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CBS’ NCIS has given a quick promotion to Emily Wickersham.
A month after joining the cast for a three-episode arc, the Sopranos alum has been upped to series regular, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Wickersham first boarded the veteran procedural in September in a deal that included a series regular option. She plays NSA analyst Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop, a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination and idealism, who specializes in international threat assessment and global preparation.
The character will be introduced Nov. 19, when it is discovered the secretary of the Navy was bugged during a confidential briefing, a security breach Bishop described in exact detail two years ago in a threat-analysis report. Working side-by-side with Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and the team, Bishop cross-examines the case file to help determine who is behind the crime.
“Emily Wickersham’s Ellie Bishop is proving to perfectly complement the NCIS team,” executive producer Gary Glasberg said. “Her energy and enthusiasm is contagious. Great things are planned for Bishop, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on board.”
STORY: ‘NCIS’ EP Promises ‘Heart-Wrenching’ Exit for Cote de Pablo in Letter to Fans
Wickersham’s credits include Gone, I Am Number Four and Remember Me. Her recent small-screen work includes The Bridge and Gossip Girl. She’s repped by ICM Partners, Untitled and Sloane Offer.
Wickersham’s promotion helps fill the void created by Cote de Pablo (Ziva), who announced in July that she would exit TV’s No. 1 scripted drama (among total viewers). Her last episode aired Oct. 1.
STORY: CBS Chief on Cote de Pablo’s Departure: ‘She Didn’t Want to Do the Show’
Speaking to reporters over the summer, CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves said the company did everything it could to keep de Pablo on NCIS. “We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money — then we offered her even more money,” he said. “We really didn’t want to lose her; we love her. We think she’s terrific. We obviously were in discussions, and ultimately she decided she didn’t want to do the show. It was her decision. We don’t like losing anybody. We did everything humanly possible, and we exhausted every opportunity.”
NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
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