EW SPOILERS: ‘CRIMINAL MINDS’ BOSS ON GIRLFRIENDS, GIRLS NIGHTS, AND MORE!

As I not so subtly teased in last week's column, I hopped on the phone with Criminal Minds showrunner Erica Messer this week ahead of the 150th episode to get a status on our friends at the BAU. And in the process, she was also kind enough to take on a few of the many, many questions y'all sent in. (If you don't see yours here, maybe I addressed it in the piece earlier this week, which you can read here.) Read on for more:

Hi, would love to know if Hotch love interest Beth is here to stay? Love the character and I hope she is! Thanks! – A Big Hotch Fan

In short, yes, she'll be sticking around. To elaborate, Messer says she hopes that Hotch's joy and excitement over this new relationship is as important to fans as it is to her. “There's no win across the board,” she says. “Finding...

To Read More: Entertainment Weekly

Criminal Minds: Joe Mantegna on reaching the 150th episode

Joe Mantegna on 150 from CM Set Report on Vimeo.

Criminal Minds: Paget, Matthew and AJ on 150 Episodes

Paget, Matthew and AJ on 150 Episodes from CM Set Report on Vimeo.

Criminal Minds: Shemar Moore on reaching 150th

Shemar Moore on reaching 150 episodes from CM Set Report on Vimeo.

Criminal Minds Canadian rtings for 7.12 'Unknown Subject'a

At 9 p.m., CRIMINAL MINDS captured a season-high 2.45 million viewers, ranking #2 for the day with total viewers, A18-49 and A25-54. The series' 150th episode delivered almost 1 million more viewers at 9 p.m. than the preview of the new series TOUCH (1.5 million, GLOBAL/FOX).

Source: CNWNewsWire

Criminal Minds Ratings Episode 7.12 'Unknown Subject'

From CBS

CRIMINAL MINDS was first in households (8.6/13), viewers (13.70m) and second in both adults 25-54 (4.6/10) and adults 18-49 (3.6/09).  CRIMINAL MINDS posted its best viewers delivery since Sept. 21, 2011 (season premiere) and best performances in both adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 since Nov. 16, 2011.  CRIMINAL MINDS topped the special of "Touch" (11.87m) in viewers.


UPDATE: Final ratings demo 18-49: 3.7 and viewers 13.81 million viewers. Congrats to the cast and crew!

Criminal Minds Episode thread for Unknown Subject

Please post your comments about the episode here.

Thomas Gibson Interview in Men's Health: Is Work Beating You Down?

by J. Rentilly

Playing the straight-and-narrow man can take its toll on an actor, particularly if the role is Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner and the show is CBS’ gleefully diabolical, often pitch-black procedural Criminal Minds.


Celebrating the broadcast of the show’s 150th episode this week (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), Golden Globe-nominated actor Thomas Gibson is the polar opposite of the frequently furrow-browed Hotch—light, easygoing, and ready to laugh, even at himself. “Hotch’s fatal flaw is that he takes his job a little too seriously, and that can lead to an early grave,” says the 49-year old Gibson. “I work hard, but I leave it at the office. You have to.” Gibson, also much-loved for his roles on Chicago Hope and Dharma & Greg, shares some tips for blowing off some steam between cracking the byzantine brains of Criminal’s iniquitous masterminds.

Men’s Health: Television production schedules can be rigorous, 12 hours a day. That’s a lot of time to be playing in shadows. How do you shake that off?

Thomas Gibson: Yeah, you really need a way to shake off the day, but also to build the strength and stamina for the next one. That’s something Hotch hasn’t quite figured out yet. I’ve always been involved in sports as a kid. I swam competitively as a kid. I played all the team sports—baseball, football, and soccer. But I also went to summer camp for a few years where we were exposed to team handball and track & field and marksmanship and skeet shooting, all kinds of stuff. There were certain things that stuck. There was a counselor there who thought I had some tennis potential. So I played for a while. Summer I was 13, my grandfather and my father taught me how to play golf. I took lessons that summer, and I played everyday that summer. I probably would’ve kept playing, except I realized that girls don’t watch golf; they watch tennis. So I let my golf game go dormant and started playing tennis.

To read more Men'sHealth

‘Criminal Minds’ Star A.J. Cook Dishes on ‘Impeccable’ 150th Episode

by Paulette Cohn

“Criminal Minds” celebrates its 150th episode with a special storyline about a serial rapist in Houston, TX. Series star A.J. Cook, who plays Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, says she can’t wait to see it because they have pulled out all the stops.

