In the tradition of CSI and NCIS, CBS is now spinning off another one of their biggest hits, Criminal Minds.

The new series will feature several new characters, including Cooper, the B-team’s leader, a middle-aged alpha male who’s as loyal to his team as he is sketchy about his past, Gina who escaped the mean streets of Baltimore, only to wind up being sent back to them as an undercover agent, Mick, the ex-British Special Forces operative, and Prophet, a born-again African-American ex-con who’s eager to clean the slate.

The starring role of Cooper has already been cast and  will be played by Forest Whitaker. It is also being reported that Beau Garrett (Entourage) has signed on to play the lead female role of Gina.

There is also a rumor that Rob Lowe will join the cast to play Whitaker’s second-in-command. CBS is denying the rumor, but ABC has confirmed he is leaving his current gig on Brothers and Sisters so we wouldn’t rule it out just yet.

The spin-off will center around this misfit team of profilers who operate outside the FBI bureaucracy. It begins filming this week in Los Angles and is set to kick off during Criminal Minds’s 18th episode of the season.