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176 free Criminal Minds trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Criminal Minds trivia questions with answers. Are you a true Criminal Minds fan? Whether you've watched from the beginning or recently binged the series, this trivia quiz will test your knowledge of the BAU team, unforgettable cases, and iconic moments. See how well you remember the show's most thrilling episodes and characters.
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Q 01Who created the police procedural drama Criminal Minds?
Jeff Davis
Jeff Davis created 'Criminal Minds,' which first premiered on CBS in 2005. He also served as a co-executive producer for the first season.
Q 02The very first episode of 'Criminal Minds' is titled what?
'Extreme Aggressor'
'Extreme Aggressor' is the series premiere, introducing the BAU team as they profile a serial killer in Seattle; 'Compulsion' followed as the second episode.
Q 03What is Penelope Garcia's job within the BAU?
Technical Analyst
Technical Analyst is the title; Garcia's hacking skills feed the profilers the information they need on every case, and she has been there since season one.
Q 04Which field is NOT one in which Dr. Spencer Reid holds a Ph.D.?
Astrophysics
Dr. Spencer Reid possesses Ph.D.s in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering, along with several Bachelor's degrees, but not Astrophysics.
Q 05In which season did Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi join the BAU team?
Third
Third season: Rossi arrives in its sixth episode, coming out of a semi-retirement spent writing true-crime books and touring the lecture circuit.
Q 06Aaron Hotchner left the BAU in which season, his exit written as a move into witness protection?
Twelfth
Twelfth season, two episodes in: Thomas Gibson was dropped after an on-set altercation, and Hotch was written out as hiding his son from the killer Mr. Scratch.
Q 07Shemar Moore left the main cast, after 251 episodes, during which season?
Eleventh
Eleventh season, episode 18, 'A Beautiful Disaster', was Moore's farewell in March 2016; he returned for guest spots in the next two seasons.
Q 08Penelope Garcia was recruited by the FBI after being known for what self-taught skill?
Computer Hacking
Computer hacking, self-taught after dropping out of college, made Garcia one of the world's top underground hackers before the BAU hired her.
Q 09What is Dr. Spencer Reid's stated IQ?
187
187, plus an eidetic memory; Reid holds PhDs in mathematics, chemistry and engineering along with BAs in psychology and sociology.
Q 10What is the name of Emily Prentiss's cat?
Sergio
Sergio is Emily Prentiss's cat; she leaves him in Garcia's care while she is presumed dead in season six, and Garcia grows attached to him.
Q 11In 'Criminal Minds,' what does the acronym 'BAU' stand for?
Behavioral Analysis Unit
Behavioral Analysis Unit: the real FBI unit grew out of the Behavioral Science Unit founded in 1972 and is part of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime.
Q 12Which original BAU member, a half-Cuban sex-crimes expert, came from the Seattle field office?
Elle Greenaway
Elle Greenaway, played by Lola Glaudini, lost her police-officer father in the line of duty; she speaks Spanish.
Q 13Before joining the BAU, what was Aaron Hotchner's profession?
Prosecutor
Q 21What is the name of JJ's husband, who is also a detective?
William LaMontagne Jr.
Jennifer Jareau (JJ) is married to Detective William LaMontagne Jr., a police detective she met on a case in season two, and they have two sons.
Q 22Criminal Minds' 'Revelations', where Tobias Hankel tortures an agent, concludes a two-parter begun by which episode?
'The Big Game'
Don Swayze plays Hankel's father Charles across both episodes.
Q 23Which cast member's real-life sons play her character's children on the show?
A.J. Cook
A.J. Cook's real sons Mekhai and Phoenix Sky Andersen play JJ's two boys, the elder of whom is born on screen in season four.
Aaron Hotchner previously worked as a prosecutor and was initially assigned to the Seattle field office before becoming Unit Chief of the BAU.
Q 14Which original team member was written out after his actor skipped a table read?
Jason Gideon
Jason Gideon leaves his gun and badge in his cabin with a farewell letter for Reid to find; his actor had walked out before season three and never returned.
Q 15Which university did Penelope Garcia drop out of before the FBI recruited her?
Caltech
Caltech: after her parents' deaths, Garcia dropped out and went underground as a hacker, which is how the FBI found and recruited her.
Q 16The series was revived as Criminal Minds: Evolution on which streaming service?
Paramount+
Paramount+ revived the show as Criminal Minds: Evolution, which premiered on November 24, 2022, with most of the final CBS cast returning.
Q 17At what age did Spencer Reid graduate from Las Vegas High School?
12
12: Reid finished Las Vegas public high school at twelve, and Gideon insisted he be introduced as 'Dr. Reid' so that people would take the young agent seriously.
Q 18Which actor plays David Rossi, who rejoined the BAU after early retirement?
Joe Mantegna
Joe Mantegna joined the cast in Season 3 as David Rossi, an experienced profiler who helped establish the BAU before taking early retirement to write books.
Q 19At what age did Spencer Reid have his mother, who has schizophrenia, committed?
18
18: on becoming a legal adult, Reid had his mother committed to a Las Vegas sanitarium, and he writes to her every day out of guilt.
Q 20Which notorious unsub was known as 'The Reaper' and had a personal vendetta against Aaron Hotchner?
George Foyet
George Foyet, the Boston Reaper, posed as a survivor of his own 1998 attacks and resurfaced in season four after Hotch refused the deal to stop hunting him.
Q 24In which season-two episode does the sex-crimes expert resign after killing a serial rapist?
'The Boogeyman'
'The Boogeyman' (2x06): Elle hands Hotch her badge after shooting rapist William Lee in the previous episode, insisting the resignation is not an admission of guilt.
Q 25Which actress plays Penelope Garcia?
Kirsten Vangsness
Kirsten Vangsness has played Garcia since the 2005 pilot, co-wrote several later episodes, and reprised the role in both spin-off series.
Q 26Which cult leader, played by Luke Perry, holds two agents hostage in the Season 4 episode 'Minimal Loss'?
Benjamin Cyrus
Benjamin Cyrus leads the Separatarian Sect; Perry's guest turn holds Prentiss and Reid hostage inside the compound.
Q 27Which actor played the contract killer Cat Adams, a recurring antagonist for Dr. Spencer Reid?
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Plaza portrayed Cat Adams, a hitwoman who had several intense confrontations with Spencer Reid, notably in the episode 'Entropy.'
Q 28In which Virginia town is the BAU headquartered?
Quantico
Quantico: the BAU works from the FBI Academy grounds there, and Garcia runs her computer lab on site, only occasionally joining the team in the field.
Q 29Which BAU member briefly replaced JJ as communications liaison during her maternity leave?
Jordan Todd
Jordan Todd, played by Meta Golding, was JJ's handpicked stand-in as the BAU's media liaison during her season-four maternity leave.
Q 30Which character became Unit Chief of the BAU after Aaron Hotchner's departure?
Emily Prentiss
After Aaron Hotchner's departure in Season 12, Emily Prentiss takes over as the Unit Chief of the BAU.