Crime Dynamic Duos: Criminal Minds (Reid / JJ) vs. Law & Order: SVU (Benson / Barba)

There are many round 2 showdowns in this Crime Dynamic Duos tournament that we’re excited to watch play out, but the one between Reid / JJ and Benson / Barba is near the top of the list. After all, these two sets of characters from Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU, respectively, have been timeslot competitors for many years (though that will change this fall).

Beyond that, they also each hold the distinction of being on the air for well over a decade. there’s so much history between these characters, and as a result of this, we’re probably even more excited than ever to see how this battle pans out.

Who moves on to the next round? That’s totally up to you! Check out the poll at the bottom of the article.

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Still with us? Let’s dive into this battle…

Reid and JJ, Criminal Minds (#6 seed) – We had considered them somewhat of an underdog versus Jane / Weller of Blindspot within the first round of the tournament, but by the end of it they emerged as a clear winner — even if it was a close vote with them only getting 54% of it. This is a case of a pair becoming close and iconic together over time as a result of slow evolution. Criminal Minds isn’t a show where every single character has a clearly defined partner; it’s more of an ensemble by nature. Nonetheless, the further along the show gets, the more that we look forward to scenes featuring Matthew Gray Gubler and AJ Cook’s characters. They do have a fantastic sort of devotion to each other, and they have shown time and time again that they can conquer almost anything thrown in their path — even prison.

Benson and Barba, Law & Order: SVU (#2 seed) – What remains remarkable about these two characters is that they don’t always agree on the methods in which they’re going to utilize in order to solve cases; nonetheless, they do still figure out a way to work together and bring terrible people to justice. There are few other pairs out there who do have the fantastic push-and-pull relationship that we see between these two; they challenge each other, make each other better, and also care for each other as people. They make the most of their screen time.

Like with Reid and JJ, Benson and Barba moved on to the next round as a result of a close battle of their own. Now, only one of these two will make it to the final eight.

Photo: NBC