The fourteenth season of Criminal Minds was ordered on May 12, 2018, by CBS with an order of 15 episodes.[1][2] The season premiered on October 3, 2018,[3] and concluded on February 6, 2019. The season also featured the milestone 300th episode, which served as the season premiere. This is the first season since season 11 not to feature Shemar Moore as Derek Morgan, who was now busy starring in S.W.A.T..
Criminal Minds was renewed for a fourteenth season with an episode order of 15 episodes on May 12, 2018, with the possibility of more episodes being ordered later in the season.[2][4] On November 27, 2018, it was reported that CBS had declined to order any more episodes for the season.[5]
On September 21, 2018, it was revealed that Kirsten Vangsness and showrunner Erica Messer would be co-writing the fifteenth episode of the season, which also served as the season finale. This would have been the fifth episode they have co-written together.[8] On December 6, 2018, it was revealed Messer and Vangsness would no longer be co-writing the episode and that Erica Meredith would be doing so instead.[9]
Casting
On October 19, 2018, it was announced that Stephen Bishop had been cast in a recurring role as SSA Andrew Mendoza, who is a love interest for Emily Prentiss.[10]
When messianic cult leader Benjamin David Merva (Michael Hogan) and his followers take Reid and Garcia hostage, the BAU juggles rescuing their colleagues and stopping Merva from carrying out a sinister agenda.
When nine sets of mummified female remains are excavated from a remote South Carolina cabin, the BAU sets out to determine if a two-person killing team was responsible or if the crimes were committed by a lone killer. Meanwhile, Rossi continues to rekindle his relationship with Krystall.
When six women in the Washington metropolitan area receive packages containing male appendages severed by disarticulation, the BAU works to identify the victim and establish a connection between the six recipients. Meanwhile, Simmons and Kristy try to communicate with their son, David, after he is suspended for hitting a classmate.
When a woman from Tallahassee, Florida is bludgeoned to death and her husband's alibi rules him out as the prime suspect, the BAU works with local authorities in Tallahassee and Arlington, Virginia to identify the killer. Meanwhile, Prentiss grows increasingly concerned about Garcia's behavior.
When three East Allegheny, Pennsylvania teenagers go missing and one resurfaces the following day with limited memories, the BAU juggles locating the other girls and establishing the role a regional urban legend plays in the disappearances. Meanwhile, JJ finds herself flashing back to the events surrounding her sister's suicide.
When four people living in various cities along the East Coast are tortured and murdered over a three-day span, the BAU attempts to connect the spree with a DEA-Federal Police manhunt for an infamous Mexican cartel hitman. Meanwhile, Alvez juggles moving in with his girlfriend and becoming emotionally involved in the investigation.
When three people in the Washington metropolitan area are hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being attacked with a machete, the BAU works with the local field office to track down a pair of spree killers driven to take a life every twenty-seven minutes.
When a couple from Plymouth, New Hampshire is gunned down in their sleep and their eight-year-old daughter is reported missing, the BAU searches for a budding abductor set on recreating a person from his past. Meanwhile, Rossi plans to take the next step in his relationship with Krystall.
When seven California drug addicts die from opiate overdoses hours after completing various in-patient treatments, the BAU sets out to profile a budding Angel of Mercy bent on relieving his victims of their suffering. Meanwhile, Lewis finds herself forced to face her past after reconnecting with her ex-husband.
When two local attorneys are abducted, tortured, and found with their hearts crudely cut out of their chests, the BAU attempts to establish a connection between the investigation and a case from their past. Meanwhile, Prentiss juggles wrestling with her inner demons and organizing a romantic date with SSA Andrew Mendoza (Stephen Bishop).
When the mysterious abduction of a man from Portland, Oregon is connected to an unsolved double homicide, the BAU sets out to track down a killer who blinds his victims before forcing them to play a deadly cat and mouse game. Meanwhile, Alvez invites the rest of the team to a housewarming party at his new apartment.
When three Iowa children disappear from their homes on the same night and surveillance cameras in a local park capture the children freely entering their captor's van, the BAU sets out to profile a budding injustice collector with dark motives. Meanwhile, JJ spends personal time with her mother, Sandy (Candy Clark), after renovation jobs force them out of their respective houses.
After returning from an investigation in Nashville, Tennessee, Rossi breaks down in front of Krystall and begins to question his actions as he recounts the events surrounding the BAU's attempt to track down a con artist-turned-serial killer with misogynistic attitudes.
When four Lewiston, Maine residents are stabbed to death in their homes, the BAU searches for a paranormal-obsessed serial killer who operates on the belief that the residences they target are haunted. Meanwhile, Rossi juggles tracking down wanted killer Everett Lynch and recovering from his near-death experience.
The BAU returns to Los Angeles to track down a possible spree killer after two people are killed in car accidents-turned-shootings. Meanwhile, Rossi and Krystall prepare for their wedding and an unexpected confession promises to change the course of everyone's lives forever.
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of Criminal Minds season 14