NCIS: Origins has added two new characters to its lineup. The upcoming show is a spinoff that serves as a prequel following the early years of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the character played by Mark Harmon on the flagship show for 18 years. Harmon, who departed the show in season 19, will be returning as the narrator for the spinoff, which is set to premiere during the 2024-2025 television season.
Per Deadline, the NCIS: Origins prequel has brought on two additional cast members. Tyla Abercrumbie and Diany Rodriguez have joined the show as series regulars, playing the knowledgable, protective Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo and the steely, determined Special Agent Vera Strickland respectively. They join previously cast series regulars Austin Stowell (as young Gibbs), Kyle Schmid (as a young Mike Franks, Gibbs’ partner and mentor), and Mariel Molino (as new character Lala Dominguez).
Everywhere You’ve Seen The New NCIS: Origins Cast
Before taking on this new NCIS character, Diany Rodriguez has had her fair share of experience playing a wide range of characters in different genres. Her onscreen career began in earnest in the early 2010s with a one-episode appearance in The Vampire Diaries and has since expanded to incorporate more than two dozen projects including small roles in Pitch Perfect 3, The Suicide Squad, and The In Between. On television, her resume is even more robust, with her longest-running role being Weecha Xiu on 25 episodes of The Blacklist. See some of her other most prominent recent television roles below:
Abercrumbie found similar television success in the 2010s after kicking off her career in the late 1990s. Although her longest-running role by far is playing Nina Williams on 44 episodes of The Chi, she has also held roles in many other prominent television titles including Shrink, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Empire, The Chicago Code, and The Tracy Morgan Show. While she has had fewer movie roles, her biggest was probably playing Ms. Bryant opposite Cobie Smulders and Anders Holm in 2015’s Unexpected.
With their combined television experience, these incoming stars seem well-equipped to help carry the show should it become as long-running a hit as the flagship program. Starring across from NCIS: Origins’ young Gibbs means that a lot of scrutiny will come their way, because of how important that character is to the franchise overall. However, their proven ability to step into established television franchises should help make the show’s transition into a new spinoff as smooth as possible.
