According to a report from Ecumenical News, season 11 of "Criminal Minds" is reducing its total number of episodes to just 22 in order to lessen the blow due to its missing cast members. Also, a report from Entertainment Weekly stated that actress Aisha Tyler has been brought in to fill in the void left by Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Tyler will be playing Dr. Tara Lewis, a forensic psychologist that Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) determines is the best candidate to fill in Kate Callahan's (Jennifer Love Hewitt) position. She will be appearing throughout season 11 in a recurring role.
The report from EW describes Dr. Tara Lewis 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."
The report also cites that in the process, Dr. Lewis made herself discover the humanity inside these broken people in order to figure out if there is some type of conscience hidden behind the curtain of their "brutal crimes."
Hewitt decided to opt out of season 11 due to her pregnancy although there are talks of her coming back if the show gets renewed for future seasons. Her character was introduced in season 10 and had to bid farewell in the season finale as a means of giving closure to the character while keeping doors open for her return.
Actress AJ Cook also had to step out of season 11 due to pregnancy but, in her case, she decided to take maternity leave and will be coming back for the latter episodes.
Because these two main cast members won't be around for season 11, the show had to cut down its total number of episodes. Adding Tyler, however, will be a good remedy to keep the pace of the series moving forward without there being an empty void that the audience might feel.
Tyler previously voiced Lana Kane for "Archer" and also appeared in shows like "Two and a Half Men" and "Modern Family." She is mostly notable for co-hosting "The Talk."
"Criminal Minds" season 11 premieres this Sept. 30.
