‘NCIS’ Showrunner Steven D. Binder Claims Newcomer Teri Polo ‘Isn’t Going to Be Able to Hide Her Shenanigans Very Long’
NCIS has dropped a new trailer to promote the season 20 premiere. It’s a special two-hour crossover episode that also kicks off NCIS: Hawai’i Season 2. And the action-packed sneak peek shows that things are picking up right where season 19 left off — Gary Cole’s Alden Parker is on the run with his ex-wife Vivian Kolchak, played by series newcomer Teri Polo.
According to NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder, Polo’s character “isn’t going to be able to hide her shenanigans very long.”
Alden Parker was framed for murder in the ‘NCIS” Season 19 finale
In the NCIS Season 19 finale, fans will recall that Parker was framed for the murder of his former rival in a case involving his ex-wife Vivian, who is also a former FBI agent. While the team at NCIS tried to help save their new boss, Vivian wasn’t the supportive ex that Parker thought she was.
The season ended with the duo sneaking away to where they spent their honeymoon, and Vivian secretly texting someone the words: “It’s done. I have him.” Unbeknownst to Parker, he was heading into a trap that the Raven — the mysterious series’ villain — is supposedly responsible for.
“Special Agent Alden Parker is still on the run with his ex-wife Vivian, so the team investigates who from his past might have a personal vendetta against him in hopes of clearing Parker’s name,” the episode description reads.
Showrunner Steven D. Binder says Teri Polo’s Vivian won’t be hiding her shenanigans for long
In the Season 20 premiere teaser, there are a couple of hints that Parker will figure out the vulnerable state he is in just in time. It also shows that two NCIS teams will unite to finally take the Raven down.
“Enlisting the help of NCIS: Hawai’i’s Special Agent Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and Computer Specialist Ernie Malick (Jason Antoon), who are in town meeting with Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) in preparation for a global military exercise, the group tracks down their prime suspect, The Raven,” the episode description concludes.
The two-part opener will begin in Washington D.C., with Parker’s team on the case of the shadowy figure who’s been targeting agents. The Raven is likely the one who is responsible for framing Parker– as well as Vivian.
“Vivian isn’t going to be able to hide her shenanigans very long,” Binder told TV Insider.
Teri Polo isn’t the only familiar face popping up in the ‘NCIS’ Season 20 premiere
Agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) from D.C. and Hawai’i’s Jane Tennant are heading up the investigation. And Binder promises that Parker eventually “finds his way back to his peeps.” However, Hawai’i EP Christopher Silber noted that “The Raven’s got many followers, and will go to any lengths to [come after] both teams.”
The Season 20 premiere teaser also featured an appearance from fan-favorite Tobias Fornell, played by Joe Spano. Binder notes that Fornell “was FBI” and “Parker was FBI,” so there is a connection.
The NCIS Season 20/NCIS: Hawai’i Season 2 premiere event airs Monday, September 19 on CBS.
