Should Criminal Minds season 13 cultivate another big story arc?

Is it time for Criminal Minds season 13 to make a big, bold move when it comes to a long-form story arc? Based on where the show is at present, we would wager to say so.

While the past few episodes of the series have entertained,  at the same time they are missing something that all great episodes of the show need: A little bit of buzz and a little bit of fire. Criminal Minds is compelling escapism and an entertaining way to wind down after a day’s worth of problems (weird as it is to say given some of the show’s content). Yet, this is also a show that does not do a whole lot in order to inspire viewers to watch it live in an era where live / DVR viewership really matters. If someone wants to check out Criminal Minds now they can just wait and binge-watch them and now feel as though they aren’t missing any big spoilers. We recognize that this may be very convenient for some viewers, but that’s not altogether great for the show’s ratings.

With this in mind the writers may need to be thinking something along these lines: How do we find a way to get some of these viewers to check us out live? What are the ways to do that. The easy way would just be to institute another long-term arc, whether it be something as immersive as what happened with Reid or just bringing in a consistent (and interesting) Big Bad who could appear in a handful of episodes. Either way, we do foresee there being some merit in giving viewers a reason to watch live week to week.

Beyond this, there are a number of other ideas that the writers for Criminal Minds could potentially consider.

1. Getting a big-name guest star – If they can find some sort of living legend to appear on the show (we know that these don’t necessarily grow on trees) it would help the show out immensely. For the time being, the biggest name the show’s had this season as a guest star is probably Jamie Kennedy, and that was an episode playing mostly to fans of the first few seasons.

2. Creating a story-line relevant to modern day – Contrary to popular belief, there are many different ways that this could be done without making the story political. All the writers have to do is be creative and think of a problem that we’re all dealing with in 2017 only to then create an UnSub in that vein.

What do you think Criminal Minds season 13 should be bringing to the table creatively to help shake things up? Share now in the comments!

Meanwhile, take a look over at this link for some more news regarding what’s coming up on Criminal Minds next week.

You can like CarterMatt on Facebook to stay up to date with all of our Criminal Minds coverage. (Photo: CBS.)