Criminal Minds: 5 Ways Beyond Borders Is The Better Spin-Off (& 5 Suspect Behaviour Is)

After 15 years, Criminal Minds finally ended in mid-February of this year. The show provided many insights into the psychology of many variations of criminals, as well as created a cast of characters that captured the hearts of viewers everywhere (which explains its whopping 15 seasons!)

With the show’s popularity rising over the years, there were many discussions about potential spin-offs. Two such spin-offs came to fruition: Beyond Borders and Suspect Behaviour. Beyond Borders focuses on the International Response Team (IRT) and how it protects American citizens outside of the U.S, while Suspect Behaviour focuses on another BAU team and the cases they solve. If you’re interested in giving these spin-offs a chance, here are five reasons why each show is the superior spin-off!

10 BB: Covers International Affairs

On the original Criminal Minds, their storylines focused on the BAUs’ dealings within the United States, with a few exceptions in Canada and outside of the U.S. Beyond Borders breaks this mold by focusing on international affairs with the International Response Team (IRT).

This can range from incidents happening to college students who are at school abroad in South Africa (“Iquisno”) to more intense situations, such as kidnapping rings in Turkey (“The Matchmaker”). This is important because not only does it show different factions of the FBI, but it also shows that American citizens are still protected abroad.

9 SB: Your Old Friend Penelope Garcia

Because spin-offs tend to share the same universe as the source material, there is a strong chance that you’ll find an overlap in characters. And Suspect Behaviour is no different! Viewers will frequently be blessed with the presence of Penelope Garcia, everyone’s favorite technical analyst.

And she’s still the same old Garcia! She is still using her lightning-fast typing skills to find information on all suspects, and still plays a vital role in bringing down unsubs. And she has not lost her bubbly and quippy personality, either!

8 BB: Diversity

As the media heads in a more progressive direction, diversity has become a major focus in casting. And Beyond Borders is no different! Clara Seger is Latina (at least Alana de la Garza is), Matthew Simmons is Asian and Ross Montgomery is a young black man.

The team also demonstrates diversity in terms of skills. Seger is multi-lingual and a cultural anthropologist, Simmons is a former Special Ops agent and Montgomery is a technical analyst. The variety of experiences and perspectives is an asset to the show.

7 SB: Pushing the Boundaries Of Bureaucracy

One of the more frustrating aspects of Criminal Minds is the amount of bureaucracy that the team is constantly up against. The team has to follow every protocol and mandate in the book, even if it goes against their wishes or how they operate.

With Suspect Behaviour, however, there isn’t a hierarchy of people to answer to. This specific team, known as Red Cells, bypass all of that and report only to the Director of the FBI. By avoiding all of these barriers, they can take action much quicker.

6 BB: Glimpse Into Countries Abroad

As mentioned earlier, the original series is focused mainly on the United States, with the depiction of various small towns and cities throughout the country. Beyond Borders, however, gives the viewer a similar glimpse…..around the world!

The first season finale takes place in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Viewers get a view into both the tourist resorts, as well as the more rustic shantytowns. There are also characters who speak with pronounced Haitian accents, which is an added asset to the cultural landscape that the show is attempting to paint.

5 SB: Grittier Premise And Characters

Criminal Minds focuses a lot more on the psychology of the unsubs and the dialogue between the characters as they solve their cases (as well as other issues between them!). Suspect Behaviour, on the other hand, is more of a CSI-type show, with a lot more onus on the characters in action.

The tone of the show is also much grittier and intense, along with the characters. For example, Agent Sims has a violent past and has served time for dealing out vigilante justice on suspects.

4 BB: The Job Doesn’t Stop At The Border

Criminal Minds depicts a wide range of unsubs and crimes: victims of tragic events, heartless murderers, and individuals with complex psychologies that, unfortunately, lead them to commit crimes. However, this doesn’t mean that these types of crimes stop at the border.

In the episode “Paper Orphans”, a young girl is kidnapped in Port-Au-Prince. Her kidnapper is a woman suffering from grief-induced psychosis after the traumatic deaths of her entire family over many years. It goes to show that trauma and horrible events befalling innocent people doesn’t just happen in North America.

3 SB: Tackles Topics Other Than Psychology

Profiling unsubs is not at the forefront of the team’s minds (although that is in their job description). They are much more involved in the field. And the show doesn’t shy away from tackling difficult topics!

In the very first episode, the mother of a young Black girl who has gone missing laments at how her daughter is still missing, but as soon as a young white girl goes missing, all resources are immediately deployed. There is also commentary about the police in inter-city and higher crime areas.

2 BB: Depicts The Realities Of The FBI

Although the International Response Team (IRT) is a fictional task force, what they represent is far from fiction. The FBI protects all American citizens, even if they are overseas.

For example, in the case of a kidnapping, the U.S embassy will send what is known as “Legal Attachés” to the specific region or country, and they serve as the diplomatic liaison while the FBI works in cooperation with that area’s government to ensure the victim’s safe return. Sometimes life isn’t stranger than fiction!

1 SB: The Talent On Display

If there’s anything that lends legitimacy to a show, it’s the cast’s talent. And Suspect Behaviour nabbed the talent! Sam Cooper is played by Forrest Whittaker! He’s won a bevy of awards over his illustrious career, including BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Janeane Garofalo (Beth Griffin) was a cast member on SNL and was the voice of Colette in Ratatouille. Michael Kelly (Jonathan Sims) has been nominated for numerous Saturn Awards for House of Cards. And FBI Director, Jack Fickler (Richard Schiff), has won numerous awards for the West Wing.  This is a more than capable cast!