Aisha Tyler talks where we find Tara Lewis in Criminal Minds: Evolution

Everyone handled the pandemic differently. How did Tara Lewis handle it, and where do we find her in Criminal Minds: Evolution? Aisha Tyler shares all.

The time is almost here. The Criminal Minds: Evolution premiere drops this week, and we’re ready to see where we find the characters. They’ve all been through the pandemic, just like the rest of us, and we know that means they’ll all be affected in some way.

Where do we find Tara Lewis when we start the series? What was it like for Aisha Tyler to have the back and forth over whether the Criminal Minds revival was going to happen or not? We sat down with Tyler to discuss it all in this exclusive interview.

Where will we find Tara in Criminal Minds: Evolution?

We started the interview talking about the back and forth with whether the revival was going to happen or not. That couldn’t have been easy for the actors, but it is exciting coming back with people you already love working with.

"“We finished the show in the spring of 2019 and almost immediately we were talking about it coming back…With COVID, we were waiting patiently…It was just as delightful as we thought it would be.”"

While the actors themselves have been through the pandemic and gotten to (almost?) the other side, so have the characters. Not all the characters have fared so well with the pandemic. Where do we find Tara at the start?

"“The pandemic has affected the BAU in the way it’s affected a lot of people. The office has been shut down, the agents have had to do a lot more with a lot less. Tara has been working in the field. She’s been sleeping in motels and in her car. She’s been working out of her drunk and eating in diners. It’s been isolating, but also, it’s intensified her devotion to the work.”"

It certainly sounds like she’d get along very well with a certain two brothers in that show with monsters and ghouls that went on for just as long as the original Criminal Minds series. You know the one I’m talking about.

With a 10-episode story arc instead of procedural episodes, it offers a chance to delve further into some of the characters. We don’t know Tara as well as the others. Is that changing with this season?

"“I think people are really going to find a deeper connection with Tara. She’s in a relationship people are going to watch her explore. She’s much more emotionally affected by the work and the sacrifices she’s making.”"

The fact that the series has moved to a streaming service means more time. There aren’t the restrictions of hour-long dramas needing time for commercials, which means an “hour-long drama” means that it is actually an hour long instead of just 42 minutes. That certainly allows for more time with the characters and to explore who they are outside of the case.

Take a look at the full interview with Aisha Tyler below:

Criminal Minds: Evolution premieres on Thursday, Nov. 24 on Paramount+.