‘NCIS’ Season 15 Casts Maria Bello As Mark Harmon’s Gibbs’ ‘Frenemy’

“NCIS” Season 15 just cast Maria Bello as a premier forensic psychologist who will be working opposite Gibbs (Mark Harmon).

According to TV Line, Bello’s character’s name is still being kept under wraps, but she will be introduced in episode 4 as an agent. CBS also released the official description for Bello’s character, which states that she’s commissioned as a second lieutenant in the army. She also served twice in Afghanistan. As a reputable agent, Bello’s character will join NCIS, and she will be one of the very few others who can challenge Gibbs. “She is a positive force, mischievous and at times acerbic,” the description read.

Read: Jennifer Esposito exits “NCIS” after one season

“NCIS” co-showrunners George Schenck and Frank Cardea released a joint statement expressing their excitement over Bello’s casting. “We have always been big fans of Maria Bello’s work and are excited to be introducing her as an agent who not only has a distinct talent, but also a unite relationship with Gibbs,” they said.

Meanwhile, if there is a new cast addition to “NCIS” Season 15, there was also one cast member who decided to leave the CBS series at the end of Season 14. Last month, Jennifer Esposito released a statement (via Deadline) announcing her departure from “NCIS” after only one season. “It was a great experience. I could not have asked for a better opportunity than to work with the ‘NCIS’ cast and producers,” she said.

Esposito played the role of Special Agent Alex Quinn. She used to work as an instructor at the Law Enforcement Training Center, but was lured back into field work by Gibbs. Former “NCIS” Gary Glasberg was the one who thought of introducing a character named Alex in the series prior to his death. But since “NCIS” will be going on a different creative direction in Season 15, the remaining showrunners felt that there’s no need to have Alex in the pool.

During the final moments from Season 14, Alex received a call from her mom. It’s possible that this has something to do with her decision to leave the team and not be part of Season 15.

“NCIS” Season 15 will premiere on CBS on Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. EST.