FOLLOWING AN EXPLOSION AT A D.C. BLACK-TIE AFFAIR, PARSONS ASSUMES A NEW ROLE WITHIN THE NCIS AGENCY, WHILE GIBBS’ TEAM REMAINS DOWN THREE AGENTS, ON THE 11TH SEASON PREMIERE OF “NCIS,” TUESDAY, SEPT. 24

Guest Stars Include Colin Hanks as Department of Defense IG Investigator Richard Parsons and Joe Spano as Senior FBI Agent T.C. Fornell

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” – An explosion at a D.C. event that results in a casualty connected to the agency changes Parsons’ perspective on Gibbs and the NCIS team. Meanwhile, without badges, DiNozzo and McGee investigate the case as civilians, despite the case’s dangerous ties to each of them, on the 11th season premiere of NCIS, Tuesday, Sept. 24 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Guest stars include Colin Hanks as Department of Defense IG Investigator Richard Parsons and Joe Spano as Senior FBI Agent T.C. Fornell.

CHEAT TWEET: Down 3 agents, Gibbs & Parsons must work together for the safety of the #NCIS team on season 11 premiere 9/24 8pm ET/PT

There’s a whole lot of shake up going on “NCIS” when CBS’ No. 1 drama returns for its 11th season, what with the departure of Cote de Pablo, who plays Ziva, after the first two episodes, and figuring out how to reinstate Tony (Michael Weatherly) and McGee (Sean Murray), who resigned in the finale in an attempt to save Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) career.

“We are going to come out swinging and give everyone the best television we can, and hope that everyone enjoys what they see,” executive producer/showrunner Gary Glasberg told xfinityTV in an exclusive interview. “Part of what I want to continue and deliver to our fans is helping them deal with the shakeup of just feeling and remembering why we watch ‘NCIS.’”
Record Series

Truth be told, Glasberg gave us the inside scoop on what is happening storywise up until the holidays, who will replace Ziva, and what guest stars will be dropping by — some familiar faces and some new ones. So check out his answers to the burning questions of what lies ahead for Gibbs and company:

You earlier confirmed that Ziva would not die as part of her exit. What else can you reveal about her departure?

I can tell you that what was originally a one-part season opener for us, became two parts. That Ziva’s story, along with everything we are dealing with with Gibbs, starts in the first one and continues all the way through to the second one.

There are some really lovely fantastic moments between Tony and Ziva that I hope pay off for all the Tiva fans and provide the closure that they are looking for. They’re funny and heart-wrenching and give us a little bit of what people have been waiting for between them.

I am going to tell people to watch. They should watch and see where we go with it and, hopefully, they will be satisfied with what they get.

With Ziva having been the love interest that fans want to see Tony with, is there some point in this season that he will be able to have a new woman in his life? Or is it too soon?

That is a big gaping hole that is going to be left. I think we have to give Tony time to figure out what he wants from life, let him heal, let him move on and let change happen. Then we will see what Tony wants next. That is something that Michael is very involved with. There is a lot of talk and communication going on. It is actually an interesting process for us to think what the next step is for the character and how we are going to move forward.

Is the door being left open for Cote so there a chance in the future that she could return to the show — either as a guest star or rejoin the team?

I am not going to say the door is closed. We have lots of things planned for the future, lots of things planned for this season. So we will have to see where everyone is. I don’t know where the show will be. I don’t know where our cast will be. I don’t know where Cote will be.

This is a huge shift for us, a big change. It has taken a tremendous amount of work and emotion to get to the place where we are moving on. We are going to see what comes as these episodes unfold.

How will you go about finding her replacement? Will there be a lot of people in and out, or will you find someone right away? Are you looking for a fresh face, or an actress we might recognize, or a character we have met before?

We are going to have fun for some episodes and let some guests come in and fill that space. I don’t necessarily mean literally the space in the squad room, but have some fun with the dynamic of the team and, in Ziva’s absence, who can help us out?

We have a terrific role coming up right away with an agent who is on the verge of retirement, a woman who comes in and helps us out, named Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia). That was a blast. We had a lot of fun with that episode. We’ve got agent Abigail Borin (Diane Neal) from the Coast Guard coming back in. It is certainly with the idea floated out there: Could she be the one?

We are going to play with this idea of a rotation of characters coming through. We want to remind people that after going through this very difficult period at the beginning of the season, there is still fun and lightness and some smiles to be had with the dynamic of this group. Hopefully, when people least expect it, someone will walk through the door and surprise us.