“The best way to describe this episode is to expect the unexpected,” says the Canadian actress. “He is a serial rapist and you think you know which way it is going and then there is a twist and a turn, another twist and a freefall.”

In the episode, titled “Unknown Subject,” the Behavioral Analysis Unit [BAU] team searches for a serial rapist in Houston known as “The Piano Man” who has resurfaced and is revisiting and assaulting his previous victims.

To read more XFInity

'Criminal Minds' scoop: Boss talks tonight's 150th episode. Plus, will the team stay together next season?

by Sandra Gonzalez


Going into tonight’s milestone 150th episode of Criminal Minds, executive producer Erica Messer was in a difficult position.

To mark their 100th episode, the show brought back one of its most terrifying villains to date, C. Thomas Howell as the Reaper, and concluded with the death of Hotch’s (Thomas Gibson) wife. A big episode to say the least. Fifty episodes later, Messer was tasked with marking the occasion in another big way. But how? “We knew nothing was going to be as big as the 100th was for us, with Hotch and the Reaper and Haley being killed. We also knew nothing was going to be bigger for Prentiss (Paget Brewster) than what we’ve already done,” she tells EW. “It felt false to revisit [Emily's story] in a traditional sense and more about just touching base on what she’s been going through off screen.”

To Read more EW

One on One: A.J. Cook Previews 150th Episode of 'Criminal Minds'

By Michael Rothman


The Playboy Club got cancelled after a mere two shows back in October. The cutthroat response to a highly-anticipated show, like Playboy, further proved that networks aren’t playing around these days, not at all. So, when a show makes it to episode 150, there is definitely cause for celebration. Criminals Minds will reach this coveted milestone tonight with “Unknown Subject.” The Subject may be unknown but what is clear is that A.J. Cook (JJ) is definitely crucial to the show. Her fans made this evident last year by lobbying for her return to the series; her short sabbatical obviously didn’t take. We talked with Cook about tonight’s episode featuring a “top-shelf creepy” unsub, the “Piano Man.”


How are you today?

So far so good. Just dropped my son off at school and I’ve been flirting with the women of Criminal Minds via text all morning...love letters back and forth that started last night [laughs].

Congrats on 150 episodes, what does this mean for a modern day network show?

It’s bananas...everyday I just sort of think, how did I get here? It’s so great to be on a show and get to 100, let alone 150. So, we feel pretty lucky and we’re definitely not taking it for granted.

Tells us about tonight, we get to see the “Piano Man” return to assault his previous victims?

Ahhh, the “Piano Man.” Well, we have some great guest stars per usual because our casting is incredible and this killer comes back, and we are not sure if it’s a copy cat or what’s going on...then there’s the personal stuff, which I really love. Prentiss is trying to come to terms with what had happened and all that.

To Read More Hollywood

Snappy Answers to Silly Questions with CRIMINAL MINDS Star AJ COOK

As CRIMINAL MINDS gears up for its 150th episode tonight on CBS (CTV 2 in Canada), we here at theTVaddict.com thought fans might appreciate getting to spend a little more one-on-one time with a key ingredient to the show’s astounding success. Which is why, when given the opportunity to chat with star AJ Cook yesterday — whose character of media liaison turned profiler JJ Jareau is responsible for having taken fans on quite an interesting journey over the course of the show’s 150 episodes — we jumped at the chance. The result, a handful of snappy answers to some silly questions that may-or-may-not reveal the CRIMINAL MINDS cast member guilty of spending far too much time scarfing down grilled cheese sandwiches at Craft Services. But hey, don’t take our word for it — find out for yourself which member of the BAU is most likely to ruin a take by making AJ Cook laugh — after the jump.

After 127 spend playing the same character, what keeps you excited about waking up and going to work every morning?

AJ Cook: Well this season in particular I feel like it’s a new show. We went through a bunch of changes and in a way it was a blessing in disguise because it gave us the creative license to change things and to try different things with these characters.

To Read More TVAddict

Thomas Gibson Reflects On The Series Criminal Minds

As heard on VANDERMEER & LOPEZ

If you don't see the player move your mouse over the dark space between "As heard on VANDERMEER" and the link to the interview.

If you cannot play the interview on this blog go to CBS Houston

THR: "Criminal Minds Hits 150 Episodes: EP Erica Messer Reflects on Series' Evolution, Reveals Season 7 Secrets (Q&A)"

Reminiscent of the season 4 closer, the showrunner tells THR that the seventh season will close out with a two-hour finale.
8:00 AM PST 1/25/2012 by Philiana Ng

Criminal Minds is hitting another milestone: 150 episodes.

