At Comic Con’s Fan Favorite panel on Thursday, Criminal Minds star Kirsten Vangsness made an exciting announcement. After returning to Criminal Minds for one episode last season, Paget Brewster, who plays fan favorite character Emily Prentiss, is returning to the show for multiple episodes in the upcoming season, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Vangsness also said that Aisha Tyler, who has a recurring role as Tara Lewis in the 11th season, is returning to the show for its upcoming season.
Showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer said “We’re excited to have Paget Brewster back for multiple episodes in our 12th season. The BAU can use more help this year since they’ve got a lot of known and unknown subjects to catch.”
Messer is referring to the cliffhanger from the season 11 finale, where there was a mass prison break, where many of the team’s unknown subjects were being held.
Upon the news of Brewster’s return, she took to Twitter to post a picture of her character’s Interpol badge and signature black boots.
Meanwhile, Tyler James Williams, star of Criminal Minds spinoff, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, said that both of the teams are going to work together in crossover episodes, similar to Beyond Borders‘ backdoor pilot in the 10th season of the flagship Criminal Minds show.
Brewster was a main cast member of the show from season two through season seven, with a brief absence towards the end of the show’s sixth season. She reappeared in the show’s 200th episode in February 2015 and also appeared in an episode in the 11th season following the departure of longtime cast member Shemar Moore in the episode prior to it.
Criminal Minds has already found its replacement for Moore, as Adam Rodriguez has been cast in new role and his character will be a regular for the upcoming season.
Brewster was most recently seen in the Fox comedy Grandfathered, which was canceled after one season.
Season 12 of Criminal Minds has already begun filming, as AJ Cook, who plays JJ, tweeted a picture of her and Rodriguez.
Criminal Minds returns for its 12th season on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9 p.m.