I am assuming that if you are thinking of buying the boxset, you have seen a few episodes and want to see more. This is exactly what I did!

Do it - the only thing you will regret is not getting it sooner. I bought it a month ago and I now prefer this to CSI - the characters in Criminal Minds have more individual depth and the storylines are more involving and intriguing. The twists and turns through out the series climax together for the cliffhanger in the final episode. You won't see it coming, and I promise you, you'll be ordering Series 2 straight after watching it!

There are 15 episodes in series 1 (including the pilot) so when you think about it, it's about ??1 per episode. BARGAIN!

"Criminal Minds", on paper, is exactly the type of television I love. The premise - and the reviews - promise a slick, intelligent crime series, with clever plots and intriguing characters. The reality is that this DVD box set has disappointed me. "Criminal Minds" is only really in fact a guilty pleasure; it all looks great, but the truth is that the series is remarkably shallow and derivative, with ultimately little to say.

Yes, the production values are high, the cast all look fantastic, and other aspects, such as the incidental music, is effective, if hardly subtle. But the scripts and characterisation on offer mean that this series can only be an exercise in mindless TV fun, and nothing more.

"Criminal Minds" does not provide any moments of genuinely chilling menace; in part because it chooses to skip over the more graphic details of the crimes involved, and in part because it frequently resorts to cliche on its way to filling the forty or so minutes of each episode. And some of the cliches are more unbearable than others.

Take the team of experts. Dr. Reid, the resident genius in the team, is a socially awkward geek who knows how many scientific errors there are in the original series of "Star Trek" and struggles to get a date. Instead of gradually showing us how clever he is via, say, his profiling skills, "Criminal Minds" decides that he will in the very first episode, state himself that he is a genius. Then there is Jason Gideon, who has returned to FBI profiling after a series of breakdowns following a confrontation with a killer in which Gideon was at least partly at fault for the deaths of six FBI agents. We then see how the guilt of his mistakes on that occasion still haunt him... I mean, come on.

The storylines do not escape the by-numbers approach, either. An early episode about a bomber is notable for being so predictable as to be utterly infuriating. Instead of being fresh and new, "Criminal Minds" decides to drag out the full ragtag bag of crime series cliches - teenagers who wear black clothes and listen to heavy metal being accused of being in satanic cults, and all - and apply gloss to the surface until it shines. The result is passable televisual entertainment, but nothing more substantial than this. It's good fun while it lasts - if you can avoid cringing at the clunkiness of the script at times - but it is difficult to truly care about the characters or become heavily involved in the storylines.

All-in-all, "Criminal Minds" suffices as watchable nonsense, but despite the devoted fans this series clearly has around the world, I cannot say that with me it resonates any more deeply than as mindless entertainment that looks good.

Regarding the Series 1 box set itself, this is nicely presented, and it's always good to see some worthwhile extras for fans of the series to enjoy.

A friend of mine recommended Criminal minds to me, the first episode I saw was 'secrets and lies' from then on I was hooked so I bought the season 1 box set to see what I'd missed. I wasn't disappointed at all. There is a wonderful cast along with some very interesting storylines. Criminal minds isn't about dusting for fingerprints and swabbing for DNA it looks at the kind of person(s) that would commit a particular crime and why they would commit the crime. This is one show that is underrated yet one of the best crime shows out there. I'd recommend this to anyone.

This show goes way deep into the minds of killers and why they become killers etc.
Best of all this DVD collection comes with subtitles for the deaf,A+++

This series has surpassed what we've seen to date in the CSI, NCIS, BONES and DEXTER series' - (all of which are worth watching). There appears to be a trend towards introducing eclectic characters - the genius with social ineptitude is seen in this series as well as in BONES - although in this series we're given more of a glimpse into the minds of the profilers and into their past, their struggle with what they see in their job and how they reconcile this with their personal lives. The acting is stellar throughout - the only character I was unsure of initially, was A.J.Cook as the liason agent - I felt she was too young for this role.

The series gives more depth to the criminal, tracing their path through life - what preceded and shaped them into what they are today - the psychology behind the crime - the patterns - how that fits in with the history of similar crimes.

Many of the episodes in this series excel; others are great; some are good. All, are worth watching.

The quotation at the start and end of each episode, gives a touch of class and provokes thought - often encompassing the episode and adding the perfect finishing touch!