It is a big year for some landmark episodes on CBS. An upcoming airing of NCIS, set for February 7, will mean the procedural has reached an impressive 200th episode landmark. Not far behind NCIS are some hit sitcoms including The Big Bang Theory, which recently reached its 100th episode, and How I Met Your Mother, which hit its 150th episode this month. Now, another CBS procedural will be reaching an episode landmark.
CBS’ Criminal Minds is set to hit 150 episodes tonight. The popular crime drama has had some excellent twists and turns for notable episodes in the past, most memorably when Agent Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) took on his arch-nemesis The Reaper during the 100th episode. Unable to top that, showrunner Erica Messer spoke with TV Line recently to discuss what audiences can expect from the big one-five-zero.
To do something special for the 150th episode, the writers went back to the drawing board and toyed with the regular format of the show. What they ended up with was a plot that is a bit topsy turvy compared to what viewers have come to expect from the show's layout. If you plan to tune in tonight and don’t want spoilers, reading past this point means you are heading into dangerous waters.
we didn’t want to manufacture something, so we looked at what we do every week, which is use our wits to save a victim who’s been in captivity since at least the end of Act 1. We took that and put it on its head and said, “What if this time around a victim actually has an unsub [in captivity], and the victory will be if the team can get her to not kill somebody?” And whether or not that happens remains to be seen.
Another perk of doing a big episode is that strong guest characters are more willing to come on board. This week, Criminal Minds has two big names on the bill.
Yes, we picked an unsub that we’ve never dared to do before, and it seemed like a perfect way to have this woman (played by Birds of Prey‘s Dina Meyer) who believes she been victimized by this man (The Shield‘s Jay Karnes) turn the tables on him.
To read the whole interview, head over to TV Line. The 150th episode of Criminal Minds will air Wednesday, January 25 at 9 p.m. ET.
