Season 11 of "Criminal Minds" will kick off with a bang Wednesday night!

Although A.J. Cook's character JJ will be on maternity leave for the beginning of the season, fans can expect to see her make a cameo with her new baby in the season premiere. Viewers can also look forward to the introduction of a new member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

Earlier this year, executive producer Erica Messer announced that Cook was taking a temporary leave of absence and will be missing in action during the first couple of episodes of Season 11. However, not only will the actress make a cameo in the Season 11 premiere, but she will also debut her real-life newborn son.

"You'll get to meet A.J.'s real little baby, Phoenix. Like what she did with Mekhai [playing JJ's first son Henry], she's having her actual child play JJ's child. His name is Michael," executive producer Erica Messer told TVGuide.com about Cook's new baby, who was born in July. "Henry and Michael. Her whole family will be TV stars."

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Messer explained why Cook will not return to the show until the seventh episode.

"We are going to be able to see her in the first episode with her little baby and we're going to have her be on maternity leave for the first six episodes of the season. We wanted to play the reality of this is what happens when people have babies in the workplace. They don't come back the next day," said the showrunner. "We're playing that reality and we'll even get to see AJ's actual baby, which is something she did the first time when she had her first son. It's truly a family affair."

In the interim of Cook's absence, veteran actress Aisha Tyler will be introduced as the newest BAU team member. Tyler will play the reccurring role of a forensic psychologist named Dr. Tara Lewis, who will bring an entirely new element to the police drama, teased Messer.

"She's a forensic psychologist whose expertise has been studying and interviewing serial killers once they've been caught to see if they are able to stand trial. It's a different skill set than our team in the field touching these guys, but she's up of the challenge for that and really excited to join the best unit out there," Messer told THR.

"For those six episodes that AJ is gone and JJ is on maternity leave, Aisha will be our female in the fold with the team and helping them solve the cases. We love her so much that we're hoping to extend her stay with us. The deal is not totally done yet so I can't really talk about it but we are hoping to have her in quite a few more episodes this season, not just the initial six."

Messer added that the season's over-arching theme will focus on "organized bad guys" that get a leg up on the BAU.

CBS released a sneak peek from the premiere, titled "The Job," showing Tyler's character, Dr. Tara Lewis, and her impressive background.

Season 11 of "Criminal Minds" will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS.

Watch a sneak peek below.