We left Gibbs taking aim at someone — possibly his FBI counterpart. Is that where we pick up?

We pick up where we left off in May, and then, little by little, all of the details of how we got to that point start to unfold. Between the first episode and the second episode of Season 11, all of the details from the end of May through to the middle of September are laid out, and we really understand how we got to that point of Gibbs with the sniper rifle. We will really understand how and what exactly happened with Ziva, as well.

This mission is to wipe his slate clean. Are there repercussions from it?

On this show, there are always repercussions. There are always things that you didn’t see coming. There are always characters and new ideas that are introduced that help us throughout the coming season, as well.

All of that happens. Richard Parsons (Colin Hanks), the investigator, comes back. He plays a really significant and surprising role in the first episode. Then that continues all the way into the second episode, which really delivers on the Tony and Ziva front.

Is Parsons still pursuing Gibbs?

He is significantly frustrated by the fact that his investigation is over. Then he does a really surprising turn that opens his eyes to just what Team Gibbs can pull off.

It looks as if Tony and McGee will get their jobs back — even though they resigned to save Gibbs. When they come back, how will the dynamic on the team have changed, discounting the Ziva stuff?

You have to remember, these agents are very, very close and they are used to working in a certain way. That is part of the fun we are having in the episodes that follow. There is a definite void that exists, yet these guys have to keep working. Sometimes that void is filled by a guest actor, and other times it is Tony and McGee working with Gibbs and putting in overtime to make it all work.

How does Abby (Pauley Perrette) deal with Ziva’s departure? She is very attached to her teammates.

Ziva’s absence certainly resonates all the way through the department. It affects Abby, Ducky (David McCallum) and Palmer (Brian Dietzen). Everyone understands what this means and has an attachment to her. You have to remember. This isn’t the first time this has happened for that group. There is reference to Kate (Sasha Alexander). They have been down this road before.

There is a possibility that Palmer and his wife will adopt a baby. Will you explore that?

There is a significant storyline that is going to continue throughout the season and really take some emotional twists and turns. It is a nice little story that we are threading through, and, eventually, probably later in the season, it will have a more significant turn that we will deal with. It is definitely something that is going to get discussed for quite a while.

Anything interesting happening for Ducky this season?

I don’t know offhand yet. We have so much to deal with upfront at the beginning of this season.
There will probably be something along the way, but I am not ready to specifically tell you about it yet.

Any other guest stars you can talk about for this season?

We’ve got Ralph Waite coming back in a really emotional episode as Gibbs’ dad. Around the holidays, we will have Gibbs and Agent Fornell’s (Joe Spano) ex-wife (Melinda McGraw) come back. Later in the season, we will get a visit from Robert Wagner. Those are just the ones I know.

Jamie Lee Curtis?

No one loves Miss Curtis more than I do. I just don’t know if where we are storywise with everybody if that is something I am going to do right now. But I will never say no to that and the door is always open. She is a huge fan of this show, and we are huge fans of her.

That just leaves Vance (Rocky Carroll)?

Rocky has a fantastic holiday episode coming up. We are in the middle of talking about that. It will give us some insight into where Vance is in his personal life and how he is trying to move on as well.

Also, we have a new storyline with the SECNAV (Secretary of the Navy) that we are working on
and a prominent Navy character that we are bringing in, played by Leslie Hope.

Anything I missed?

Mike Franks (Muse Watson) comes back in an eye-opening, touching storyline that has some real resonance. These are flashbacks this time around. This is a story that took place in the past and resonates to something that is happening today. I think it is going to be a very impactful season.

Then there is a terrific episode — sort of a Part 2 to Baltimore, when we went back and learned about Tony. We are stepping back again and seeing a young Tony DiNozzo in a Baltimore-related episode.

“NCIS” premieres its 11th season on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c on CBS.

Source

Reminder that Season 10 DVDs came out yesterday!

You can find them on Amazon.com

September 24th, 2013 the same day Season 11 premieres NCIS is release another soundtrack. NCIS: Benchmark (Official TV Soundtrack), it will feature songs by NCIS’s own Michael Weatherly and Pauley Perrette as well as Neon Trees, Michael Des Barres, Lady Antebellum and Patty Griffin’s song Not Along which was used in one of the episodes of Season Ten. You can Pre-Order it here and here is a look at the cover art.

