'Criminal Minds' Best Relationship Doesn't Need To Be Romantic (2024)

"Talk to me, baby girl." It's a mainstay in the lexicon of Criminal Minds, one of the world's most popular police procedurals that aired fifteen seasons from 2005 to 2020, and it immediately brings to mind two iconic characters and a friendship for the ages. The CBS crime drama followed members of the FBI's behavioral analysis unit, agents working to investigate crimes by identifying unknown subjects (or "unsubs") using a mix of profiling and behavioral analysis. Aside from its thrilling and often disturbing storylines, Criminal Minds' main draw was its cast of popular characters. While the BAU’s favorite profiling team features a host of beautiful friendships, none are more beloved than the relationship between hunky special agent Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) and hacker-turned-technical analyst Penelope Garcia (Kristen Vangsness).

The fan-favorite fast-talking, hyper-flirtatious duo have a less-than-conventional relationship; it’s not a romance, despite the constant exchange of some seriously steamy banter, but it’s so much more than a friendship. Morgan and Garcia embody the platonic soulmate trope, two ride-or-die friends who would do anything for each other, and just happen to communicate via their own language — constant flirting. Their relationship flies in the face of tired “men and women can never be ‘just friends’” discourse, and over the course of fifteen(ish) seasons, develops into Criminal Minds' strongest relationship.

Criminal Minds

TV-14

Crime

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Drama

Mystery

A group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) using behavioral analysis and profiling to help investigate crimes and find the suspect known as the unsub.

Release Date

September 22, 2005

Creator

Jeff Davis

Cast

A.J. Cook , Joe Mantegna , Adam Rodriguez , Daniel Henney , Aisha Tyler , Matthew Gray Gubler , Kirsten Vangsness , Paget Brewster

Main Genre

Crime

Seasons

15

Studio

CBS

'Criminal Minds' Could Have Made Morgan and Garcia More Than Friends

Morgan's now-famous greeting to Garcia harkens back to the origins of the dynamic duo's friendship, and the third season episode "Tabula Rasa" gives viewers a look at Morgan and Garcia's meet-cute. On Morgan's first day at the BAU, he attempts to get Garcia's attention but doesn't remember her name, so he instead shouts, "baby girl!" and the rest is history. The two have exchanged endless pet names over Criminal Minds' fifteen-year run: sugar, sweet cheeks, doll face, hot stuff, sugar shack — the list goes on.

The barrage of flirtatious quips is so constant that viewers might have expected Morgan and Garcia to eventually get together, and Criminal Minds once delighted in teasing this potential outcome. In Season 7's episode "Snake Eyes," Garcia wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find Morgan in her shower. She spends the rest of the episode worrying about this potential change in their relationship before Morgan assures her that all that happened that night was popcorn and a movie, causing a sigh of relief from viewers — and Garcia.

Morgan and Garcia Are Each Other's Anchors in 'Criminal Minds'

Morgan and Garcia's relationship is a classic office romance, minus the romance. While it's unconventional for the workplace (the two even become the unwitting subjects of a workplace harassment seminar in the show's ninth season), their jobs necessitate this type of relationship. While investigating strings of brutal murders and assaults, Morgan and Garcia are each other's outlet for silliness, a reason to smile in the face of near-constant horror. Their relationship is also responsible for some of Criminal Minds’ biggest laughs (the “talk dirty to me” speakerphone scene, anyone?) and provides much-needed catharsis in a series that ritually showcases the underbelly of humanity.

While often played for laughs, Morgan and Garcia's relationship is also a source of deep vulnerability. They are vital to one another, and the two often find strength in each other’s love and protection. When Garcia is attacked by a gunman in the third season episode "Penelope," Morgan refuses to leave herside until her attacker is caught, and acts as her personal bodyguard. In Season 4's "Mayhem," while Morgan races against the clock to dispose of a bomb, it's Garcia who calms him down and talks him through the ordeal, and after escaping the bomb's blast radius, Morgan calls Garcia his "god given solace."

Morgan and Garcia's Relationship Is Beloved for a Reason

It's the lack of romance between Morgan and Garcia that causes their relationship to thrive. Despite a few jokes, there's no "will they, won't they" aspect to the relationship, just a constant and enduring love. There is a tenderness between the two of them that transcends romance, a deeply platonic love that endures even after departures from the series. Criminal Minds fans were heartbroken at the announcement of Shemar Moore's departure from the show in 2016, resulting in the split of their favorite on-screen duo. However, none were more devastated than Morgan and Garcia themselves, and their tearful goodbye in Season 11's "A Beautiful Disaster" remains one of the show's most tear-jerking moments.

Years after Criminal Minds' final episode, Morgan and Garcia remain a fan-favorite pairing. The show's reboot, Criminal Minds: Evolution, couldn't resist callbacks to the two's relationship, with the showrunner even recently addressing Moore's possible return to the series. The love, chemistry, and endless flirtation between the two are simply unmatched, and together, through a series of off-color jokes and touching vulnerability, Garcia and Morgan prove that Criminal Minds' best relationship does not need to be romantic to be true love.

Criminal Minds is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Watch on Paramount+