The series doesn’t often go deep into its characters’ extended families, but when it does, it gets juicy.

That will likely be the case when “Criminal Minds” introduces one of the ex-wives of Agent David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), which will be played by Isabella Hofmann.

The actress and character will appear in the fifth episode of the show’s new season for a two-episode arc, which the show will take on after it explains the return of Prentiss (Paget Brewster) to the team.

“Criminal Minds” executive producer Erica Messer exclusively confirmed the hire to TVLine.com and describes the character as “The love of his life.”

Hofman, 52, is best known for her lead role in “Homicide: Life on the Street” as Megan Russert, as well as Meredith Cavanaugh on “Jag.”  She’s also made several guest starring appearances on TV, including roles on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “CSI: Miami,” “Ghost Whisperer,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Hofman has a son with actor Daniel Baldwin.

On “Criminal Minds” Rossi has three ex-wives, and Hofman will play the first. Over the past few seasons, several details about his life has emerged; Rossi was born in Long Island, New York, avoided a life of crime by joining the Marines, and is a Chicago Cubs fan. In a scene on “Criminal Minds,” Rossi was accused of being “over-dramatic,” which he responded by saying his ex-wife had a “flair for the dramatic.” Which one? “All of them” said Rossi.

The seventh season of “Criminal Minds” airs this fall, and will also see the return of Canadian actress AJ Cook as a full-time cast member, following her departure last year.

For fans looking to stay up-to-date on backstage peeks into the series, they should check out Mantegna’s own personal Twitter account, @JoeMantegna, where he routinely uploads photos from the set. Cook, who celebrated her 33rd birthday in July, also tweets via her account @ajcookofficial, while Thomas Gibson (Hotch) shows off his lighter side with his account @Gibsonthomas.

Full episodes of “Criminal Minds” are currently available online at CTV.ca.

About Tyrone Warner

Tyrone Warner has been with CTV.ca since 2005, covering news, entertainment and everything related to CTV. When he’s away from the computer, you can find him writing, recording and performing his own music, running his own record label and dabbling in photography, painting and creative collage. Follow him on Twitter!