CBS has a new kind of Fan Award up this time around it’s called Fanticipate Fall. The categories this time are Can’t wait for more awkward moments with Parents, Can’t wait for this dynamic duo’s next adventure, Can’t wait for the next exciting reveal, Can’t wait for more sizzling chemistry, and Can’t wait for more laugh out loud moments. Tony DiNozzo and McGee are up for the Can’t wait for this dynamic duo’s next adventure. Click the link below and vote for them.

Is Ziva’s goodbye on NCIS going to be all about Tony, or will she say individual farewells to all her colleagues? — Nancy
ADAM: Executive producer Gary Glasberg says that, given the structure of Ziva’s send-off — Tony tries to bring her back to the team — every character may not get a final bit of face time. “I wanted to have as many moments as I could, but my main concern was for Tony and Ziva to have the time they deserved,” he says. “This is something that’s going to linger with him.” (Bonus exclusive casting scoop! Picket Fences vet Costas Mandylor will play a key role in the two-part premiere, as a businessman dedicated to fighting terrorism.)

Source

So long Ziva, hello Bishop!

Though fans are still recovering from the shocking news that Cote de Pablo would not be returning for the 11th season, NCIS is ready to move on. The hit CBS series is currently looking to cast a new series regular as the show’s leading lady to fill the void left by Ziva’s exit, E! News has confirmed.

The character? A twentysomething named Bishop, who is described as “bright, educated, athletic, attractive, fresh-faced, focused and somewhat socially awkward.”

“She has a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination and idealism,” the casting breakdowns obtained by TVLine, who first reported the news, continued. “She’s traveled extensively, but only feels comfortable at home.”

Viewers will most likely meet Bishop later in the season, most likely January or February, but they will also have time to say a proper goodbye to Pablo’s character, Ziva, as she will appear in the first two episodes of season 11, which CBS promises will contain “appropriate closure in this chapter of Ziva’s story.”

After eight season on NCIS, Pablo announced her decision to leave the series in July, saying, “I look forward to finishing Ziva’s story.”

Pablo recently spoke about her exit in an interview with Latina magazine, saying, “It was not an easy decision, not one taken lightly. I feel like I am leaving my family. What I want to say most of all is thank you to the fans and to the people who have been so supportive of me and of the show, who have made the show the great success that it is.”

At the 2013 Summer TV Press Tour, CBS CEO Les Moonves opened up about Pablo’s exit, revealing that the network “offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money. And then we offered her even more money. We really didn’t want to lose her; we love her, she was terrific.”

NCIS returns on Sept. 24 on CBS.

Source

NCIS has officially begun planning for life after Ziva.

TVLine has learned that the search for a full-time cast member to fill the void left by departing leading lady Cote de Pablo is currently underway at the CBS hit.

According to just-released casting intel, the new twentysomething female character — named Bishop — “is bright, educated, athletic, attractive, fresh-faced, focused and somewhat socially awkward. She has a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination and idealism. She’s traveled extensively, but only feels comfortable at home.”

The start date is listed as mid-October, which puts the newbie’s arrival around January or February.

Prior to that, the show will “rotate some fun people” through the agency’s doors. “The first two episodes are all about Ziva’s departure,” EP Gary Glasberg recently told TVLine. “And then in the third episode we introduce, for instance, a woman in her 50s who is a few days away from retirement and just needs to fill the desk time. She, in theory, knew Gibbs all the way back to the days of Mike Franks. So we’re going to bring in people like that and have some fun with different characters. And then, hopefully, when people are comfortable enough, one will walk in and be The One.”

NCIS’ Season 11 bows on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

Soure

Former Nip/Tuck star Roma Maffia, will guest-star on an upcoming episode of NCIS, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.

Maffia will play Vera Strickland, an experienced, tough Special Agent who is on the cusp of retirement. And there’s a good chance she’ll share some history with Gibbs (Mark Harmon).

“Roma Maffia is a wonderful actress who fits this role perfectly,” executive producer Gary Glasberg tells TVGuide.com. “Considered ‘one of the boys,’ her character goes all the way back to NIS and Mike Franks [guest star Muse Watson]. We couldn’t be happier to have Roma for this very fun episode.”

Besides her role as anesthesiologist Dr. Liz Cruz on Nip/Tuck, Maffia has also recently appeared on such shows as Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy.

NCIS premieres Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c on CBS. Maffia’s episode is slated to air in October.

Source