One of the few scripted primetime series set to push its episode count past 300 installments, the CBS hit drama NCIS wants to mark this milestone by bringing in guest star Taye Diggs to take on an interesting and important role, and if part of you was hoping that music would be involved, you can start snapping your fingers already.
NCIS’ 300th episode is coming next month, and it will see Diggs playing Marine Gunnery Sergeant Aaron Davis, who has his Special Ops sniper career cut short after an ambush attack in Iraq leaves him with several horrifying injuries and PTSD. A formerly happy guy with supreme musical talents, Davis’ current state of mind is pretty fractured, having spent the past six months at the Walter Reed Medical Center, where he is going through a music therapy program that seems to be helping him slowly but surely.
So what does this have to do with the MCRT? Well, Gibbs shows up at the medical center to try and speak with Davis about the Iraqi ambush he was in, as it will hopefully lead to information needed to solve a murder. I’m guessing we’ll see some military-based TLC happening between these guys, with Gibbs somehow coaxing Davis out of his funk to rejoin the world with a perspective similar to the one he had before he was injured. All it takes to cure any mental injury is bringing a murderer to justice before the final credits, according to Dr. Television.
Taye Diggs is a solid choice for this part, since he got a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse University and spent many of his early acting years on the stage, both on Broadway and off, in productions such as Rent, Carousel and more. It’s not exactly clear if the actor will be doing any musical work or singing within the episode, but it seems likely, considering he was a specific choice for the part.
Though he initially flipped from the stage to the big screen, Taye Diggs has had a steady presence on TV since breaking out in the mid-1990s. His most notable stretch was on the medical drama Private Practice, but recent years have seen him take on a leading role in the TNT crime anthology Murder in the First (which is heading to Season 3 later this year), as well as appearances in shows such as Rosewood, New Girl and The Good Wife.
NCIS is losing Michael Weatherly’s Anthony DiNozzo, while a new character is set to be cast soon to fill in that gap. Maybe Gibbs and Davis will strike up a big enough connection that Diggs could return to the show in the future to put together an office musical as a fund raiser. That sounds a bit sitcom-ish, but it could work, right?
According to TVLine, Taye Diggs will make his NCIS debut on Tuesday, March 15, on CBS, and the show will kick Season 13 back into gear on Tuesday, February 9. Who do you guys think they’ll get for the 400th and 500th episodes?
