Crossover November: Could a ‘Longmire’ – ‘Criminal Minds’ combination work?

We love crossovers. For the most part, they’re fun, and a nice chance to see what different characters would be like if they shared scenes with one another. They’ve been a fabric of great television for a long time.

Given that we also love “Longmire,” we thought it would be a nice to come up with a way to feature it in our Crossover November series. Herein lies the problem: This is not an easy show to do crossovers with. It’s set in a remote area of Wyoming, and there are no real logical reasons for the likes of Walt, Vic, and the rest of the main characters to travel somewhere else when so much of their work is local. Maybe they will move over to another county here and there, but there is something about seeing them in a major city that would just feel odd and unnatural to us.

Therefore, we stumbled upon “Criminal Minds,” one of the few shows out there with a team of crime-solvers that spends most of their series traveling to various locations. Could there be a chance for some fish-out-of-water storytelling from both sides here? Let’s investigate a little.

The case for a crossover – “Longmire” is a show about a Sheriff’s Department who at times has limited resources. Meanwhile, the BAU at “Criminal Minds” has unlimited resources more or less. Seeing them arrive with all of their fancy equipment could make for a few fun moments. Also, there could be a lesson told here about how the equipment does not make the detective. Walt has been doing a great job for decades without substantial help from the FBI or anyone else. It could make people like Hotch or Rossi appreciate more of the simple things, and make some “Longmire” characters realize that there are some good things about the way the BAU solves crimes.

The case against it – Boy, there are many. We begin here with the fact that one airs on Netflix, and the other CBS. Neither is produced by the same studio, and really the only thing they have in common is that they are bad guys. “Criminal Minds” focuses more on psychopaths, while “Longmire” has criminals with more emotional motives more often than not. The only way we could really see it working is if there are just a few small cameos during a “Criminal Minds” episode from the “Longmire” gang working as local law enforcement. “Longmire” itself has become too procedural of a show for it to make sense.

In the end, “Criminal Minds” is the closest thing we got to a suitable “Longmire” crossover, and the reality here is that almost no show would be. Its uniqueness is what makes it stand out, and while we’re glad we looked into it for this series (read other Crossover November articles here), there are some things you just don’t touch. For example, you wouldn’t cross over “Lost” or “Game of Thrones.”

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