Entertainment :: Television
Criminal Minds: The Fourth Season by Jim Halterman
EDGE ContributorWednesday Sep 9, 2009 For many fans of CBS’s hit procedural series Criminal Minds, the show is not only a sharp, intriguing and intense drama about the intellectual deciphering of the minds of criminals, it also stars one of the hottest hunks on television today, Shemar Moore. Moore is hard not to notice with his terrific body and chiseled model face but he also has turned into a fine actor, which he displays more often now than his amazing six pack abs on the fourth season DVD, which is available now.
In fact, the entire ensemble of Criminal Minds is pretty much perfect. Veteran actor Joe Mantegna has gelled as a terrific lead of the group (he came in during season 3 when original series lead Mandy Patinkin left) and the rest of crew performs their duties perfectly.
Thomas Gibson plays Hotch, the leader of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). Moore shines as Special Agent Morgan as does Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid. There are a few ladies in the group, too. Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss is played by Paget Brewster and JJ (played by AJ Cook) is the team’s liaison with the media and various police agencies.
While the episodes are primarily about the case at hand, the show does a good job of peppering bits and pieces about our regular’s personal lives, which will make you get more and more attached to them and the show.
The crimes themselves are pretty great, too. From an episode featuring a serial killer who disguises his victims’ demise by creating car accidents to mask their earlier deaths and another with a threat of anthrax to fantastic guest turns by the likes of Luke Perry, Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander and C. Thomas Howell, Criminal Minds never leaves its audience lazily watching the events unfold. Evident from the fourth season DVD, one episode after another had this reviewer on the edge of his seat.
As for the DVD itself, it’s no surprise that the extras are pretty skimpy. Gag reels, deleted scenes, profiles of the characters and the sole featurette being a behind the scenes look at eleven of the 26 episodes included on the DVD. Fortunately, the episodes are engaging enough without needing a bunch of extras.
But as long as Shemar Moore is in the mix, this reviewer will be happy.
Jim Halterman lives in Los Angeles and also covers the television scene for www.FutonCritic.com, Progressive Television and, of course, www.jimhalterman.com. He can also be found on Twitter, Virb and Facebook.
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