TV Shows Like Criminal Minds
If you like Criminal Minds, here are 12 similar TV shows — each with its current AI renewal verdict, so you can see which are still going and which have been cancelled.
CBS · Crime · Criminal Minds is renewed
Criminal Minds works because it takes the procedural format seriously. Every episode is built around a question: who is this person, and why do they do what they do? The BAU team does not just chase criminals, they get inside their heads, working from behavioral evidence and psychology rather than fingerprints and witnesses. That focus on motive and psychology gives the show a darker, more cerebral texture than most crime dramas. David Rossi anchors the team with the weight of experience, and the cases themselves range from disturbing to genuinely unsettling. The show earns its tension.
The best shows like Criminal Minds
1. The Blacklist
The Blacklist puts a rookie FBI profiler at the center of a partnership with one of the most dangerous and brilliant criminal minds she has ever encountered, which is about as close to the Criminal Minds formula as television gets. The weekly cases are genuinely inventive, and Raymond Reddington is the kind of larger-than-life antagonist-turned-asset that keeps a show's mythology moving forward. If you liked watching the BAU try to get inside the heads of criminals, this show gives you a criminal who is already several steps inside everyone else's head.
Stream on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Ended0%
2. Chicago P.D.
Chicago P.D. focuses on an intelligence unit that handles organized crime, drug trafficking, and high-profile murders, the kind of serious, layered cases that Criminal Minds fans tend to find more interesting than standard-issue procedurals. The show is grittier and more street-level than the BAU's work, but the ensemble dynamic and the emphasis on a team that operates with real intensity should feel familiar. It does not lean into criminal psychology the way Criminal Minds does, but it makes up for that with strong character work and cases that carry genuine weight.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, NBC
Likely Renewed88%
3. CSI: NY
CSI: NY is firmly in procedural territory, following a team of forensic investigators working homicide cases in New York City. The show shares Criminal Minds' commitment to methodical investigation and its interest in using science and expertise to reconstruct what happened, though the approach is more forensic than psychological. For fans who enjoy watching a skilled team work through evidence step by step, it is a reliable and well-built entry in the crime drama genre.
Stream on Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Cancelled0%
4. CIA
CIA takes the FBI-agent premise and widens the scope, pairing a by-the-book special agent with a roguish CIA operative to work covert operations involving terrorist cells and international conspiracies. The dynamic between the two leads, one cautious and procedural, the other instinctive and secretive, has a similar push and pull to the BAU team's varied approaches to criminal behavior. If Criminal Minds' larger conspiracy arcs are what kept you watching, this show's focus on geopolitical threats and covert intelligence should hold your interest.
Stream on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
On the Bubble52%
5. 21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street is a lighter, more offbeat entry here, but it shares Criminal Minds' interest in investigators who have to think carefully about how to approach their targets rather than relying on conventional police work. Going undercover among teenagers and young adults requires a kind of behavioral awareness and adaptability that is not so far removed from profiling. It is a different tone entirely, but fans who appreciate watching smart cops work unconventional angles on a case will find something to enjoy.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Ended0%
More on shows like Criminal Minds
Fans of Criminal Minds tend to want a few specific things from their next show. They want investigators who are good at their jobs and driven by more than just procedure. They want cases that feel genuinely dangerous, not just puzzles to be solved tidily in 44 minutes. A layered mythology helps, something that builds across seasons rather than resetting each week. And strong ensemble dynamics matter, because the BAU works as a unit and the relationships between team members are part of what makes the show worth returning to.
The recommendations here cover a good range of that territory. The Blacklist is the closest tonal match, pairing an FBI profiler with a criminal genius in a show that leans hard into long-form conspiracy and cat-and-mouse psychology. CIA takes a similar FBI-meets-something-larger premise but pushes it into covert operations and international intrigue. CSI: NY is more forensic and less psychological, but it shares the procedural discipline and the murder investigation backbone that Criminal Minds fans respond to. Chicago P.D. is grittier and street-level, centered on an intelligence unit that handles exactly the kinds of organized crime and high-stakes cases that feel adjacent to BAU territory. And 21 Jump Street is the lightest entry, an undercover procedural with a very different register, but it shares the DNA of investigators who have to think unconventionally to get results.
None of these are perfect substitutes, and that is fine. The Blacklist is probably the most satisfying direct follow-up for someone who wants that FBI procedural mixed with a criminal mastermind at the center. But each show on this list scratches a different part of what makes Criminal Minds worth watching.
More shows like Criminal Minds
Frequently asked
- What is the most popular show like Criminal Minds?
- The Blacklist is the most popular show similar to Criminal Minds in the IsItRenewed catalogue.
- Are shows like Criminal Minds still on the air?
- Of the 12 shows similar to Criminal Minds listed here, 0 currently carry a renewed verdict — the rest are cancelled, ended, or awaiting a decision.
- How does IsItRenewed pick shows like Criminal Minds?
- The recommendations come from TMDB's similar-titles data, and each is shown with its current AI renewal verdict so you know which are still going.