The fourth season of NCIS: New Orleans saw some significant changes to the status quo with the departure of Shalita Grant as Sonja Percy, and the finale ended with Pride shot in the chest no fewer than three times and LaSalle pulled in two directions with the reveal that there's more going on with his family company than he knew. The team is going to need some help to fill in the blanks, and we now know how NCIS: New Orleans intends to do it. The show is adding a new character who will be a series regular and could mix things up in some exciting ways.
NCIS: New Orleans is adding a new member to the team. The show is searching for the right actress to play a female agent in her 30s who hasn't actually been based out of the United States for a while. While she has been enjoying a career of overseas assignments with a variety of different coworkers, she's ready for something different.
This character wants to settle into one place and lay some roots, and New Orleans will apparently be the place for those roots. Her name has not been released just yet, and there is no news on actresses being considered for the part, but the role should be a juicy one. The character has a background in counterterrorism and international counterintelligence, to name just a couple of her areas of expertise. TVLine reports that this character will be a series regular, so we have to hope that NCIS: New Orleans finds the perfect actress.
Given that LaSalle will presumably be back full-time despite his family company's issues and we can be pretty confident that Season 5 won't open with Pride's funeral, this character really seems to be the replacement for Percy. If that's the case, it should be interesting to see how NCIS: New Orleans develops the dynamic between her and LaSalle. She'll have to fit into the whole ensemble, but Percy had a special dynamic with LaSalle, and comparisons will be inevitable. We'll have to wait and see.
It's possible that NCIS: New Orleans will feel different in Season 5 for more reasons than just the addition of a new character to the team. Back in December 2017, reports surfaced that showrunner Brad Kern had been accused of serious misconduct behind-the-scenes. In May, Kern was replaced as showrunner by executive producer Chris Silber. Then, in June, news broke that CBS actually renewed their contract with Kern, keeping him on board the show as a "consulting producer." Silber is still showrunner, but Kern is around, and he's being investigated again.
We'll find out when Pride and Co. are back in action in the 2018-2019 TV season. NCIS: New Orleans will return to CBS on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET in the fall. For what you can watch to pass the time in the warmer months, check out our summer TV premiere guide.
