The Criminal Minds Crime Scene Detail That Has Fans Scratching Their Heads
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For nearly two decades, the CBS series "Criminal Minds" captivated television viewers with its entertaining takes on FBI profilers and their fascinating inner workings. But just how much of the show was actually realistic?
Despite going off the air in 2020, "Criminal Minds" is still one of the most widely talked about police procedurals on TikTok, Reddit, and other forms of social media (via TV Guide) thanks to a revived run on Netflix, where Seasons 1-12 are currently available to stream. Since people can continue to get their fill of Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, and the rest of the "Criminal Minds" gang, there's been loads of renewed discussion about things they may have missed or brushed off in the past.
One thing that continues to get pointed out since the series ended is the now-obvious lack of believability from the show's criminal psychologists, aka profilers, and there's a crime scene detail in particular that has constantly puzzled viewers.
Where are the gloves?!
It's a question that's been getting asked by "Criminal Minds" fans since Season 1, with many taking to social media in recent months and years to air their glove grievances.
"They never wear gloves!" seethed Redditor u/c-est-magnifique in a series discussion thread. "They handle all this evidence at the crime scene with no PPE gear at all," the user continued. "Most shows forget the shoe covers and other stuff but this show has them pressing their clammy oily hands all over fresh evidence." Redditor u/Ok-Painting4471 replied, "Idk why they didn't focus on making that more realistic." Others in the thread agreed, with some listing more instances of bad crime scene etiquette.
"Once my teacher made us watch Criminal minds in [forensics science] class and point all the errors," said u/Comprehensive_Ad4689. "Eg., Reid not tying hair up. Emily wearing heels on crime scene. Hotch not wearing gloves." Redditor u/Skeptic135 added, "Don't even get me started on the non-existent search warrants."
Those looking to catch up on "Criminal Minds" but don't have Netflix can find the CBS series on Paramount+ with a paid subscription, or you can purchase episodes on Amazon and other streaming apps where it's available.