NCIS News: Agent Pride's Possible Return, Brian Dietzen's Health, And A Look At A Canceled Spin-Off

The Ncis universe is always busy, and lately, there has been a lot to talk about. Fans are wondering if a familiar face might show up in the new prequel series, what is happening with a beloved actor's health, and remembering a special character we lost. This long-running franchise keeps giving us reasons to stay glued to our screens. It is interesting to see how the show manages to keep things fresh after so many years.

We are all thinking about when or if Special Agent Dwayne Pride might come back in the current NCIS shows. However, it looks like we might see him much sooner in the 90s-set spin-off, NCIS: Origins. While nothing is confirmed yet, NCIS: Origins co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal hinted that the "Fed 5" could appear. This means a younger Agent Pride might be coming as early as season 2. This would certainly be a treat for long-time fans who know the history of these characters.

Monreal told TVLine that they always keep the show's past events in mind. "We always have our eye on canon. We have a big huge timeline in the writers room and we’re really strict about sticking to it. The canon matters to us, and we never want to ignore it. So, all the things that we’re seeing in canon, we will address one way or another," Monreal shared. This makes sense. It feels right that NCIS: Origins would introduce a younger version of Pride. Scott Bakula played him in NCIS: New Orleans for seven seasons.

Could A Younger Agent Pride Show Up In The Upcoming NCIS: Origins Season 2?

The Co-Showrunner Hints At Keeping The Franchise's History In Mind For Future Stories

We learned in the backdoor pilot for NCIS: New Orleans that the "Fed 5" included Gibbs, Pride, Mike Franks, Felix Betts, and Dan McLane. This group was the one that caught the Privileged Killer. At that time, both Gibbs and Pride were new to the job. This timeline fits perfectly with where Gibbs is in his life right now in NCIS: Origins. Beyond working together as part of the Fed 5, we know that Gibbs and Pride are old friends. It would be great to see how their friendship began and grew. It would also be a lot of fun to see a younger Pride in the show. Even if it is just for an episode or two revisiting the character in his younger years would be a nice nod to the franchise's history.

We have seen younger versions of some famous characters from the franchise already. Many fans have hoped to see younger versions of characters from other NCIS shows pop up. This is not possible for every character but Pride and Hetty from NCIS: Los Angeles have been at the top of fans' wish lists. There is no telling if Hetty will ever appear in the series. Still, I am excited by the thought of Pride possibly showing up in NCIS: Origins season 2. Honestly, I would love to see anyone from the NCIS: New Orleans cast come back to the franchise. It does not matter if it is in the past through NCIS: Origins or in one of the current shows. Since that show ended in 2021 we have not seen any of its characters return. This is a shame. It sometimes feels like the only spin-off the franchise wants to acknowledge is NCIS: Los Angeles. We have not seen anyone from NCIS: Hawai’i pop back up either. I understand that actor availability plays a part but it would be great if the main show brought us a guest appearance from someone from either series.

Brian Dietzen's Health Update And Jimmy Palmer's Future On NCIS Main Show

The Actor Shares News During The Show's Break And Teases Character Relationships

NCIS star Brian Dietzen, who we all know as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer, is taking some time to focus on his health during the show's break. The actor, who is 47, went on social media to share that he was using the hiatus to get some quick health adjustments. He specifically mentioned work on tendons in his arm. He posted a selfie of himself with his hand in a sling. He listed the many operations he had recently: "Labrum repair, bicep tendon repair, biceps repair, calcified rotator cleanup."

"Soooo ready for summer in this stylish sling!" Brian joked. He also added "Honestly though, so very thankful to have some incredible doctors to put my shoulder back together, and @sagaftra healthcare to pay for it." He continued by saying, "Been needing this for some time, and glad I have the opportunity during hiatus." Then he added a funny comment, "I fully expect this will shave 3-4 strokes off my average 18 hole score!" Fans sent many supportive messages. Comments like "Take care of yourself Brian, we need jimmy back in one piece," and "I feel your pain (literally!) Sending you all the healing thoughts for a speedy recovery my dear friend!!" poured in. Another person wrote, "Woah! You’ll be bionic when you get back on the course."

