The shows that manage to stay on the air the longest are the ones that are able to reinvent themselves whenever necessary. The CBS drama NCIS - originally a spinoff of the long-running JAG - is currently going strong in Season 13, so much so that a fourteenth batch of episodes is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Even though the show has hung on to key members of its cast for the entire run so far, news of a new cast member in Season 14 sounds pretty good, and from the character description, it sounds like Tess should change things up in an exciting way.
The character Tess will be an FBI Special Agent in her late 30s who has recently transferred to Washington D.C. from New York City’s Counter-Terrorism Unit. She's described as a woman who is "two parts bulldog and one part kitten," according to TVLine. She’ll be quick-witted, sarcastic and smart to boot. Sleep and sex are overrated to Tess, whereas a good martini and bacon cheeseburger certainly are not.
As if those details aren’t enough, Tess has already had her history mapped out. She is a three-time divorcee of husbands who could not keep up with her life and work. With no children of her own, Tess is content acting as a sort of den mother to any coworker who needs a shoulder to lean on. Still, making her angry never ends well for anybody, even her superiors.
Tess will be introduced in time for the Season 13 finale to set up her character arc for Season 14. The show is looking for a “name” actress to tackle the role. Considering how many details have already been set up for her, we can probably count on Tess being a major character in the future of NCIS.
Of course, even if so many details of character description hadn’t been released, new characters having major roles would be a safe assumption. Longtime cast member Michael Weatherly will be leaving NCIS before Season 14; no doubt Tess will be used to fill the vacuum after the departure of Weatherley’s Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Tess will have some help stepping in to fill Weatherly’s shoes from a second character who will be introduced at some point. Details about her fellow newcomer have been scarce so far, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on the future of NCIS.
NCIS airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. For a look at when all of your other favorite shows will be hitting the airwaves in early 2016, check out our list of midseason TV premiere dates.
