Washington Field comes from Ed Bernero, producer and creator of Criminal Minds. The series, done with the FBI’s stamp of approval, is named after the FBI’s Washington field office.

It’s said the office contains the National Capitol Response Squad – a team of elite experts with different types of expertise, who respond to events related to U.S. national interests. Related events? Types of expertise? This sounds just shady enough to have all sorts of plot possibilities.

Two brothers, (Jim and Tim Clemente) one a real FBI profiler, and the other a former terrorism expert wrote this script along with Bernero, which elevates this one high in the realism category.

The yet unnamed NCIS spin-off has been OKd and will feature a team of naval investigators. THR reports Chris O’Donnell (pictured above) is tapped for the lead agent, Callen. Hip-Hop star and actor LL Cool J, the beautiful Louise Lombard, Daniela Ruah, and Peter Cambor include the amazing cast. 

Although there has been some criticism about the need for an NCIS spin-off, you have to consider that with a criminal procedural this good, there’s always room for spin-offs.

So far, this is how the series is filling out:

• Lombard – Female lead named Clara, sharp investigator and former major in the military police
• Cool J – Investigator named Sam; still seeking details on this role
• Cambor – Operational psychologist named Nate who acts as the team’s conscious
• Ruah – The eager student of criminology and forensics named Kensi

Image: Newscom

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J. J. could be back by the middle of new season according to the executive producer of the series, Ed Bernero.

Last season we found out that J.J. is pregnant with Detective William LaMontagne’s (Josh Stewart) baby. He proposed to her, and said he would give up his shield in order to help take care of their child so she could continue to work with the BAU.

These two make a great couple. Here is a fan video of Will and J.J. with music:

Want to know more about A.J. Cook? Check out the following sites:

• A.J. Cook at IMDB
• A.J. Cook Fan Site
• A.J. Cook Photos at Criminal Minds Wiki

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Fans of the show can see some explosive and spoilery images here..Hotch in the hospital with blood on him, the continuation of the NY City threat, bomb squad action, and what looks disturbingly like a death.

Sure, promos are created to tease us, and mislead us, but mainly to entice us to watch the premiere. Ed Bernero, you had us at the word promo!

You should also know that the great music is based on AC/DC’s Rock “N” Roll Train, a song from their spanking new album, Black Ice.

TV Guide also has reported that after seeing the full premier in advance, there is a tearful goodbye of some kind. So after seeing the Criminal Minds promo, has your theory changed on the explosion?

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Bernero recently let fans in on a bit of what I call his secret to making  Criminal Minds such a successful and compelling show, and this all comes as courtesy of a piece he wrote of at TV Guide’s Guest Column.

He begins by laying out the scenario of a common experience for a police officer, which is the task of chasing a subject on foot, and then he reveals the very experience was one of his own, from his 10 years of being a cop on the Chicago streets. Bernero talks about the emotion, and tells how he relates it to the actors (like Shemar Moore seen above) and writers of the show.

Here is the best part of what he has to say about the series, particularly the new season:

Criminal Minds is having what I believe to be our best season yet. There are bombs and foot chases and shoot-outs and huge crashes and unexpected glimpses into our characters’ pasts; we have scary locations and amazing guest stars like Jason Alexander, Luke Perry and Wil Wheaton. And, of course, we’ve got a menagerie of terrifying “unsubs” who will have you covering your eyes and watching through your barely open fingers. It’s definitely exciting. I hope you’ll get to understand a little bit of what it feels like to be a cop.

And hey, you won’t have to fight your way out of a dark backlot to do it.

Image with permission via Newscom

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As noted in the title here, he says there is no specific plan. Fan comments seem to indicate they would definitely be up for a spin-off were it to be as good as Criminal Minds (or period). That’s what I call devotion.

Odds of Crime Drama Spin-Off Success

If you think a crime drama spin-off would be unsuccessful, think again, as there are already some very popular spin-offs out there now. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation begat CSI: NY, and CSI: Miami. I won’t even bother with the list of Law & Order spin-offs, or mention the number of seasons they are into.

Sure, there are some spin-off series that we can argue about (was Mrs. Columbo more successful than Columbo? Was Adam-12 more popular than Dragnet?) and it may be that a CSI comes along maybe once in a lifetime (just like a Criminal Minds).

So, the jury is still out, and the deal is not yet cut. I’m willing to bet that if show creators go about it the right way, we’ll be seeing something worthy of ratings in a spin-off. Then again, it’s all in the odds.

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Executive producer Ed Bernero revealed recently the idea has been around since the beginning, but that between Mandy Patinkin leaving the show, and the WGA Strike, the plan just never came into action.

Since the creators of the show have been looking at all the things the FBI does to determine what would relate to the Criminal Mind’s “world”, I thought we’d take a look at what the FBI does too, and see if we can guess what route these new show creators will take after the jump:

The Analysis

The FBI has three major national security priorities, and five major criminal priorities.

The three major national security priorities are:

• counterterrorism
• counterintelligence
• cyber crime

The five major criminal priorities are:

• public corruption
• civil rights
• white-collar crime
• organized crime
• major thefts/violent crime

Since most of the Criminal Mind’s cases seem to delve into violent crime, serial killings, and some relate to cyber crime, what do you think the new show’s focus will be?

• A show that features a cyber crime team? This would be a great way to bring Garcia’s boyfriend in on a permanent and prominent gig.
• Another team focused on solving violent crimes against children? Some of the cases have featured violence against children.
• A team focused on domestic or international terrorism? CBS could have its own version of Agent Jack Baur (24)
• A team focused on organized crime? Maybe CR meets the Sopranos?
• A team that specializes in investigating other FBI agents? That one sounds full of interesting possibilities too.

What do you think would be the most exciting for crime drama viewers?

Via EW.com, FBI.gov; Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

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