Is Criminal Minds: Evolution finally giving Tara the story she’s always deserved? Here’s what we think

For years, Criminal Minds: Evolution has given us deeply complex characters with deep backstories, and not all of them have gotten equal opportunities to shine. Tara Lewis, played by Aisha Tyler since Season 11, has too often been ignored even with her deep psychological insights and sharp fieldwork. With the new Criminal Minds: Evolution taking over where character development is concerned, each fan is asking themselves, is the show finally ready to promote Tara out of the support act?

And with the series making a shift to a new tone and a darker, more realistic approach to narrative, Tara's onscreen time has significantly increased. From walking through the minefield of personal relationships to standing up for her through the BAU's toughest cases, her character is finally being developed in ways that previous seasons hardly even tried. The shift isn't superficial—something feels intentional. And while it's too early to say if this path will be completely gratifying, there's no denying that Criminal Minds: Evolution is opening up new possibilities for her.

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A change of course in Criminal Minds: Evolution: Tara's role re-emerges

Tara Lewis seems more engaged and emotionally richer in Criminal Minds: Evolution. While the Behavioral Analysis Unit struggles with its best-organized and most technologically sophisticated killers to date, Tara is not just shown conducting investigations but also probing inner weakness. This is a change from seasons before, when her character was always pushed to the periphery for a less-talented colleague in forensic psychology.

In a particularly interesting turn of events, her storyline in the latest season brings elements from her actual life into play, namely romantic issues and emotional consequences as a result of some of her past traumas. These serve to establish a more complete picture of Tara the character, beyond and above BAU credentials.

To Aisha Tyler, this is the most time that has ever been devoted to exploring Tara's pain and strength in depth, which suggests the writers are finally creating room for her to grow.

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Representation beyond the surface in Criminal Minds: Evolution

Tara Lewis's character also exists in the space of multiple representations: she is a Black woman, a senior federal agent, and a clinical psychologist. TV of yesteryear has commonly relied on tokenism without necessarily bringing such characters into being. In this relaunch, however, Criminal Minds: Evolution seems more mindful of building its cast to be full of depth, with Tara's past and personality now being integrated into the show in significant ways.

Tyler also said that previously, the show was all about being "internal" and featured Tara demonstrating control, intelligence, and dependability. Now, however, all of those layers are coming off. Instead of being just the rational mind at crime scenes, Tara is in disarray internally and demonstrating emotional complexity—traits previously reserved for males playing such roles.

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Why this matters to the show's direction

The development of Tara's arc is concurrent with Criminal Minds' reshaping of its storytelling paradigm. Gone are the days when the show followed the episodic structure; now, there is serialized storytelling. This is the perfect use of character arcs over time, which would be appropriate for underdeveloped characters such as Tara. Her appearances are no longer incidental or random; she's a part of the core.

This shift is in line with the larger goals of the show in providing a deeper look at the inner lives of each profiler. It is a directorial choice that serves to put their actions and reactions in dramatic, high-stakes scenarios. For Tara, that is to transition from a stable presence to a character of multiple motivations and emotional stakes.

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Still room for growth in Criminal Minds: Evolution

While there's certainly forward progression, it's not limitless. Tara's character plot still lags behind those of established characters such as Rossi or Prentiss. There's potential for more introspection about her history, her life before the BAU, and the long-term effects of investigating traumatic cases. The current arc is promising, but it's only a start.

Aisha Tyler has stated that portraying Tara on Criminal Minds: Evolution is now "artistically rewarding" than ever, suggesting that the character is finally receiving the complexity that it deserves. Whether that's something that the show is going to carry on doing with any degree of consistency for the remainder of the episodes is yet to be determined.

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Overall, Criminal Minds: Evolution is definitely heading in the right direction to establish Tara Lewis as a more well-rounded character. The increased involvement of the character in dramatic storylines, combined with a more refined narrative format, seems to assure that the show has, finally, come close to bringing out her full potential.

Whether or not this is a shift for the long term or an interim high point, however, remains to be seen—only time and upcoming episodes can tell.

Also read: Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 release schedule - When do new episodes of the police procedural drop?