Riding strong in season 7, the CBS procedural has had its share of headline-making news with numerous cast departures -- and subsequent returns. Still, the show -- centered on an eclectic team of profilers in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) -- continues to average nearly 13 million total viewers per week in its current season and showing no signs of significant ratings deterioration.

"Episode 200 would be during season 9 so bring us back. It's not that far away.," showrunner Erica Messer half-joked to The Hollywood Reporter, referencing network-mate NCIS' big feat airing Feb. 7.

Messer, who has been with Criminal Minds since the very beginning, chatted with THR on two separate occasions -- once in November during filming and again just one day before air -- about the show evolution, details of episode 150 (suspect: serial rapist called The Piano Man) and hints at the season 7 finale (hint: it's two hours).

Erica Messer: The one thing we've been able to continue to do is tell fresh and compelling stories. Early on people were afraid this show wouldn't have enough bad guys to last a year and here we are seven years in. The way we've evolved is really through our characters. We've been able to learn more and more...

To Read More: TheHollywoodReporter.com

Criminal Minds Press Release for Episode 7.14 'Closing Time'

THE BAU TEAM HITS SOME ROUGH SURF WHEN THEY INVESTIGATE BODIES FOUND IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LIFEGUARD TOWERS, ON “CRIMINAL MINDS,” WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15

 CHEAT TWEET: It’s no beach day 4 the BAU when bodies are found along the SoCal coast, on #CriminalMinds 2/15 9pm ET/PT http://bit.ly/zLCMew

 “Closing Time” – The BAU team hit choppy waters on the beaches of Southern California when they discover a series of bodies hidden in lifeguard towers along the coast, on CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, Feb. 15 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

 SERIES REGULARS:
 Joe Mantegna (David Rossi)
 Thomas Gibson (Aaron Hotchner)
 Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss)
 Shemar Moore (Derek Morgan)
 Matthew Gray Gubler (Dr. Spencer Reid)
 A.J. Cook (Jennifer “JJ” Jareau)
 Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia)

 GUEST CAST:
 Geoffrey Blake (Michael)
 Ashlee Füss (Michelle Green)
 Jordan Potter (John Holden)
 Bellamy Young (Beth Clemmons)
 Tyler Neitzel (Hunter)
 Chris Payne Gilbert (Agent Parker)
 Kathleen M. Darcy (Elaine Kraus)
 Ryan Scott Greene (Jimmy)
 Rod Rowland (Doug Summers)
 Brian Mulvey (Gus)
 Maury Morgan (Andrea Wright)
 Hervé Clermont (Dr. Brandon MacDonald)
 Alison Trumbull (Kelsey Ashwood)
 Tim Martin Gleason (Todd Ashwood)
 Cody Saintgnue (Tyler Allison)

 WRITTEN BY: Rick Dunkle
 DIRECTED BY: Jesse Warn

Criminal Minds' Paget Brewster: Prentiss and Hotch Will Have a "Nice Little Moment" SPOILER

                                          picture @Gibsonthomas


By Joyce Eng

Paget Brewster is already bracing for the fan reaction.

"There's a nice little moment between Prentiss and Hotch in the episode," she tells TVGuide.com of Criminal Minds' 150th installment airing Wednesday. "I know the fans who want Hotch and Prentiss together are going to go nuts! They're totally gonna lose it. I can already picture it. People really want them to date for some reason and I think this will just add to that."

Unfortunately for Hotch (Thomas Gibson) and Prentiss (Brewster) 'shippers, a romance is unlikely — for now at least, especially with his budding relationship with Beth (Bellamy Young) — but that doesn't make the duo's moment any less significant. In fact, it's a major turning point in Prentiss' life as she finally processes coming back from the "dead" after Hotch and JJ (A.J. Cook) faked her death to evade her IRA nemesis Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy) last season.

To read more TvGuide

Criminal Minds 'Previously on Criminal Minds'

Previously on Criminal Minds from CM Set Report on Vimeo.


Video courtesy of @CM_SetReport

Criminal Minds SPOILER for upcoming episodes

By Michael Ausiello

Question: Anything new on the Criminal Minds front? —Paul

 Ausiello: Though ser

Saved

ies boss Erica Messer has for the time being ruled out a workplace romance between Hotch and Prentiss, you might want to keep an eye on the BAU agents played by Kirsten Vangsness and Shemar Moore ... to read more TVLine

A.J. Cook on 150th Criminal Minds Episode: Expect the Unexpected!

 by Matt Richenthal


150 episodes. It's a milestone for any series and any series star.
But the Criminal Minds installment airing tomorrow night is extra special for A.J. Cook, considering she didn't think she'd be a part of it following a cast upheaval in 2010.


