‘Criminal Minds’ season 12 officially makes Aisha Tyler series regular

This is something that we were long hoping to see happen with “Criminal Minds,” and it’s now finally official: Aisha Tyler is a series regular for the upcoming 12th season of the show.

It was confirmed earlier today that Tyler was promoted to series regular for her role as Dr. Tara Lewis, which she originated during an arc back during the 11th season as a way to help fill in for AJ Cook during her maternity leave. We’re not sure it was ever envisioned to last this long, but the truth is that Tyler was so great on the show and in this role that it was hard to justify ever sending her away.

The only reason we ever wondered whether or not this move would happen is because of the actress’ own busy schedule, which includes gigs on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” for The CW, “The Talk” for CBS, a podcast, and some other ventures. This is also a show that has rather long hours, but at least it’s located in the Los Angeles area just like everything else she does. This minimizes travel time and makes it all a little bit easier.

Tyler is one of two new confirmed regulars for the season, as Adam Rodriguez is also joining the show in this capacity. We’ve learned that his character is one of the people responsible for rounding up various UnSubs following their escape from prison at the end of last season. Paget Brewster, formerly a regular on the show, will also return for an arc.

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