Viewers are getting at least two more seasons of NCIS on CBS, and there will be no shortage of new faces when Season 14 arrives. The cast, which said goodbye to Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo in the last finale, is growing by one more with the addition of TV vet Jennifer Esposito, who will take on a major role when the highly popular drama returns.
As you probably expected, Esposito isn't joining the NCIS team as a mousy wallflower who doesn't add much to the proceedings, as that would be a waste. As Special Agent Alexandra "Alex" Quinn, she will play a former field agent who gets drawn back into that line of duty by Gibbs, who knows her talents will shine there much more than at her current gig as an instructor in the Law Enforcement Training Center. She's got brains that can deduce on a dime, along with other necessities to kick it as a federal agent, and we should expect her to draw some laughs as well with a razor wit.
Jennifer Esposito always delivers, and she's been all over TV for quite a while, having transitioned from a more feature-heavy career a little over a decade ago. (The great Spin City being her first big small screen role.) In recent years, she won over audiences on CBS' Blue Bloods, ABC's Mistresses, and Showtime's The Affair; one of her early roles was also for CBS, for a recurring stint on Judging Amy. There's no doubt she's going to be a standout when she makes her debut on NCIS' Season 14 premiere.
It's hard to underplay the effect that Michael Weatherly's absence could have on this show, at least as far as longtime viewers' feelings go. But they'll have more people to get to know as those feelings process themselves, with the biggest addition to the cast prior to Esposito was former That 70s Show actor Wilmer Valderrama, who will play a field agent who returns from a deep cover assignment after many had assumed him dead or caught. Plus, British actor Duane Henry is set to return as the late-season addition Clayton Reeves, an MI6 officer. I wouldn't be surprised if we got at least one more recurring cast member added before the season starts.
NCIS Season 14 is scheduled to debut on CBS on Tuesday, September 20, at 8 p.m. ET, just before Michael Weatherly's new drama Bull. That's network genius right there. To see everything else hitting the airwaves this fall, check out our TV premiere schedule.
