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Inside Jennifer Love Hewitt's 'Criminal Minds' Debut

The former Client List star made her debut on CBS's Criminal Minds Wednesday night as Kate Callahan, a seasoned FBI agent with a knack for undercover work who in the premiere episode goes from interviewee to team member in a blink of an eye.

"She's got a lot of Jennifer to her, and she's a great asset to the team," executive producer Erica Messer told Mashable. "And she has undercover experience that our team hasn't had; it's a skill set that's specific and different."

But adding Hewitt's character to the team at the Behavioral Analysis Unit — as with any new addition — took much care, as you'll see below in an exclusive look inside the Criminal Mindswriting process.

In the [above] script pages, writers Breen Frazier and Rick Dunkle and Messer walk us through crafting Hewitt's debut. (Click the pictures to enlarge.)

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Got anything on Criminal Minds?  — Janice

Remember The Replicator from Season 8? Don't worry — he's not returning, but Season 10 will feature another long-term unsub. Like The Replicator story line, it will be introduced at the end of the premiere. "You see that there is a bigger thing going on. It'll be a big case we touch on again midway through the season," executive producer Erica Messer tells us. And no, they don't have a nickname for him yet. "We have our own little shortcut in the [writers'] room, but we haven't landed on anything yet to put out there."

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CRIMINAL MINDS

The team's newest addition, Kate Callahan (played by The Client List's Jennifer Love Hewitt), will be introduced while she's working undercover on a case. “You see her doing something you don't see our team ever doing,” says executive producer Erica Messer. “[She has to] sit there and pretend to like a criminal.” Early episodes will touch on how the “traumatic” season finale shooting affected both Garcia and Reid “more than we know,” as well as shed light on what's new with Rossi and JJ. On the romantic front, it's BAU for the BAU, though that could change. “We need to figure out a few things with Morgan's girlfriend [Savannah] and Hotch's girlfriend [Beth],” says Messer, “and see how we'll explore those stories this year.”

BONUS SPOILER | Episode 3 is a "big" one, says Messer, as the team is called to the site of "one of the largest disasters with mass casualities they've seen in their 10-year history."

RETURN DATE | Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 9/10c (CBS)

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Will we find out what happened to Blake on Criminal Minds? — Mindy

Yes, and you won’t have to wait long to get the scoop. “You’ll learn in the teaser that she’s actually moved to Boston and she’s teaching full time,” executive producer Erica Messer tells me. “She’s not an FBI agent anymore, but she’s taking all of her skills and teaching them to others, which is a pretty honorable thing to do.”

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@iKimHarrison: Field trip to the Paramount Lot. #CriminalMinds #10x01 

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How does Jennifer Love Hewitt's character's get along with the rest of the BAU on Criminal Minds? — Evan

Pretty well actually -- in fact, many of them are in awe of her credentials. Specifically, she pairs up with Rossi for her first case, which involves an acrotomophiliac (gross!). Look for her to take charge, especially during the final showdown with the unsub. Although she may regret that decision later...

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Criminal Minds (CBS)

Premieres: Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 9/8c

Where We Left Off: After Reid got shot in the neck (and survived), Blake, in a panic, called him Ethan, the name of her previously unknown 9-year-old son who died of a mysterious neurological disease. After she dropped Reid off at his apartment and explained who Ethan was, Reid found her BAU credentials in his bag as he watched her hail a cab from his window.

What's Next: Jennifer Love Hewitt joins the show as Kate Callahan, Blake's replacement. Unlike Blake, who has transferred to Boston, Kate has no history with anyone on the team. "The idea is that they've been down an agent all summer [and] they've been interviewing a lot of people, and Hotch meets with her and says, 'You got the gig,'" executive producer Erica Messer tells us. "You're going to get to know her from the ground up and … she won't remain a mystery." Though the show is entering its 10th season, don't expect it to wax nostalgic and revisit old unsubs, like last year with The Reaper. "We're going to be moving on to new, fresh mythologies," Messer says.

[criminalmindsfeed]

First Look: Jennifer Love Hewitt Joins Criminal Minds

CBS's Criminal Minds gets some new blood this fall when Jennifer Love Hewitt joins the cast in the Oct. 1 premiere as agent Kate Callahan.

"Kate is smart, charming, and wise for her years," says executive producer Erica Messer. "Her background is criminal psychology, and her passion comes from wanting to make the world a safe place. She's had a lot of personal loss that makes her a patriot and a nurturing figure to those in her personal and work families."

Callahan, an eight-year FBI vet, is also an old pal of the BAU team and fits right in — just like Hewitt does on set. "The rapport feels like friends catching up," Messer says. "If feels like she's always been here."