NCIS Officially Recasts 139-Episode Veteran For Upcoming Special Appearance

CBS officially recasts an NCIS character who appeared in over 130 episodes for a special outing in NCIS: Origins. While the NCIS franchise has been on the air for over two decades, it isn’t known to switch actors like other long-running procedurals. Instead, it writes out players, allowing the show to either give them a definitive ending or leave the door open for a potential return.

However, since the debut of NCIS: Origins — the very first prequel in the universe, recasting familiar characters has become more frequent. For starters, prominent players in the flagship, such as Gibbs and Franks, were recast with younger versions, as Mark Harmon and Muse Watson passed the baton to Austin Stowell and Kyle Schmid. As NCIS: Origins season 2 continues to tackle the history of NIS, it is also set to bring in another familiar character played by a different actor.

Per Deadline, NCIS: Origins is bringing in Shea Buckner to play Young Dwayne Pride in an undisclosed episode in season 2. The character was first played by Scott Bakula in the flagship before he eventually spearheaded the second spinoff in the franchise, NCIS: New Orleans, which ended back in 2021.

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News of CBS looking to cast young Pride broke in mid-November, and while his arrival isn’t exactly surprising, it’s a welcome development for the prequel. Bakula played the character in the seven-season NCIS: New Orleans, which established his history with Gibbs. Per the canon, Pride, Gibbs, and Franks were once part of the Fed Five — a group of highly-accomplished NIS agents in the early ’90s. The aforementioned report also reveals that CBS is rounding up the rest of the team, meeting with actors who can play young Dan McLane and Felix Betts.

Buckner has appeared in several TV shows in the past few years, including The Rookie, The Blacklist, Equalizer, Animal Kingdom, FBI, and most recently, Only Murders in the Building. Despite initial skepticisms, NCIS: Origins has proven its worth, especially in season 2. Casting for the show is trickier, as it needs to adhere to what the flagship has established in terms of how these characters become in several more years. However, between the series regulars and the guest stars such as Young Lara Macy, there’s high expectations for Buckner’s Young Pride.

Per the additional details about Young Pride’s arrival in NCIS: Origins, it seems like his role in season 2 will be limited, but with the intention for him and the rest of Fed Five’s story to play out in season 3 — assuming that it gets picked up by CBS. Hopefully, the network can guarantee its future sooner rather than later, especially since Gibbs’ story is about to get more interesting