EXCLUSIVE: There’s been so much buzz about who will play a younger version of Scott Bakula’s popular NCIS: New Orleans character Dwayne Pride in Season 2 of CBS‘ NCIS: Origins, and the wait is finally over.
Shea Buckner (Only Murders in the Building) will appear in one episode to air later this season as Pride, who Bakula portrayed across the Louisiana-set show’s seven seasons. A former Sheriff’s Deputy, NIS Special Agent Dwayne Pride, is a newly minted Probationary Special Agent from the NIS Panama office in the prequel series. He has a history with Gibbs (Austin Stowell), and the two must resolve their past tension as they go undercover on a case.
While the episode will focus heavily on Pride, it will also reunite the Fed Five task force, a group of exceptional NIS agents who found fame after unmasking the Privileged Killer, Spencer Hanlon, in the original NCIS‘ 11th season. The group consists of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played originally by Mark Harmon), Michael Franks (Muse Watson), Dan McLane, Felix Betts (Stuart Margolin), and Pride. Gibbs and Franks already exist as young men on NCIS: Origins, played by Stowell and Kyle Schmid, respectively.
As far as McLane and Betts are concerned, CBS has been seeing actors for the last couple of weeks.
NIS Special Agent McLane is in his late 40s when he appears on NCIS: Origins, which is set in the 90s. He is described as smart, authoritative, confident, with an old school masculine energy. He works out of the NIS Panama office and is called in by the San Diego team to lead a joint task force aimed at stopping a stolen weapons ring.
NIS Special Agent Felix Betts is in his 40s, and is described as a buttoned-up, likable and exuberant auditor and “paper-trail genius” from the Los Angeles NIS office, who is brought in to help a new task force. His superpower is sifting through mountains of bureaucratic paperwork, finding patterns that help solve cases.
A little background on the Fed Five, the storyline was originally explored in a special two-part episode from Season 11 of NCIS: “Crescent City” Parts 1 (episode 18) and 2 (episode 19), which served as the backdoor pilot for NCIS: New Orleans and introduced Pride to the universe. The episodes investigate the murder of McLane, a former NIS agent turned congressman, and the Fed Five’s boss. With the 90s setting on Origins, the storyline works seamlessly as the task force disbanded in 1994.
Origins showrunners Gina Lucita Monrealand and David J. North have previously discussed their intention and excitement to explore the history of the franchise on the prequel. In the upcoming special episode, they will do just that by sharing insight into Pride and Gibbs’ relationship, as well as expanding their legacies.
Further details regarding the big Pride episode are as yet unknown. For now, the plan is for the five-some to appear in one episode, but who knows what the future holds after the characters are introduced? It’s as yet unknown if the Privileged Killer case will be revisited, but that would certainly be a bonus for longtime fans.
NCIS: Origins also stars Mariel Molino, Caleb Foote, Tyla Abercrumbie and Diany Rodriguez. CBS Studios produce the series. David J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal, Mark Harmon and Sean Harmon serve as executive producers. Jason Kennedy, Krysti Baxter and Meredith Goble are the casting directors.
New episodes of NCIS: Origins‘ second season air Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Buckner was most recently seen as Tony Caccimelio in the current season of the Hulu hit comedy Only Murders in the Building, one of Sofia (Téa Leoni) and Nicky (Bobby Cannavale) Caccimelio’s sons. Additionally, he also starred in the lead role of Stanley Kowalski in the Bay Street Theater’s off-Broadway production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” He is a former Olympian having previously competed on the US team in Water Polo. Buckner is represented by Gersh and Vault Entertainment.
