Criminal Minds Star Aisha Tyler Had A Recurring Role On Another Massively Popular Procedural

Aisha Tyler has been starring on "Criminal Minds" as Dr. Tara Lewis since 2015, but it wasn't her first crack at a procedural. Years earlier, Tyler had a recurring role on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000-2015). The first installment of the "CSI" universe," the series followed a group of crime scene investigators who utilized various technologies to aid their crime-fighting efforts and was inspired by an episode of a true crime series.

Tyler played the role of Mia Dickerson, a DNA lab tech who was adept at delivering quick results. Her first episode was Season 5, Episode 3, titled, "Harvest," which centered on the abduction of a young girl. Her second appearance was in "Swap Meet," in which the characters sought to uncover the murder of a woman who'd attended a spouse-swapping party. In total, Tyler appeared in 13 episodes, with "Grave Danger: Part 2" marking her final appearance.

While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Tyler revealed that she thought her pronunciation skills during her audition helped her land the role. "Actually, in my audition I had to say oxycodone and diazepam... and I think 50 percent of the reason I got the job was because I said those things right!" she said in the October 2004 interview (via CSI Files).

Although Aisha Tyler had mostly stuck to comedy work, including her recurring role on "Friends," at that point in her career, she was also excited to take a stab at the gritty drama when her "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" casting was announced, alongside a short arc on "24" (where she played the role of Marianne Taylor for seven episodes). "Both '24' and 'CSI' are great shows, and I'm a huge fan of both," Tyler said while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in 2004 (via Chicago Tribune). "It was an opportunity to do something very, very different because not only are they dramas, but the characters are very different from any characters I've played in the past," she continued.

That said, Tyler did have to get creative to help things flow smoothly. While appearing on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, she revealed that she auditioned for both series at the same time, and just so happened to have landed both. Although she joked that she was waiting for both shows to call and tell her they'd written her out, they accommodated her schedules. "Like, I'll do like couple of days at one, then I'll go to the other and back and forth, then I'll break down sobbing at the end of the week and drink a very large glass of wine," she said.