With the departure of Jennifer Love Hewitt and the maternity leave of AJ Cook, Criminal Minds Season 11 was left with some wiggle room for new characters.

Enter Aisha Tyler and her character, Dr. Tara Lewis, a psychologist with an eye on forensic psychology and its application toward the criminal justice system, according to EW. 

When Criminal Minds returns, Aaron Hotchner will be interviewing new candidates to replace Kate Callahan (Love Hewitt), and Lewis will be the best candidate for the job.

Other information on the character is as follows: 

Her dream was to study psychopaths up close and personal – and her psychology background, combined with her experience in the FBI, brought her face-to-face with monsters. Her job was to stare them down and interview them, in order to determine if they were fit to stand trial. In the process, she made herself find the humanity inside these broken men (and, sometimes, women) in order to learn if there was a conscience behind their brutal crimes.

Interestingly, both Love Hewitt and Tyler worked together on Ghost Whisperer, so the connection between the actors is deeper than that of the characters. Tyler will continue to be a part of The Talk on CBS, as well as playing Lana Kane on Archer.

If you need to catch up on all of the latest comings and goings, you can watch Criminal Minds online via TV Fanatic!

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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.