CBS warhorse NCIS will be back for a 19th season – although it may feature less Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
The network announced on Thursday that it has renewed its longest-running drama for season 19 The Hollywood Reporter, original cast member and executive producer Mark Harmon shall come back as team leader Special Agent Gibbs, but it has not been determined how many episodes will feature him. Likewise, the number of episodes for season 19 has not yet been finalized.
As revealed at the end of the series’ episode on March 16, Gibbs was indefinitely suspended by director Leon Vance after brutally assaulting a suspected dog abuser.
Harmon’s word may have been diminished NCIS presence swirled at the time of the sister series NCIS: New Orleanscancellation. THR.com reported that with his contract expiring this spring, Harmon was ready to let it end for a day and hang his NCIS cap with stitched logo. But when he learned that this would result in the mothership series being canceled as a whole and many people losing their jobs, he started talks to return in a limited capacity.
New for season 19, meanwhile, is the regular Katrina Law (Hawaii Five-0, Arrow), which first appear in the last two episodes of this season. She will play the role of NCIS REACT Special Agent Jessica Knight, a ‘formidable’ woman who specializes in hostage negotiations. Raised by a single mother and married to a father who stays at home and raises their son, Jessica is described as ‘sharp, athletic, tough’ and ‘fiercely tenacious’, but she also has a ‘wry sense of humor’. “
Law’s casting came on the heels of Maria Bello’s departure NCIS after three seasons as forensic psychologist Jack Sloane. (On the March 2 episode, Jack decided to stay in Afghanistan after completing an operation to help the local community.)
NCIS was one of five CBS series that Thursday along with SWAT, Blue Bloods, Magnum PI and Taurus
Want to brag NCIS, or for another show? Email [email protected] and your question can be answered through Matt’s Inside Line.