The Criminal Minds Character That Made Fans Laugh The Most

With so many different crime dramas taking over television and streaming platforms, creativity has had to be at an all-time high so that networks avoid rehashing previous shows. In 2005, "Criminal Minds" brought something new to the table when it introduced a police procedural with a twist — the main cast is a group of FBI agents specializing in criminal profiling. Getting into the mind of the criminal to uncover their identity and save the day turned out to be something audiences love. Aside from the unique plot, the series brings with it likable and relatable characters. Over the years, the show has gathered such a following that even though the "Criminal Minds" revival is making a major change to the storytelling, those who enjoy the original are still excited.

Over the seasons, fans watched as the "Criminal Minds" characters developed a family-like bond with one another and dealt with everything from grief and shame to joy and success. Audiences got to watch them not only as highly intelligent, specially-trained FBI agents but also as regular and even funny people outside of their jobs. Of course, each character has their moments of humor on the show, but fans seem to agree that one character made them laugh the most.

A Reddit user asked fellow fans of "Criminal Minds" who the funniest member of the team is, and several other Redditors chimed in, mostly all with the same opinion — Agent David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) is the funniest. u/mccabebabe wrote, "I gotta go with Rossi.. so many times he's come up with a line that just makes me laugh...." Agent Rossi was known in the show for adding some mood-lifting one-liners at precisely the right moment, usually bringing a smile to the faces of his fellow agents.

Joe Mantegna played the endearing agent Rossi for well over 200 episodes of "Criminal Minds" (via IMDb), and in an interview with Collider, he spoke highly of his part on the show when asked what it's like to know that "Criminal Minds" has such a large audience. "Well, it's a dream come true, is what that is," he said. "It's what you look for ... Hundreds and hundreds of shows get done, and you can count on two hands, the ones that can go ten years, plus. So, I look at it as a real blessing to be in that position." The series aired from 2005 until Season 15 in 2020, and Rossi was among the main characters for the majority of that time. It's the kind, joking nature that earned him a permanent spot in the hearts of fans, even if the way they feel about him now is a little different from how they felt about Rossi during the show's earlier years.