Claim: Criminal Minds is set in Quantico, Virginia.

Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis , and is the original show in the Criminal Minds franchise . It premiered on September 22 , 2005 , on the broadcast network CBS and October 5 , 2005 on CTV . The series is produced by The Mark Gordon Company , in association with CBS Television Studios and ABC Studios -LRB- a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company -RRB- . Criminal Minds is set primarily at the FBI 's Behavioral Analysis Unit -LRB- BAU -RRB- based in Quantico , Virginia . In accordance with the show 's plot , Criminal Minds differs from many procedural dramas by focusing on profiling the criminal , called the unsub or `` unknown subject '' , rather than the crime itself .   The show has an ensemble cast that has had many cast member changes since its inception . Thomas Gibson , Shemar Moore , Matthew Gray Gubler , A. J. Cook , and Kirsten Vangsness are the only actors to have appeared in every season .   The series follows a group of FBI profilers who set about catching various criminals through behavioral profiling . The plot focuses on the team working cases and on the personal lives of the characters , depicting the hardened life and statutory requirements of a profiler . The show spawned two spin-offs : Criminal Minds : Suspect Behavior -LRB- 2011 -RRB- and Criminal Minds : Beyond Borders -LRB- 2016 -- 2017 -RRB- .   On April 7 , 2017 , CBS renewed the series for a thirteenth season . The series is moving back an hour to 10 p.m. on Wednesday nights starting in the fall .