Criminal Minds is hands down one of my very favorite TV series. The scripts about the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit are nothing short of outstanding.

I was disappointed to hear that the upcoming season will be the final one. Criminal Minds has been on the air for 14 years. Only 10 new shows are scheduled and that will be it.

The BAU team is comprised of characters who are quirky, smart and street-wise. There’s the tough and mature agent David Rossi, played by Joseph Mantegna, who can’t bring himself to retire because he’s compassionate and has a calling to bring the bad guys to justice—even though years of service have jaded him. He's burnt out by the badness but still clings to his calling to do good in the world. Then there’s the effervescent Emily Prentiss, played by Paget Brewster. She is an experienced and gutsy FBI agent in the middle of her career, facing adversity and danger with a rare resolve. The same goes for agents Jennifer Jerau aka JJ (AJ Cook), Dr. Spencer Reid, the savant PhD (Matthew Gray Gubler), sex symbol and supervisor Derek Morgan, (Shemar Moore who left the show in 2017) and hacker extraordinaire Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). Thomas Gibson, who portrayed boss man Aaron Hotchner, was written out of the show after 11 years due to a professional dispute. The cast has also been graced by A list actors like Jean Tripplehorn and Jennifer Love.

What’s makes this show so gripping is the writing. The programs are carefully researched and detail-oriented. Watching any episode of Criminal Minds is like seeing a master class in TV script writing-- a shout out to Jeff Davis, who created and writes the show with a team of 12 writers.

Why am I and so many other people drawn to crime stories?

In a Time article on why gentle folks like myself enjoy crime shows, criminologist Scott Bonn, a professor at Drew University and author of Why We Love Serial Killers said, “My research has determined that the public’s fascination with serial killers on television is multifaceted and complex. Serial killers tantalize people much like traffic accidents, train wrecks or natural disasters. In other words, the actions of a serial killer may be horrible to behold but much of the public simply cannot look away due to the spectacle."

"People also receive a jolt of adrenaline as a reward for witnessing terrible deeds. The euphoric effect of true crime on human emotions is similar to that of roller coasters or natural disasters.”

This explains it. Watching shows like Criminal Minds or Law and Order SVU, among others, is pure escapism. Let’s face it. We are all adrenalin junkies in one way or another. At least simply watching these shows seems innocent enough for those of us (fortunately most of us) who don’t have the stomach for the true violence that is replicated on the small screen.