Fear the Walking Dead season 7 casts ex-Friends star Aisha Tyler

Fear the Walking Dead has expanded its cast for season seven, with Criminal Minds and Friends star Aisha Tyler joining the universe.

Following the release of a brand new trailer for the spin-off's seventh season, Aisha can be seen in action in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it clip – but, believe it or not, this isn't the first time she's appeared in the Walking Dead universe.

That's because Aisha, who starred as Dr Charlie Wheeler in Friends, previously stepped behind the camera to direct an episode of Fear the Walking Dead.

fear the walking dead season 7, asha tyler

AMC

While the actress and presenter's role in Fear is currently a mystery, Aisha has spoken out about her directorial debut on the show, telling CBR shortly after her season six episode aired that she'd always been "a big fan of the Walking Dead universe".

"I was a big fan...and had been on Talking Dead several times, and was a fan of the comic books," she admitted. "When I had a podcast, I actually had several people from the universe on my show. I had Robert Kirkman on and Steven Yeun.

"I've always been a big, big fan of the show."

Reflecting on her off-screen Fear experience, Aisha added: "It was just a delightful process, a really creative process, really transformative to just bring in ideas... It was lovely to work with all these people."

NBCU Photo Bank//Getty Images

Aisha Tyler as Charlie Wheeler

There's no doubt Aisha will be thrilled to be a part of Fear the Walking Dead's seventh season – even if she is plunged into "a world devoid of light and hope".

Ahead of the new episodes' release, a plot for the upcoming season teased an important challenge ahead as the survivors decide what 'The Beginning' will look like.

"They'll have to do it in a world devoid of light and hope, where the outside air is just as deadly as the walkers they face. The survivors will find out who they really are and what they're really made of," the synopsis reads.

"Some will rise to the occasion, some will find new purpose, and some will redefine themselves – even if it comes at a terrible cost to those they once considered family."

Fear the Walking Dead airs on AMC in the US and on AMC UK in the UK.