Aisha Tyler Has A Cool New Role

Criminal Minds is getting a brand new addition to the BAU, and there's plenty of reason to get excited about this. Aisha Tyler will join Season 11 of Criminal Minds , and her new role is definitely an intense one. According to Entertainment Weekly, Tyler will have a recurring role as Dr. Tara Lewis, a psychologist who will take over for Kate Callahan (Jennifer Love Hewitt), the agent who departed the show after Season 10. According to Entertainment Weekly, Lewis studies psychopaths and examines their behavior in order to weigh in on whether they are fit to stand trial, which means that, like the rest of the BAU, Lewis has an eye for analyzing behavioral patterns of criminals and killers. One thing's for sure: we're about to see Tyler in a completely different element.

Though Tyler has had a prolific career, she is perhaps best known for her work in comedy. Tyler has voiced Lana on Archer since 2009, guest starred on sitcoms like Modern Family and Friends, and hosted series like Talk Soup and the recent reincarnation of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, so a police procedural like Criminal Minds is fairly unexpected career move. Not that Tyler doesn't have plenty of experience in drama — in addition to her lighter fare, she's also had recurring roles on series like 24, CSI, and Ghost Whisperer, the last of which starred Hewitt. Tyler has definitely branded herself as a comedian in recent years, and it's exciting to see her take on a role that's slightly unexpected.

Now the real question: will Tyler stay on Criminal Minds past Season 11? Given the recent history of actresses on the series, I'm not so sure her time will be permanent. Hewitt left after just one season on the show after replacing Jeanne Tripplehorn, who stuck around for a mere two seasons. Given that Tyler's role will fill in for Hewitt as well as A.J. Cook, who will be on maternity leave for several episodes, there's a chance that her arc may be even shorter than Hewitt's or Tripplehorn. Tyler's stay might not be permanent, but given the actress' strong career, I hope her character brings something particularly memorable to the table.