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The Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 6

Every episode of Criminal Minds Season 6 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 6!

Binge this in 16h 48m•Peaking at 8.7/10

An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 18 - Lauren
    8.7/10(3303 votes)

    S6:E18

    As Prentiss faces off against Ian Doyle, JJ receives a call and returns to help them find Prentiss and capture Doyle before it's too late.

    Director:Matthew Gray Gubler
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  2. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 1 - The Longest Night
    8.1/10(2617 votes)

    S6:E1

    The BAU team closes in on the serial killer as he continues his murder spree throughout Los Angeles - with Detective Spicer's kidnapped daughter as his hostage - in the conclusion of last season's cliffhanger.

    Director:Edward Allen Bernero
    Writer:Edward Allen Bernero

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  3. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 2 - JJ
    8.1/10(2676 votes)

    S6:E2

    While JJ attempts to reunite a family whose daughter has mysteriously disappeared, her BAU family braces for the loss of one of their own.

    Director:Charles S. Carroll
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  4. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 16 - Coda
    8.1/10(3114 votes)

    S6:E16

    Prentiss enlists two former friends from Interpol to track down an old enemy, as Reid discovers clues that could help the BAU locate the parents of an autistic boy.

    Director:Rob Hardy
    Writer:Rick Dunkle

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  5. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 17 - Valhalla
    8.0/10(2305 votes)

    S6:E17

    After a series of murders, Prentiss becomes suspicious of a former nemesis, and fears for the safety of her team.

    Director:Charles S. Carroll
    Writers:Erica Messer, Simon Mirren

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  6. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 11 - 25 to Life
    7.8/10(2194 votes)

    S6:E11

    Morgan suggests that a man has been rehabilitated and aids in his parole, but later regrets his decision when the man murders someone days after being released.

    Director:Charles S. Carroll
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  7. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 3 - Remembrance of Things Past
    7.7/10(2191 votes)

    S6:E3

    When several women in Herndon, Virginia, are found murdered in a similar manner, SSA David Rossi reopens an unsolved cold case that has haunted him for a quarter of a century because he believes the original killer, who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, might have returned.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

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  8. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 5 - Safe Haven
    7.7/10(2263 votes)

    S6:E5

    The team pursues a serial killer targeting families in the Midwest; Morgan receives a visit from Ellie after she runs away from her foster family.

    Director:Andy Wolk
    Writer:Alicia Kirk

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  9. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 8 - Reflection of Desire
    7.7/10(3091 votes)

    S6:E8

    The BAU becomes involved in the search for a kidnapped woman in the nation's capital after the body of a second kidnap victim is found in a Georgetown alley.

    Director:Anna Foerster
    Writer:Simon Mirren

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  10. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 9 - Into the Woods
    7.7/10(2347 votes)

    S6:E9

    When an 8-year-old is found murdered on the Appalachian Trail, the BAU team goes deep into its forests in search of a man lurking in the wilderness who is targeting children.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Kimberly A. Harrison

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  11. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 24 - Supply and Demand
    7.7/10(2033 votes)

    S6:E24

    As the BAU searches for a suspected human trafficking ring when the bodies of two missing persons are found in the trunk of a car, Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner intimates there could be changes within the team due to budget cuts as Jennifer "JJ" Jareau returns to the FBI. The team is also assisted by SSA Andi Swan, the head of the Domestic Trafficking Task Force.

    Director:Charles S. Carroll
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  12. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 7 - Middle Man
    7.6/10(2889 votes)

    S6:E7

    The BAU must catch a group of serial killers that is killing exotic dancers and leaving their bodies in the cornfields of Indiana.

    Director:Rob Spera
    Writer:Rick Dunkle

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  13. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 10 - What Happens at Home...
    7.6/10(2201 votes)

    S6:E10

    The BAU searches inside a gated New Mexico community for a killer targeting women, and Hotchner looks to an FBI cadet with a unique past for help with the investigation.

    Director:Jan Eliasberg
    Writer:Edward Allen Bernero

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  14. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 12 - Corazon
    7.5/10(2959 votes)

    S6:E12

    A series of bizarre, ritualistic murders brings the team to Miami; Reid experiences hallucinations and blinding headaches.

    Director:John Gallagher
    Writer:Katarina Wittich

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  15. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 19 - With Friends Like These...
    7.5/10(2796 votes)

    S6:E19

    The BAU travels to Portland to investigate a suspected gang of murderers targeting a new victim each night.

    Director:Anna Foerster
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

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  16. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 20 - Hanley Waters
    7.5/10(2056 votes)

    S6:E20

    The BAU members investigate targeted killings in Tampa as they cope with their feelings about losing Emily Prentiss.

    Director:Jesse Warn
    Writers:Randy Huggins, Alicia Kirk

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  17. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 13 - The Thirteenth Step
    7.4/10(2403 votes)

    S6:E13

    The BAU hits the road to track down a pair of young lovers on an interstate murder spree. Also, Prentiss hears frightening news from her former boss at Interpol.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

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  18. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 22 - Out of the Light
    7.4/10(1918 votes)

    S6:E22

    The BAU is called to a North Carolina resort town after a woman is found badly injured and another woman is missing. On arrival, the team discovers these two women are not the only victims.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:Roger Hedden

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  19. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 4 - Compromising Positions
    7.3/10(2832 votes)

    S6:E4

    The team searches for a serial killer who is preying on married couples; Hotchner looks to a team member to fill JJ's vacant role.

    Director:Guy Norman Bee
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  20. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 14 - Sense Memory
    7.3/10(2130 votes)

    S6:E14

    The team investigates unusual murders in Los Angeles, and more information about Prentiss' past arises.

    Director:Rob Spera
    Writer:Randy Huggins

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  21. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 21 - The Stranger
    7.3/10(1885 votes)

    S6:E21

    The BAU hunts a stalker in San Diego who is targeting college students. Meanwhile, the team comes under Strauss' scrutiny in the wake of the loss of Prentiss.

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writers:Rick Dunkle, Kimberly A. Harrison

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  22. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 6 - Devil's Night
    7.2/10(2211 votes)

    S6:E6

    The team searches for a killer who has struck the past three years during Detroit's raucous pre-Halloween celebrations.

    Director:Charles Haid
    Writer:Randy Huggins

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  23. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 15 - Today I Do
    7.2/10(2264 votes)

    S6:E15

    The BAU is called to upstate New York to investigate mysterious disappearances. Also, Prentiss gets some disturbing news about one of her former Interpol colleagues.

    Director:Ali Selim
    Writer:Alicia Kirk

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  24. Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 23 - Big Sea
    7.2/10(2052 votes)

    S6:E23

    When the BAU is called to Florida after bodies are discovered buried in the ocean floor off the Jacksonville coast, the case hits home for Morgan because his aunt fears her missing daughter could be one of the victims.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writers:Breen Frazier, Jim Clemente

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Season 6 Ratings Summary

"Lauren" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds" season 6. It scored 8.7/10 based on 3303 votes. Directed by Matthew Gray Gubler and written by Breen Frazier, it aired on 3/16/2011. This episode is rated 0.6 points higher than the second-best, "The Longest Night".