▁ ▁The ▁first ▁season ▁of ▁C riminal ▁M inds ▁received ▁mixed ▁reviews ▁from ▁critics . ▁It ▁has ▁a ▁Met ac rit ic ▁score ▁of ▁ 4 2 ▁based ▁on ▁ 2 1 ▁reviews , ▁indicating ▁" m ixed ▁or ▁average ▁reviews ". ▁ ▁Dor othy ▁Rab in ow itz ▁said , ▁in ▁her ▁review ▁for ▁The ▁Wall ▁Street ▁Journal , ▁" From ▁the ▁evidence ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁few ▁episodes , ▁C riminal ▁M inds ▁may ▁be ▁a ▁hit , ▁and ▁des erved ly " ▁and ▁gave ▁particular ▁pra ise ▁to ▁G ub ler ▁and ▁Pat ink in ' s ▁performance . ▁Ned ▁Mart el ▁in ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁was ▁less ▁positive , ▁saying , ▁" The ▁problem ▁with ▁" C riminal ▁M inds " ▁is ▁its ▁many ▁confusing ▁mal ad ies , ▁applied ▁to ▁too ▁many ▁characters ." ▁The ▁rev iewer ▁felt ▁that ▁" as ▁a ▁result , ▁the ▁cast ▁seems ▁like ▁a ▁sp illed ▁tr unk ▁of ▁broken ▁to ys , ▁with ▁which ▁the ▁audience — and ▁perhaps ▁the ▁cre ators — may ▁quickly ▁become ▁b ored ." ▁The ▁Chicago ▁Trib une ▁rev iewer , ▁Sid ▁Smith , ▁felt ▁that ▁the ▁show ▁" may ▁well ▁be ▁worth ▁a ▁look ", ▁though ▁he ▁too ▁critic ized ▁the ▁" conf using ▁plots ▁and ▁characters ". ▁Writing ▁in ▁Pop Mat ters , ▁Marco ▁L anz ag ort a ▁critic ized ▁the ▁show ▁after ▁its ▁premi ere , ▁saying ▁it ▁" conf uses ▁critical ▁thinking ▁with ▁super natural ▁ab ilities " ▁and ▁that ▁its ▁characters