced brain trauma. She clashes with Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) who, by contrast, believes in a more aggressive approach than her gentle approach.

 

I guess she will be treating Elias Voit. UGH. 🙄

[Retired at last]

Well, at least this gets Alvez away from Garcia. (Penelope Garcia, that is.)

[Snazzy Daisy]

Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on NCIS: Origins, Chicago P.D., Daryl Dixon, Ghosts, Found, Anansi Boys, Criminal Minds, Chicken Sisters and More!

Q: Any more early intel on Criminal Minds Season 18?

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Whereas the second Evolution season on Paramount+ picked up just two weeks after Elias Voit’s capture, a comparatively huge “six months” will have passed for the BAU team when Season 18 opens, showrunner Erica Messer told me.

 

[BlackberryJam]

Voit is a terrible, boring, dull villain who brings nothing to the show and should just die and be gone.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Criminal Minds: Matthew Gray Gubler Confirmed to Return — But With a Twist

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Sources confirm for TVLine that “fortunately, schedules aligned” and Matthew Gray Gubler will at long last make his debut on Paramount+’s Criminal Minds: Evolution.

TVLine hears that Gubler, though, is due to only appear in part of one Season 18 episode.

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Criminal Minds wrapped filming on Season 18 earlier this week.

 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Unless his new show isn't greenlit to series - or gets cancelled real early on - its no surprise at all that MGG is only making a 'cameo' appearance in the 'new' CM;  so far, at least.