NCIS season 22 finished on May 5. The show got renewed for its 23rd season back in February. We expect it to return around September or October as part of CBS's fall line-up. CBS recently announced that the main NCIS series will now air at 8 PM on Tuesdays. This is its original time slot. It will be followed by the second season of NCIS: Origins. Then comes the third season of its first global spin-off, NCIS: Sydney. Brian also spoke with TVInsider recently about what might happen with Jimmy in the new season. He talked specifically about Jimmy's love life and whether he might get back together with Katrina Law’s Jessica Knight.

"It's interesting. I'm not sure. I think he's trying to figure it out," he teased. "I think he's trying to — as he's trying to do it, it's not really working very well, whether he was on the app previously or he's meeting this person in the wild, not on a platform of any sort, and yet there's still the person that he knows he loves that's sitting at that desk that he passes by every day." Brian mentioned that she still calls him "family." He added "I think there might be some battles there between, do I want to try and move on to someone else, or is there ever a time when we would re-explore this thing as well? And I don't have those answers, obviously." He also joked that we should expect "more awkward moments" between him and Katrina Law. He is happy the show got picked up for its 23rd season.

Remembering David McCallum And The Unseen NCIS Spin-Off That Almost Was

Honoring Ducky's Legacy And The Story Of NCIS: Red's Unfulfilled Promise

David McCallum, who played Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mullard in NCIS, passed away on September 25, 2023, at the age of 90. He left nearly $130,000 to his wife in his will. McCallum became famous in the 1960s spy drama The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He also starred with Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape." He won over younger viewers with his role as Ducky in NCIS. Born in Scotland, but living in New York, his estate in England and Wales was valued at $130,977.05 at the time of his passing. His wife, Katherine, who also managed his estate, received all of his British assets. McCallum had five children from two marriages. CBS remembered him, calling him "a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world." They added, "He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away." It was a sad day for fans when we heard he was gone.

Many fans might not know that there was almost another NCIS spin-off with actor John Corbett, known from "The Wonder Years" and "Sex and the City." This proposed show, called NCIS: Red, was very close to happening. CBS decided not to go through with it in 2013. The company worried that having too many spin-offs might weaken the brand. Corbett's character Roy Quaid appeared in NCIS: Los Angeles in 2013. This episode was meant to be a backdoor pilot for NCIS: Red. Even with all that preparation, CBS chose not to move forward. This is surprising given how popular new procedural shows were at the time. The fact that NCIS: Los Angeles ran for 14 seasons really shows how much viewers love these types of shows.

The episode "Red" in NCIS: Los Angeles season 4 was where the idea for this spin-off started. John Corbett, Kim Raver, and Scott Grimes were among the new actors brought in. They were part of a new team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents. This team was meant to travel across the United States instead of staying in one place each week. Corbett's character, Roy Quaid, was a former NCIS special agent. He became an analyst for "Red Team." Miguel Ferrer and Edwin Hodge were also supposed to join the cast. Things were pretty much planned out for NCIS: Red. But then CBS made the decision not to proceed with the spin-off.

Sometimes, things just do not work out in Hollywood. Several things stopped NCIS: Red before it even had a chance to air an episode. The cost of making TV shows was a factor. Networks also feel nervous about every decision they make for TV slots. Even a very popular property like NCIS does not just get full approval right away. CBS defended its choice to put NCIS: Red on hold in the spring of 2013. CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler said, "Sometimes [spinoffs] work and sometimes they don't. Protecting [the franchise] was really important." The network said they were open to revisiting the idea later. But nothing has happened with it since. Another thing to consider is that NCIS: New Orleans was getting ready to premiere just a year later. That show became another big hit for the network. It ran for seven seasons.

It is interesting to think that CBS probably did not want to have two high-profile spin-offs on their main network at the same time. I believe if this decision happened in 2020, NCIS: Red would have been approved for Paramount+. That would have given fans of the main series something new to watch on Paramount's streaming service. In the past, supporting, marketing, and making both shows at the same time might have risked having too much of the same thing. Clearly, the decision paid off. NCIS: New Orleans ran until 2021.