# Who is the best Criminal Minds character?

> Profilers, tech wizards and the unsubs who haunted them for twenty seasons. Pick the face you'd want on your case.

*By YPB Team · Published October 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-criminal-minds-character*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Spencer Reid** — score 1000/1000
   The BAU's genius profiler with an eidetic memory, played by Matthew Gray Gubler.
2. **Diana Reid** — score 927/1000
   Spencer Reid's brilliant mother living with schizophrenia, played by Jane Lynch.
3. **Aaron Hotchner** — score 877/1000
   The stern, devoted unit chief who led the BAU for over a decade, played by Thomas Gibson.
4. **Jennifer Jareau** — score 800/1000
   JJ, the media liaison turned profiler at the heart of the team, played by A.J. Cook.
5. **Ashley Seaver** — score 709/1000
   The FBI cadet and daughter of a serial killer who joined in season six, played by Rachel Nichols.
6. **Matt Simmons** — score 709/1000
   The former special-ops agent who moved over from Beyond Borders, played by Daniel Henney.
7. **Frank Breitkopf** — score 709/1000
   The chilling serial killer who targeted Gideon in the early seasons, played by Keith Carradine.
8. **Jason Gideon** — score 709/1000
   The brilliant, haunted senior profiler of the early seasons, played by Mandy Patinkin.
9. **Tara Lewis** — score 600/1000
   The forensic psychologist who interviews killers to understand them, played by Aisha Tyler.
10. **Derek Morgan** — score 466/1000
   The fearless, door-kicking profiler and Garcia's best friend, played by Shemar Moore.
11. **Kate Callahan** — score 466/1000
   The undercover specialist who joined the BAU in season ten, played by Jennifer Love Hewitt.
12. **Penelope Garcia** — score 0/1000
   The colourful technical analyst who finds anything with a few keystrokes, played by Kirsten Vangsness.
13. **Emily Prentiss** — score 0/1000
   The multilingual profiler who rose to unit chief after faking her death, played by Paget Brewster.
14. **Elle Greenaway** — score 0/1000
   The sharp sex-crimes specialist of the first two seasons, played by Lola Glaudini.
15. **Luke Alvez** — score 0/1000
   The former Army Ranger and fugitive-task-force agent who joined in season twelve, played by Adam Rodriguez.
16. **Elias Voit** — score 0/1000
   The Sicarius serial-killer network mastermind of Criminal Minds: Evolution, played by Zach Gilford.
17. **David Rossi** — score 0/1000
   The veteran author-profiler who helped found the BAU, played by Joe Mantegna.
18. **George Foyet (The Reaper)** — score 0/1000
   The Boston Reaper who stalked Hotch and murdered his ex-wife Haley, played by C. Thomas Howell.

Tags: tv shows, crime, characters, criminal minds