"For me, this one means a little bit more," the actress told me over the phone. "I'm so overwhelmed even to this day by all the fan support. Not a day goes by when I'm not grateful for it and grateful to be working with this group of actors. And here we are..."

To read more TvFanatic

TVLine: Criminal Minds Boss Teases Episode 150, Weighs In on BAU Romance and the Spoiler

By Matt Webb Mitovich

This Wednesday at 9/8c, CBS’ Criminal Minds uncorks a memorable 150th episode – no easy feat, given the vast array of sorid subject matter already served up in the years gone by. TVLine invited showrunner Erica Messer to reveal how she found a new twist to mark the landmark occasion, weigh in on some fans’ most fervent wish and share a taste of the Season 7 finale.

TVLINE | Our readers have been very much looking forward to Episode 150. What opportunity did you see here, with this landmark outing?

It’s interesting because with our 100th episode, Hotch went head-to-head with the Reaper, and we didn’t have a story like that for the 150th. One, because you’re not really going to get any better than Hotch versus his nemesis, and two, because the Prentiss version of that happened last season and culminated in the premiere this year. So by the time we get to the 150th we didn’t want to manufacture something, so we looked at what we do every week, which is use our wits to save a victim who’s been in captivity since at least the end of Act 1. We took that and put it on its head and said, “What if this time around a victim actually has an unsub [in captivity], and the victory will be if the team can get her to not kill somebody?” And whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

More at TvLine

Criminal Minds SPOILER for episode 7.17 'Foundation'

Jake in Boran, Calif: Anything on Criminal Minds!

This show takes dark and twisted to a whole ‘nother level in episode 17 ("Foundation"), where we'll see 13-year-old Billy locked...to read more E!Online

Matthew Gray Gubler at Sundance

Matthew Gray Gubler At Sundance To Watch His Own Movie

Actor Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds; 500 Days Of Summer; Alvin and the Chipmunks) chats about his new movie, Excision, during the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Matthew is his usual cheery self as he trudges through the snow...to read more ContactMusic

From USA Today : Actor Thomas Gibson is an iPhone shutterbug

By Jefferson Graham,, USA TODAY


Thomas Gibson is best known for his roles as Aaron Hotchner on CBS' Criminal Minds and Greg Montgomery on the 1997-2002 ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg. A major digital photography nut, Gibson says he snaps behind-the-scenes shots in-between takes on the set "because this is where I spend my whole life."

MORE: Talking Your Tech stories and videos
Gibson's iPhoneography is out there for the world, via his @Gibsonthomas Twitter photo feed and his gibsonthomas.tumblr.com blog.

We met up with Gibson on the Criminal Minds set in Los Angeles, where we talked cameras, photo apps and running a "travel agency" on his MacBook Pro from his trailer, booking weekly flights back home to San Antonio. "The airline mobile apps have gotten a lot better, but it's still easier to work on a laptop."

To Read more USA Today

Criminal Minds CTV Promo Video for Episode 7.12 'Unknown Subject'

‘The Poor Guy...’

Ian Spelling, New York Times (Syndicate) - 22 January 2012 

Thomas Gibson can't be pigeonholed - going from fluffy sitcom Dharma & Greg into gritty FBI series Criminal Minds. He talks about playing the dark and wounded Aaron Hotchner, and his work commute from Texas to California

SOME ACTORS, ESPECIALLY those particularly associated with one role, squeeze in as many side projects as possible, playing roles as varied as they can. Thomas Gibson would seem like a prime candidate to employ such a strategy, but he doesn’t, even though he has starred as the super-serious FBI profiler Aaron Hotchner for seven seasons on the hit CBS series Criminal Minds.

“There are other things I want to do,” Gibson says. “I love working. I actually miss the theatre a great deal, and would like to do more. There’s a little short film I want to direct, and I actually want to pursue my directing career, but I work in Los Angeles and live in Texas, and my wife and I have got a 12-year-old, a nine-year-old and a seven-year-old.

“I commute back and forth between California and Texas pretty much on a weekly basis, and have done so the entire run of Criminal Minds,” he continues. “That schedule is regular enough, at least for an actor, to have a reasonably normal life, rather than the incredible unpredictability of features and of theatre too. My family is my priority.

“If there was a project that was three weeks in Austin, right up the road, during my hiatus, that would be something else,” Gibson admits. “There have been a few things that almost... To Read More: khaleejtimes.com