Huge NCIS cast rumors have just come out that link actor Gary Cole to the long-running CBS drama.
A report from Variety states that Cole could be joining the NCIS cast for a “major Season 19 role” and that could really shake things up.
When Emily Wickersham left the show on the season finale, we knew that there would be some casting news coming out during the summer months.
Now, it appears that the producers of the show are trying to land veteran actor Gary Cole to become a big part of the show in Season 19.
Who is actor Gary Cole and who would he play on the NCIS cast?
Cole has been in the business for a long time and is probably still best known as the boss from Office Space who was always checking up on the main character.
He also played the father of Ricky Bobby (Will Farrell) in the comedy Talladega Nights, the announcer in Dodgeball, and Ted Jones in Pineapple Express.
On television, Cole plays Kurt McVeigh from The Good Wife and The Good Fight, he was recently on Veep as Kent Davison, he played the father of Kelly Severide on Chicago Fire, and he also played Vice President Bob Russell on The West Wing.
Cole can definitely hold his own on the small screen and had to do it quite often with top-notch actors on The West Wing. He should be a really good addition to the NCIS cast, no matter what role he takes on.
And as for who Cole could play on NCIS, that is being kept a secret, but he certainly seems like someone who could be brought in to lead the team in the absence of Gibbs (Mark Harmon).
NCIS Season 19 debuts in the fall
CBS renewed NCIS for a new season that will begin in the fall. There are a lot of questions still unanswered, though, including how many episodes Gibbs will be in. It’s unclear if Mark Harmon will be a full-time participant in Season 19 or if he will only appear in a few episodes.
The shocking ending to Season 18 was reportedly not in the script that everyone saw. It even caught members of the cast by surprise, but it could set the stage for Gibbs to be off-screen when the show returns for new episodes in the fall.
As a reminder, CBS took NCIS off of Tuesday nights. Viewers will have to get used to a new night and a new start time for episodes during Season 19. If there are also major changes to the NCIS cast, it could come as a big shock to fans.
The good news is that Gary Cole is really good at acting, so no matter what character they give him on the show, it should be a treat for viewers to see what he can do on the screen. He has a unique talent to blend humor and seriousness, which could be the perfect addition to the show.
NCIS returns in the fall of 2021 on CBS.