Criminal Minds: Evolution Ventures Into a More Mature Territory
Some critics call Criminal Minds revival a true evolution from the original CBS show, others say it is not more than a competent extension, but everyone who's already seen the first two episodes of the revival agrees that the crime drama has matured.
Although the Criminal Minds: Evolution premieres on Thursday, November 24th, critics have already seen the first two episodes and weighed in.
The show's Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes shows only two scores, but both are fresh, which is a promising start.
As for the critics' reviews, they all note that the new chapter of Criminal Minds differs from the CBS show for the better.
Critics seem to think that Evolution is more of an older, more mature relative than a direct sibling to CBS' Criminal Minds. What changes lead critics to think this way?
First, everyone notes the change in pacing and the renewed focus on profilers rather than unsubs.
Although fans came to love the members of the BAU during the show's 15-year run, the case-of-the-week concept limited the emotional development of the characters. Viewers mostly saw the beloved profilers in action and had few opportunities to understand them more deeply.
Evolution allows time to delve into the protagonists' private worlds without taking away the pleasure of understanding a twisted criminal mind.
Instead of a bunch of unconnected unsubs, viewers of the revival will meet a gradually evolving serial killer, probably the most dangerous criminal in the show's 324-episode history. All critics praise such a change in the show's format and the performance of Zach Gilford, who plays the Big Bad of Season 16.
Another reason to be excited about Criminal Minds: Evolution is that the revival returns to the darkness that longtime fans love so much.
According to the reviews, the happy-ever-after finale of Season 15, which was criticized by many viewers, is largely ignored, and the characters return to the psychological strain of their overwhelming jobs.
If anything, the transition to a streaming service has allowed the creators to make Criminal Minds even darker than before.
Apparently, the killing scenes have become more intense without descending into bloodshed. While some critics are happy to see such concern for viewers' mental health, others think that a higher level of gore could be the real evolution for the show once trapped within TV network boundaries.