Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, affectionately known by his colleagues as Hotch (played by Thomas Gibson), is chief of the BAU team (Behavioral Analysis Unit) of the FBI in the series Criminal Minds. After the former prosecutor abandoned his profession as a lawyer and took on a job in Seattle in the local FBI field office, he was later appointed head of a BAU team.

Hotchner is a very loyal man who succeeds in keeping a cool head in crisis situations. To outsiders, Hotchner usually makes the impression of an aloof man who rarely smiles and almost even rarer tells something about his private life.

He has an initially strained relationship to his brother, Sean Hotch, because he turned down the opportunity to complete at Georgetown University law school. Instead, he prefered working as a cook in a good restaurant, which is incomprehensible to Hotch. This disagreement naturally led to differences that the brothers settled later on. The mother of the two attended the Mary Baldwin College in Staunton (Virginia) and their father was a prosecutor who died at age 47.

Aaron Hotchner is married to his high school sweetheart, Haley, with whom he has a son named Jack. Aaron met Haley in high school, when she was part of the theatre group. In order to be near her, Aaron also joined this theatre group, however, he was (in his own words) a lousy actor and his fourth pirate in one play was probably the worst performance of a fourth pirate that was ever performed.

Because of his work, Aaron Hotchner does not have as much time for his family as he would wish because, being on call may mean that he is torn from bed in the middle of the night by a phone call and possibly returns home only days after. Haley Hotchner’s husband takes part in dangerous missions and is often long gone from home, making the circumstances more and more unbearable for her.

Since Hotchner loves his job, he can accepts his wife's proposal of moving to a special unit for economic crimes. Even if he would have a lot more time for his wife and his son Jack in that unit, his work for the BAU is a kind of vocation for him. This ultimately leads to the fact that Haley separates from him and files for divorce.

Hotch, who loves both his wife and his son very much, can deal with the situation only very difficultly. The heartbreak suffered by the loss of the two is a consequence of his attempts to reconcile family and work, which failed miserably.

After the divorce, Hotch rarely has contact with his ex-wife, Haley. When he attracts the attention of the serial killer Reaper in a case, he threatens the Hotchner family. Then Haley and Jack are brought to a safe house and guarded by U.S. Marshalls. Hotchner is banned from contacting his ex-wife and son until the Reaper is arrested. He succeeds, however, to find the hiding place of the two and gains access to the house.

He contacts Hotchner by phone from there, who then makes his way to the house without informing his unit thereof. He is in constant phone contact with the Reaper. Before Hotchner arrives at the house, he becomes a phone witness to the murderer sending Haley and their son to his room and a shot by the Reaper.

A battle ensues between him and the Reaper when Hotchner arrives at the house, in the course of which his wife is murdered. Shortly after, his team also make it at the scene so that Hotchner and his son Jack may leave the house.

Section Cheif Erin Strauss offers Hotchner a leave of absence with full pay from the BAU to take care of his son as a single parent. Initially, Hotchner remains home with his son. After Haley's sister, Jessica, offers to care of Jack while his father pursues his profession, Hotchner returns to the unit after some time.

Hotchner is forced to pass the leadership of the team to Derek Morgan, who is responsible for it but only if the line is later taken over again by Aaron Hotchner.

You may find all episodes of the series Criminal Minds here.