Now in its 18th season, NCIS has featured untold numbers of guest roles for all kinds of actors at varying stages of their careers, from Star Wars vet Billy Dee Williams to Unbelievable's Merritt Wever to the Arrowverse's David Ramsey. Yet somehow, audience were never granted with a guest spot from star Mark Harmon's real-world wife Pam Dawber, of Mork & Mindy and My Sister Sam fame. Until now! Or, more specifically, until April 6!
With her most recent acting role having been for CBS' The Odd Couple back in 2016, Pam Dawber is confirmed to be taking on a new NCIS character that will show up during the April 6 episode. According to EW, Dawber's character will be named Marcie Warren, and she'll serve as a veteran investigative journalist whose practicality, charisma and sharp wit are her tools in bringing justice to society. No signs yet on exactly how she will cross paths with Gibbs & Co., but it might involve a fairly large case.
NCIS fans can take comfort in knowing Pam Dawber's P.I. Marcie won't be meeting a dark fate at the end of that April 6 installment. The actress is currently locked into the role for four episodes. So while she could theoretically reach a dead end by that fourth episode's conclusion, I'm already hoping her arc allows for future returns, assuming NCIS comes back for Season 19, with or without Mark Harmon maintaining his series regular status. After all these recent character deaths, it would be nice to have the show set up someone to return for a change.
Here's a first look at Pam Dawber below:
As the titular Mindy McConnell in the classic sitcom Mork & Mindy, Pam Dawber was a TV sweetheart opposite Robin Williams for four seasons, and also reprised the role in animated form for that weirdo team-up series with Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days' Fonz. She went on to star for two seasons n the late '80s in the sitcom My Sister Sam, and later took on memorable roles in projects such as Stay Tuned and 101 Dalmatians: The Series, and she notably reconnected with Williams in 2014 for his final TV series The Crazy Ones. In all those years, though, she never once popped up on NCIS, but that will thankfully soon change.
At this time, it's unknown if Mark Harmon will extend his NCIS contract into Season 19 and beyond, but with the way things went in the recent episode, it appears as if the writers are potentially setting up his exit. How amusing would it be if Harmon left and his wife's new character slid into the lead role?
NCIS airs Tuesday nights on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET, with NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans keeping the franchise alive on Sunday nights. Hopefully we'll hear something more about the proposed NCIS: Hawaii spinoff before Scott Bakula & Co. say farewell when NCIS: NOLA bows out after this season.
