On July 1, it was announced that Jennifer Love Hewitt will be joining Criminal Minds as a series regular. It was revealed that Hewitt will be joining the Behavioural Analysis Unit.

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It seems like Hewitt's star power will more than compensate for the void left by the exit of Jeanne Tripplehorn's character, Dr. Alex, who was a fixture on the show. Hewitt's character Kate Callahan will be an undercover agent.

Erica Messer, the executive producer of the show, spoke about how excited they were about having Hewitt come on board in a statement.

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"We're thrilled to introduce a new special agent by adding the very talented Jennifer Love Hewitt to our amazing cast," Messer said. "Many of us on the show have enjoyed working with her over the years and look forward to again."

Hewitt has worked with CBS before, as she starred in Ghost Whisperer. More recently Hewitt featured in two seasons of The Client.

In May, Messer was asked about finding a suitable replacement for Dr. Alex and the producer had suggested that they weren't even sure if they wanted to bring someone new in.

"After the summer break, we can all talk about that and what it might be and the wish list and all that," she said. "Or maybe the show will continue on with six members. That is a big discussion with a lot of people that we'll have soon."

The second and final part of the finale, Demons, aired on Wednesday, May 14 on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Season 10 will premiere on CBS on October 1.

Watch the preview for Demons:

Tags: Criminal Minds Jennifer Love Hewitt CBS television