Wilmer Valderrama Is A Mainstay On NCIS These Days, But Apparently It Only Happened After He Turned Down One Of The Franchise's Spinoffs

For eight seasons now, Wilmer Valderrama has starred on NCIS as Special Agent Nick Torres, and he's continuing to do so on the 2025 TV schedule. Between his more than complicated backstory, his rebelliousness and his work-related relationship, Nick has certainly kept fans on the edge of their seats over the years. While he is a mainstay on the long-running procedural, and it would be hard to imagine the show without him, it actually came after he turned down another NCIS show.

Valderrama joined NCIS in 2016, but evidently it was not the first series in the franchise that he came across. The actor spoke at an author event in Ohio to promote his memoir Am American Story: Everybody’s Invited. He got to talking about his time on NCIS and admitted (via CantonRep.com) that he once turned down NCIS: Los Angeles. Although he shared that the spinoff is a “beautiful” show, Valderrama said:

It’s unclear when Valderrama turned down the series and what role it could have been for. NCIS: LA premiered in 2009, so he could have been offered any number of roles, whether a main one or recurring. It is funny knowing that he would end up joining the mothership series and even crossing over to LA in 2023. Still, now I’m curious about just how different both shows would have been had Valderrama not turned down LA. At the very least, NCIS was definitely right for him, and I can’t imagine anyone else portraying Nick.

The former That '70s Show star made a wise decision. Turning down NCIS: LA certainly worked in his favor, even if he didn’t know it at the time. He’s now part of one of the longest-running primetime shows, and as of now, it doesn’t seem like he plans on leaving. NCIS has seen its fair share of main cast members, and anyone can leave at any time, so it’s always unknown when the next one could depart. But for now, fans shouldn’t worry that Nick’s leaving D.C. in the future anytime soon.

Meanwhile, NCIS: LA may be done, but the series still remains very much part of the franchise, and not just because Valderrama nearly joined the show. LL Cool J and Daniela Ruah have both popped up as their respective characters since the series ended, LL on NCIS: Hawai’i and Ruah on the 1,000^th episode of NCIS. LL Cool J is also set to return once again as Sam Hanna in an upcoming episode of NCIS, which will certainly be exciting.

With NCIS confirmed to return for another season, it’s likely fans will continue to see Nick Torres in all his glory. There is always going to be that “What if?” of Valderrama being on NCIS: LA instead, but as fate would have it, he wound up on NCIS instead, and it’s certainly working out.