The first time I was introduced to “Criminal Minds”, it was with my review of the first season set. Initially I thought it was going to be just another cop drama, but I was drawn to it after learning that Mandy Patinkin was heading the cast. Mandy Patinkin had always been sort of an enigma to me. The man is incredibly multi-talented, yet full-fledged; across the board stardom has always seemed just out of reach. Perhaps part of the problem is that he is too well-rounded. Most big stars only have one talent (or a very well paid publicist) so the focus hits them dead on for doing the same thing over and over. Patinkin, on the other hand, has over his illustrious career entertained Broadway audiences with his phenomenal singing style and theatre audiences with his skills as a dramatic, comedic and physical actor. Though he has been in the business for far longer, my first memory of Mandy Patinkin was as expert swordsman Indigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride." While every character in that film had their opportunity to shine, it was Montoya that most people fondly remember.

After that I saw his name pop up a few times in movies, but it wasn't until a PBS airing of "Sunday in the Park with George" that I found what a gifted singer he was. After that I made it a point to pick up his Broadway inspired CDs (who along with Anthony Warlow produce some of the some of the best I've ever heard, by the way), none of which have ever disappointed me.

Then all of a sudden he seemed to drop out of sight for a lengthy period of time, an analogy that is rather fitting as he was suffering from a debilitating eye disease and it was feared he would lose his sight. Slowly he began to creep back into the limelight, first with Showtime's excellent series "Dead Like Me" as Rube, the foul-mouthed, foul-tempered, yet sympathetic head of a group of Grim Reapers. Unfortunately that series was cancelled after the 2nd season (stupid Showtine), but he bounced back as the lead in this series.

"Criminal Minds" gave us a lean, mean Mandy Patinkin as Jason Gideon, an FBI criminal profiler. He headed an elite team of profilers who each week found themselves pitted against murders, kidnappers, and the like. The series was surprising in just how rough it was willing to get as far as the crimes that were being committed. It was brutal in the way that CSI is, only without all the flash and glitter. Murder is an ugly business, and it got pretty ugly in this series. I was also surprised to see Thomas Gibson cast as his second in command Aaron Hotchner. I was so used to seeing him in a comedic role with "Dharma & Greg." Here he stretched his dramatic chops and held his own against Patinkin.

The rest of the team was made up of Derek Morgan (played by Shemar Moore - who was still trying to shed his "Young and the Restless" image), Spencer Reid (Matthew Grey Gubler), Ellen Greenaway (Lola Glaudini), J.J. Jareau (A.J. Cook) and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). Though at first the series seems to focus mainly on the three leads (Patinkin, Gibson and Gubler), over the course of the show's first season each character began to come more to the forefront.

My wife and I were glued to the TV for about three days when we received the DVD set for the first season. The stories were often shocking, if not a little bit depraved but we enjoyed seeing the criminals getting their comeuppance… at least the times that they did. Of course, the end of season one hit us with a cliffhanger, and we had opted to start watching the series regularly. After all, the final scene had the screen go to black as shots were fired. It was possible that one of our beloved characters was dead. But we just enjoy these DVDs so much that we summoned up the willpower and waited. (And if you want to know what happened… pick up the DVD sets!! No spoilers here!)

Over the course of the show’s 4 seasons, there have been a few changes. First, there was the addition of Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) as a new member of the team, and then the more shocking departure of Patinkin. Thankfully they chose not to kill off his character, but instead had him step away from all of the horror he was witnessing. After so many years of putting himself into the mind of serial killers, he simply needed time to be alone.

The beginning of the 3rd season introduced veteran actor Joe Mantegna as profiler David Rossi… and from his first moments on screen there was little doubt his character would soon become a fan favorite. He was classy, he was street smart, and he was a little less lugubrious than Patinkin’s character was. Over the course of that season, the episodes also seemed to really come together and the storylines were incredibly gripping. Any doubt that he could fill the big shoes left by Patinkin were very quickly put to rest. And he carried the show strongly into a 4th, and now a 5th season.

Last week, my wife and I spent a few days watching the 5th season as it was readying for release on DVD. I didn’t think it were possible, but the show got even tighter and the stories even darker. There were more and more episodes that I actually found hard to watch, and the introduction of The Reaper last season just added to the creep factor. Never would have imagined that C. Thomas Howell would make a great serial killer. For some reason, this series has allowed some very offbeat actors to play against type in the past and none have ever failed to be believable.

Along with the terrific 23 episode arc for the 5th season, this 6 disc set offers up several special features. These include ‘Case Files’ on 5 of the episodes, all of which add a little more information to the story. They are very spoiler oriented so be sure to watch the episode first. There is also a look at the 100th episode of the series, as well as a look at the character of the Reaper. This season also allowed Gubler to step into the director’s shoes and one of the featurettes focuses on both the fun and hard work that being in charge can bring. Additionally you’ll find interviews with many of the cast and crew as they talk about the various arcs in this season, and a short gag reel.

"Criminal Minds" is still one of the best of the ‘cop procedural’ shows you’ll find anywhere. And those of you who didn’t catch the first five seasons on their original run won’t be disappointed by these sets, especially the lack of commercials!!

Episodes:
Nameless, Faceless
Haunted
Reckoner
Hopeless
Cradle to Grave
The Eyes Have It
The Performer
Outfoxed
100
The Slave of Duty
Retaliation
The Uncanny Valley
Risky Business
Parasite
Public Enemy
Mosley Lane
Solitary Man
The Fight
A Rite of Passage
… A Thousand words
Exit Wounds
The Internet is Forever
Our Darkest Hour

Starring: Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gary Gubler, A.J. Cook
Extras: Case Files; Celebrating 100; Case Files: Grim; Fear the Reaper; Gubler Direct; Material Witness; Gag Reel; On Air Promos
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 9/7/2010
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment

We'll give Criminal Minds: Season 5 an A.