How the Weekly Numbers All Add Up

• Oct 4, 2007 05:09 PM ET
• by Nic Wegener

And we're off! Season 3 has officially started. The start of the season is always a very interesting time. As I stated in my first blog, in our minds we're in the middle of the season. Just yesterday, an outline came down for the 14th episode. And we're currently filming Episode 9.

In the first few weeks of the season, it seems everyone is very interested in the ratings. There are preliminary numbers waiting for us when we arrive the morning after our airing, and then final numbers come down at lunch. It's almost like aliens landing on earth and looking into a time capsule. We get to see what America thought of an episode we shot many months ago. We have a white board up in the office and the writers' PA Mark has them all up and waiting for us.

One of the reasons the first week is so weird is that we see how many people tune in for new shows. So many factors come into play. Obviously a big factor is promotion. No one has seen the new shows and have only small minute-long promotions to determine if they will watch or not. Now we get to see who will return to watch these programs this week. Our season premiere finished fourth on the night behind CSI: NY and two new shows. We were very happy with this finish. Despite all the new, flashy options, our core following was still there. We will build upon this.

When we started two years ago, we were not heavily promoted. We built our viewership on intriguing episodes and a strong show identity. Our first episode was unique for us in that it had a classic Criminal Minds case as well as a lot of twists and turns in our characters' lives. This week everyone will be very excited to see how the team rallies. Gideon [played by Mandy Patinkin] has distanced himself from the team, but for whom has he left his letter? Is Hotch's job on the line? And what is Prentiss' role in all this? Week 2 answered these questions.

I went on a few Web boards to see how fans reacted to the episode (yeah! it was all favorable!). It was funny because I had to really search for these forums as it is something the writing staff doesn't typically read. We're in our own little world. I was shocked to read the comments. Many of them sounded like they were right out of the Writers Room. I realized that is what makes this show so great. The writers and the fans both care about the characters and the integrity of the show more than anything else. Just as the viewers tune in each week to enter the world of the BAU, our writers enter that world each time they pen an episode. They filter out their lives and enter the world of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit.

In writing for network television, there is a pressure to make episodes that seem shocking - stunts that pull in new viewers. But often in our office, the main concern is keeping the integrity of the show. What makes our show great? What makes every episode of Criminal Minds strong? What do our fans, the Criminal Minds viewers, tune in to see? When ideas come up that run contrary to this, you hear writers say things like, "That's not our show." I think back to the beginning of the summer when the writers returned from vacation. They sat down and looked back at the last season. They picked their favorite episodes and discussed what made them so great. They discussed the unsubs and the psychology behind the profiling. They talked about the members of the BAU and getting deeper into their lives. They spoke to real FBI agents about story ideas and the lives of profilers.

The BAU is a family. They spend so much of their lives with each other. Their relationships resemble those of siblings, parents, friends. Right now, the family is in a state of unrest. One patriarch is close to the edge. The other is being pushed out of the unit. The "children" are going to have to work without much of the leadership we've seen over the last two seasons. With that comes new understanding, new responsibilities... new family members. It is only going to make them stronger. But as always, for the BAU to thrive, they must work as a team. And they are about to come together over some of the most interesting cases you've ever seen.

On that summer day a few months ago, after the writers discussed last season at length, they redirected their gaze to this season. There was no pause. They were off and running. Each writer came to the table excited. Their ideas filled many of the white boards that line the walls of the Writers Room. Much like the fans that filled the forums I read today, they were excited for the possibilities of another year in the BAU with all new dynamics. The cases are more complex. The team members are going to have to deal with each other in all new ways. But the heart of the show is very much intact. It's all about to take off this season. The only question whether if you're ready....