Summary
- Criminal Minds episodes draw inspiration from real-life serial killers and true crime, adding chilling realism to the show's stories.
- The rebooted Criminal Minds: Evolution continues to use real cases as inspiration, prompting the creation of the docuseries The Real Criminal Minds.
- From the Zodiac Killer to the Lipstick Killer, the show incorporates infamous and lesser-known cases, delving into the dark and disturbed minds of serial killers.
Criminal Minds episodes based on real cases ensured the show covered some disturbing crimes of any weekly procedural drama on network television. Criminal Minds focuses on the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (the BAU) and the UnSubs (Unidentified Subjects) they hunt down. The show's serial killers are often incredibly dark and disturbed, with their sinister acts made all the more chilling in the Criminal Minds episodes based on real cases — as many are. From infamous names like the Zodiac Killer to more obscure cases like the 1940s Lipstick Killer, Criminal Minds often delves into true crime for inspiration.
While Criminal Minds ended in 2020 after its 15th season, Paramount Plus brought the show back with the rebooted Criminal Minds: Evolution. Like the show's original run, Evolution has also drawn on true crime to inspire its stories. While the UnSubs in Criminal Minds are all fictional, many of their circumstances and crimes are based on real people and actual events — a fact Paramount+ capitalized on by ordering The Real Criminal Minds, which is a docuseries about these real-life serial killers (via Deadline).
All 15 Seasons Of Criminal Minds, Ranked Worst To Best
Criminal Minds follows the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit as they hunt murderers across the country, but not every season is at the same standard.
20 "Children of the Dark" (Season 3, Episode 4)
Gary & Ervin Robles Are Based On Two Notorious Serial Killers
"Children of the Dark" provides a disturbing exploration of the psychological trauma that fuels such gruesome acts. While not directly mentioned or referenced in the episode, "Children of the Dark" draws inspiration from the notorious serial killers Leonard Lake and Charles Ng. The episode follows a duo, Gary and Ervin Robles, who break into suburban homes, murder the parents, and leave the children alive. Like Lake and Ng, the Robles brothers are a serial killing team, family annihilators, and robbers.
Their partnership mirrors the infamous duo in several ways: both pairs included a Caucasian male and a partner of a different race, and both had at least one member who was abused by parental figures (Ng was abused by his father, while Gary and Ervin were abused by their foster parents). Additionally, just like Lake and Ng, one Robles team member assumes a victim's identity before getting arrested.
19 "The Perfect Storm" (Season 2, Episode 3)
The Criminal Minds Episode Takes Inspiration From Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka
Inspired by the notorious "Ken and Barbie Killers" Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, Criminal Minds weaves a chilling tale in "The Perfect Storm." The episode's unsubs, Amber and Richard Canardo, share eerie similarities with Bernardo and Homolka. Both pairs are serial killers, rapists, and abductors who target women, luring them in with the ruse of asking for directions. Like the "Ken and Barbie Killers," the Canardos recorded their heinous acts of rape before strangling their victims and dumping their naked bodies in convenient locations.
Amber Canardo, one of Criminal Minds' most memorable unsubs, plays a manipulative role, using her charm to draw in unsuspecting victims, while Richard becomes the dominant aggressor during their attacks. The BAU team finds disturbing footage revealing the torment inflicted on their victims, mirroring Bernardo and Homolka's recorded crimes. The episode delves into Amber's troubled past, revealing a history of trauma that transformed her into a remorseless killer. The twisted dynamic between dominant and submissive partners in crime is highlighted as Amber manipulates Richard to fulfill her sadistic desires.