LONG BEACH, California (AP) — The team from "Criminal Minds" is attempting to build a profile of an unknown suspect who must be stopped before he commits more heinous crimes.Gathered around a desk, the elite FBI squad's brains buzz and leap, their words flowing with clever ideas as they watch Web video and listen to a 911 call.

"We may be asking the wrong question," interjects team leader Jason Gideon, cutting into the combined thought processes of agents Aaron Hotchner, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Dr. Spencer Reid, and Jennifer (JJ) Jareau.

The disparate team, headed by Mandy Patinkin's Gideon, a brilliant behaviourist, also includes computer whiz and fashion freak Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). Her appeal, coupled with the public's fascination with murder, mayhem and serial killers, has made the CBS series a smash hit in its second season.

The show's regular time slot is Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Bermuda time. But the network is giving the series an added push, airing an episode titled "The Big Game" in the coveted post-Super Bowl slot on Sunday, February 4.

"It's completely shocking, because I had no idea anyone was considering us (for the slot). It's the most incredible opportunity I've ever had. I'm also a Chicago Bears fan, so it may be the greatest single day of my life," enthuses executive producer Ed Bernero.

Although most of the cast registers some degree of excitement about the high-profile air date, Bernero stresses the special episode won't differ too much from the norm.

He defines that norm as "telling stories that are Arthurian in nature. ... We have someone in distress, a team meets at a round table, is called to adventure, and goes out to battle monsters."

The monster on this episode appears to be someone who is streaming viral video of a ghastly crime. James Van Der Beek (once Dawson Leery of "Dawson's Creek") is the guest villain. Or so it appears.

"Criminal Minds" is very clever with its multiple themes and plot twists, so he could turn out to be not at all what he seems, or even just a red herring in the story line about the murder of a wealthy couple after a Super Bowl party.

For a series that often deals in gruesome gore, there's considerable levity on the set. Shermar Moore, the ensemble's glamor guy who portrays Morgan, finds plenty of time to do his flirtatious thing as the ensemble teases each other through the numerous takes needed when pre-produced video and computer imagery are woven into a scene.

Bernero's just been told by director Gloria Muzio — amicably but pointedly — that she's not happy with the style, size and colour of the pre-produced material.

Sometimes the writers don't realise the difficulties they've created, says Muzio. But, he cheerfully adds, "If it all comes together on paper, it all comes together. It's just sometimes tedious."

Although the profiling team travels all over the country on the trail of serial killers, all filming takes place in and around Los Angeles.

"The hardest thing to find for this episode was a corn field," says Bernero.

An abandoned newspaper building in Long Beach, standing in for the FBI's Atlanta office, is the location for scenes for the post-Super Bowl episode.

Most of the cast are sanguine about the show's bloody content.

Thomas Gibson, who was Greg of "Dharma & Greg" and now plays Agent Hotchner, speaks of his own interest in crime stories. "This kind of material is fascinating to all of us, because right down the street from us is that mild-mannered guy who spends too much time in the basement and turns out to be the serial killer."

Matthew Gray Gubler, who plays clever but technically challenged Agent Reid, points out that in the series' second season the clearly established camaraderie between members of the profiling team has allowed for some jokes to creep into the serious story lines. "You need humour to really sell drama," he says. "I know Hitchcock was a believer in that."

But Patinkin, whose previous TV roles include Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on "Chicago Hope", is uneasy. "It's a difficult show to talk about," the intense actor says. "It's so dark."