In a world where police procedurals are a dime a dozen, there's just something about "Criminal Minds" that elevates it above the typical fare. With 15 seasons in as many years and a devoted fandom, the show, which ended in 2020, already has a rumored ten-episode revival that . Someone somewhere imagined a police procedural with bookend quotes, psychology, and Olive Garden commercial family vibes, and somehow, it just works.

But while most procedural dramas work hard to remain anchored in plausibility, "Criminal Minds" regularly and almost gleefully presses against the boundaries of disbelief, deftly integrating heavy-handed characterizations and spy-fi tropes alongside brooding crime drama conventions. Sometimes the show's more belief-defying elements serve a practical purpose as a plot shortcut.

Other questionable details might help to add a lightness to the show's dark and disturbing content. And other times, the writers routinely throw the "Criminal Minds" cast into wacky storylines with and

The article is not finished. Click on the next page to continue.