Major changes are in store for NCIS when Season 14 premieres this fall. Michael Weatherly's departure after thirteen years as Tony DiNozzo means that there will be a void in the series, and a handful of new characters will be introduced to try to fill it. Now we know just how the show will go about introducing the new characters for the next chapter of NCIS action. Here's the official CBS logline of what to expect of the new faces in Season 14:
This NCIS team investigates a deadly car explosion in D.C. that connects to NCIS Special Agent Nicholas "Nick" Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), who disappeared six months ago while on a deep undercover assignment in Argentina. Also, Gibbs asks NCIS Special Agent Alexandra "Alex" Quinn (Jennifer Esposito) to shadow his team after rejecting eight agents she instructed and referred for the open position, on the 14th season premiere of NCIS.
Early reports indicated that Nick Torres would be something of a wild card whose presence seems to raise the odds of even more explosions and gunfights than usual. The description of his role in the premiere certainly sounds like the NCIS team won't have an easy time getting a fix on him. They should have their hands full trying to figure out how much he should be trusted after going off the radar while deep undercover. He wouldn't be the first law enforcement officer to lose himself undercover, and a connection to a deadly car explosion on U.S. soil probably won't endear him to Gibbs and company.
Alex Quinn has been described as a brilliant former field agent who moved on to a gig as an instructor in the Law Enforcement Training Center. Her experiences in the field will have given her a good eye for the best of the best recruits, so it should be expected that she's mad her picks to join them are being rejected.
The biggest problem with Quinn's new recruits may just be that none of them are Tony DiNozzo. It looks like the NCIS team could be having as much trouble moving on without Tony DiNozzo as fans may have moving on without Michael Weatherly. The process of trying to replace DiNozzo doesn't sound like much fun for Gibbs or any of his agents, but it should work out well for viewers. Jennifer Esposito will likely be a killer addition to the show moving forward.
All in all, NCIS seems to be going to great lengths to introduce the two new characters in a way that could compensate for Tony DiNozzo's absence, and kick off Season 14 in a most exciting way. The show's two-season renewal already meant that we might be in for some of the most well-crafted plots for the existing characters; now it looks like we should be optimistic about what's ahead for the new characters as well.
NCIS returns to CBS on Tuesday, September 20 at 8 p.m. ET. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see when your other favorites will be back in the near future.
