ACADEMY AWARD WINNER FOREST WHITAKER, JANEANE GAROFALO, MICHAEL KELLY, BEAU GARRETT, MATT RYAN AND KIRSTEN VANGSNESS STAR IN THE SERIES PREMIERE OF "CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR," WEDNESDAY, FEB. 16

Emmy Award Winner Richard Schiff ("The West Wing") Guest Stars as FBI Director Jack Fickler

"Two of a Kind" - Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Kelly, Beau Garrett, Matt Ryan and Kirsten Vangsness star in the series premiere of CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR, Wednesday, Feb. 16 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Emmy Award Winner Richard Schiff ("The West Wing") guest stars as FBI Director Jack Fickler.

In the premiere episode of the CRIMINAL MINDS spin-off, Cooper and his Red Cell team are called to Cleveland to investigate a series of child abductions.

CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR is a drama about an elite team of agents within the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) who use unconventional methods of investigation and aggressive tactics to capture the nation's most nefarious criminals. Unit chief Special Agent Sam Cooper is a mentally and physically fierce natural leader who is not afraid to put his career on the line in order to stand by his convictions. Cooper strives to avoid political bureaucracy and has handpicked an eclectic group of profilers to work outside the confines of Quantico. They include strong-willed and outspoken Beth Griffith, the newest member of the team who joins them from the FBI Threat Assessment Task Force; former British Special Forces soldier Mick Rawson, who is confident and handsome and works as a highly skilled marksman with an undiluted eye for rooting out evil; John "Prophet" Sims, a former convict with a street-smart edge and a calm, Zen-like presence who is determined to make amends for past sins; Gina LaSalle, an attractive, tough agent armed with a cunning sense of perception; and Penelope Garcia, a computer wizard who has spent years aiding Agent Hotchner and his BAU team on its toughest cases. This exceptional group of FBI operatives is strong in their beliefs and steadfast in their mission to bring the country's most dangerous criminals to justice.

SERIES REGULARS:

Sam Cooper........................... Forest Whitaker
Beth Griffith........................... Janeane Garofalo
John "Prophet" Sims................... Michael Kelly
Gina LaSalle................................ Beau Garrett
Mick Rawson.................................. Matt Ryan
Penelope Garcia.................. Kirsten Vangsness

GUEST STARS:

Jack Fickler............................... Richard Schiff
Davis Scofield......................... Raphael Sbarge
Jeanette Rawlins........................... Adina Porter
Molly Weller................................. Jolie Jenkins
Detective Rockwell.................. William Francis McGuire
Drew Leland.................. Thomas Vincent Kelly
Medical Examiner......................... Joe Ochman
Samantha Weller....................... Jade Pettyjohn
Connor Weller............... Charles Henry Wyson
Det. Trussman.................. Christopher Michael
Tim Weller................................ Mario Schugel
Aisha Rawlins......................... China Anderson
Recreation Center Worker........................... Deb Sullivan
Dion Cross............................... Marcus Brown
Janitor......................................... Jack Axelrod

DIRECTED BY: John Terlesky

WRITTEN BY: Rob Fresco

RATING: To Be Announced