Criminal Minds

You know, I have to love the cast of Criminal Minds, but sometimes they make it difficult to write a daily blog. No one gets arrested; no one is getting divorced or going to rehab again; no one is on any “I can’t believe they wore that” lists. They’re just nice people who do a great job. In their spare time they seem more interested in doing charitable works, working in the theater or for the big screen, and spending time with their families.

So because our cast is so good and it is a slow news day as far as CM goes, I thought I’d take the opportunity to ask what other tv shows are among your favorites? I do not watch much tv: I watch CM every week, and things like UFC because I sit in the living room while my partner watches it (does that count?). I also have to admit that I watched three disks of Medium on Friday. In my defense, Friday is sort of my day off. Anyway, another show that I really like is Law and Order: SVU. When I was pregnant this summer, I watched a lot of that because I could watch it instantly on Netflix (I should get free Netflix for all the plugging I do for them).

A lot of people think all procedurals are the same: and this is true to a certain extent. They follow a formula - a crime, an investigation, and some sort of an outcome. What makes them different, and the reason why I like some and not others, is the characters, the types of crimes, and how they approach it. SVU focuses on child abuse and sex crimes, which can be hard to watch. I sometimes almost cry at some of the episodes, especially the ones with little kids (and especially those around my daughter’s age). The crimes themselves are interesting and you can sometimes recognize them from the news - loosely based on truth. The one I watched today was about a series of murders in which the victims were elderly women. it turned out a woman was framing her brother because he got all the mom’s attention when he was younger.

In this way, SVU is a lot like CM because it focuses on why the people commit the crimes, not just whodunit. They even have their very own FBI behaviorist, Dr. Huang, who consults and adds that extra element of psychology.

I also like the characters. The show doesn’t focus on the personal lives of the characters at the expense of the larger plot. They add bits and pieces of info that gives the viewer insight into their characters. It makes them seem very real without detracting from the story. So you feel like you know them, that you are invested in them, and that they care about what they’re doing.

I also love the actors in this show. Come on, gotta love Ice T as a detective. But he’s a really good part of the team. Also, I love Mariksa Hargitay, and I want to be her when I grow up. They are all incredibly good at their job - both their characters on screen and themselves as actors.

I have watched all of the older seasons and have actually started on Law and Order: Criminal Intent, which is growing on me.

What else do you watch? Are you a fan of procedurals or do you like to branch out and watch comedies? Non serial killer dramas? Legal thrillers? Any House fans?