‘NCIS’: Brian Dietzen Confirms the Return of Another Fan Favorite Sooner Rather Than Later
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- NCIS recently had to halt production after a positive COVID test.
- Brian Dietzen recently revealed that a fan-favorite is returning soon.
- Dietzen also wrote an upcoming episode of season 19.
The NCIS cast and crew are back on set and making new episodes after a brief production pause. TV’s most-watched drama will also be back on CBS with an all-new episode on Monday, January 17. And star Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer) has confirmed that one fan-favorite will return sooner rather than later.
‘NCIS’ paused production after a positive COVID test
Production for NCIS season 19 was put on hold in early January after someone in “Zone A” on set tested positive for COVID. Zone A reportedly includes the regular cast and the crew members who work with them regularly.
As of January 14, production has resumed on a number of shows that film in Los Angeles, per The Hollywood Reporter. Included on the list of resumed productions is NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.
Episode 11 will be titled ‘All Hands’
The next new episode of NCIS is Season 19, Episode 11, “All Hands.” And it’s scheduled to air on CBS on Monday, January 17. The promo for the episode shows the team caught up in a surprise ambush. In the middle of a full-on shootout, it’s revealed that the other side are people who are pretending to be in the Navy.
At the end of the 20-second clip, Agent Parker (Gary Cole) declares that “this whole thing was a set up.” It’s also been revealed that fans will learn more about Katrina Law’s character Jessica Knight and her extended family away from her job via a side plot.
‘NCIS’ star Brian Dietzen confirms the return of a fan favorite
David McCallum has starred as Dr. Ducky Mallard on NCIS since the series premiered back in 2003. But five years ago, the 88-year-old opted to reduce his role on the series. And, his character retired as the medical examiner. Now, Ducky is the NCIS historian. And the character only appears in a handful of episodes each season.
When will McCallum return? According to Brian Dietzen, his co-star will be back for episode 11 “All Hands.” Production has been very careful about McCallum’s health during the pandemic, so his appearances have been pretty rare in recent seasons.
Brian Dietzen wrote an upcoming episode
Fans will soon get the chance to see an episode written by Dietzen. The long-time series regular has played medical examiner Jimmy Palmer since season 1. But this is the first time the actor is getting a writing credit on the series.
When Dietzen shared the news on Instagram, he didn’t reveal the title of the episode he wrote. But the photo he posted featured his script that was marked with episode number “1913.” This translates to Season 19, Episode 13, which gives it a likely air date of late January or early February.
Dietzen also revealed that the episode he wrote will feature the return of Meredith Eaton as immunologist Carol Wilson. She previously appeared in three episodes, with her introduction to the team via Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) happening way back in the season 7 episode “Faith.” The last time fans saw her was in season 11’s “Homesick.”
A crossover with ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ is coming soon
When NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i returned to CBS after their winter break, the stars of both shows announced on social media that a crossover event was coming soon. Law and Wilmer Valderrama (Nick Torres) revealed that they would both be heading to Hawaii to shoot the special episode.
“It’s going to be good being back on the island solving crimes,” Law — who played Quinn Liu on Hawaii Five-0 — told the camera.
NCIS: Hawai’i star Vanessa Lachey (Jane Tennant) revealed that the special crossover event is scheduled to air on CBS on Monday, March 28.
NCIS airs Monday nights on CBS.
