MANDY PATINKIN, THOMAS GIBSON, SHEMAR MOORE, LOLA GLAUDINI, MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER AND AJ COOK STAR IN "CRIMINAL MINDS," A NEW SUSPENSE-THRILLER ABOUT AN ELITE SQUAD OF FBI PROFILERS WHO ANALYZE THE COUNTRY'S MOST TWISTED CRIMINAL MINDS, PREMIERING THURSDAY, SEPT. 22 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Series Moves to Its Regularly Scheduled Time Period Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 28

"Extreme Aggressor" -- Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Lola Glaudini, Matthew Gray Gubler and AJ Cook star in the new drama series CRIMINAL MINDS, premiering Thursday, Sept. 22 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CRIMINAL MINDS revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. Richard Shephard directed the episode written by Jeff Davis, creator of the series and one of the co-executive producers.

Leading the CRIMINAL MINDS team is Special Agent Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), the FBI's top behavioral analyst. The experts on Gideon's team include Special Agent Aaron Hotch (Thomas Gibson), a family man who is able to gain people's trust and unlock their secrets; Special Agent Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), an expert on obsess ional crimes; Elle Greenway (Lola Glaudini), an agent with a background in sexual offenses; Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), a classically misunderstood genius whose social IQ is as low as his intellectual IQ is high; and Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, (AJ Cook), a confident young agent who acts as the unit liaison for the team. Each member brings his or her own area of expertise to the table as they pinpoint predators' motivations and identify their emotional triggers in the attempt to stop them.

In the premiere episode, when a fourth woman goes missing in Seattle during the course of four months, the team is brought in to profile her captor and find him before he strikes again. Gideon, who has taken a six month leave of absence since running lead on a case in Boston that ended in disaster, is asked back to help crack the case. While the team works to hunt down the serial killer, Hotch is asked to discreetly evaluate whether or not Gideon is really ready to return to full-time duty.

Mandy Patinkin won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in the series "Chicago Hope" on CBS. His additional television credits include "Dead Like Me," "Law & Order," "Boston Public" and, on CBS, "Touched by an Angel," and the television movies "Everything That Rises," "Strange Justice," "The Hunchback" and "Broken Glass." His feature film credits include "The Choking Man," "Pinero," "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland," "Lulu on the Bridge," "Men with Guns," "Squanto: Indian Warrior," "The Music of Chance," "Impromptu," "The Doctor," "True Colors," "Dick Tracy," "The House on Carroll Street," "Alien Nation," "The Princess Bride," "Maxie," "Yentl," "Daniel" and "Ragtime."

Thomas Gibson is best known for his five years in the series "Dharma & Greg." His additional television credits include a starring role in the series "Chicago Hope" on CBS; the television movies "Raising Waylon," "The Inheritance" and "Brush with Fate," all on the Network, "Tales of the City," "More Tales of the City," "Evil Never Dies," "A Will of Their Own" and "The Lost Empire," and the mini-series "Category 6: Day of Destruction," on CBS, and "The Kennedys of Massachusetts." Gibson made his feature film debut with a starring role in the epic "Far and Away" and has since appeared in "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas," "Eyes Wide Shut," "The Age of Innocence," "Barcelona," "Love and Human Remains," "Sleep with Me," "Pyscho Beach Party," "Jack the Dog" and "Stardom."

Shemar Moore is best known for his portrayal of Malcolm Winters in "The Young and the Restless" on CBS, for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2000. He was also nominated for Daytime Emmys in the category of Outstanding Younger Leading Actor in a Drama Series in 1996 and 1997 and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1999. He has won five NAACP Image Awards. Moore's other television credits include the mini-series "Scott Turow's Reversible Errors," the series "Birds of Prey," the television movie "How to Marry a Billionaire" and hosting the Miss USA Pageant. His feature film credits include "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," "Butter," "Motives," "The Brothers" and "The Seat Filler."

Lola Glaudini most recently appeared in "The Handler" on CBS. She also had recurring dual roles in "The Sopranos" and a recurring role in "NYPD Blue." She has guest starred in "The King of Queens" on the Network, "ER," "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," "Boomtown" and "Monk." Her feature film credits include "Your Friends & Neighbors," "Groove," "Down to You," "Blow" and "7 Songs."

Matthew Gray Gubler recently appeared in the feature film "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." He will also appear in the upcoming "R.V." A 2002 graduate of the NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, he is an accomplished filmmaker whose short films include "The Cactus That Looked Just Like a Man," "Claude: A Symphony of Horror" and "Tippi's Picnic." As a model, Gubler has walked the runway for such fashion designers as Marc Jacobs, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. He was recently featured in Paper Magazine's 8th annual Beautiful People issue.

AJ Cook's television credits include "The L-Word," "Dead Like Me," "Tru Calling," "Higher Ground," "Bluemoon," "PSI Factor," "Goosebumps," "Elvis Meets Nixon," "In His Father's Shoes" and "Laser Hawk." She has appeared in the feature films "Blood Suckers," "Final Destination II," "The House Next Door," "Out Cold," "Ripper," "The Virgin Suicides," "Kisses" and "The Tinker."

CRIMINAL MINDS is produced by Touchstone Television, in association with Paramount Network Television. Mark Gordon and Ed Bernero are executive producers.

Jason Donovan: Mandy Patinkin
Aaron Hotch: Thomas Gibson
Elle Greenway: Lola Glaudini
Derek Morgan: Shemar Moore
Dr. Daniel Reed: Matthew Gray Gubler
Richard Slessman: DJ Qualls
Haley Hotchner: Meredith Monroe
Garcia: Kirsten Vangness
Karen Donovan: Joanne Whalley
Clerk: Lukas Haas

RATING: To Be Announced