NCIS is diving into season 22’s heartbreaking death with a cast addition. The end of season 22 saw Gary Cole’s character Alden Parker have his life spared by his nemesis, mob boss Carla, who is played by Rebecca De Mornay, however only to later find she seemingly killed his father instead. Now, when season 23 premieres on October 14, fans will get to see Alden mourn his father, with the support of his on-screen sister.
Gary’s on-screen sister, Navy Vice Admiral Harriet Parker, will be played by Nancy Travis, who is coming on under a guest starring role.
Nancy is best known for The Vanishing, Three Men and a Little Lady, Greedy, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and most recently Sovereign as well as Grosse Pointe Garden Society.
NCIS executive producer Steven D. Binder, speaking with TV Insider last May about Gary’s father’s death — he was played by Francis X. McCarthy — said that the death was an attempt to throw the usually even-keeled Parker off balance.
“Whereas the previous bullpen dynamic was you worked around the clock and never stopped and never had a life, he’s a more balanced individual. Gary’s a very balanced guy himself when you see him, and you see that bleed over into the character, and we thought it would be very interesting to take that character and push him into a place where he’s never been before,” he shared.
“What is it going to take to send this guy, turn this guy into a man on fire?” he went on, adding of the Carla storyline to be what does it: “You’ve got this arch nemesis of Parker’s who blames him for — losing a dad’s bad, but losing a child’s considerably worse, and blames Parker for this and is vindictive and evil enough that she doesn’t want to just kill him and end that she wants to torture him and this is the person she’s chosen to torture him with, or who would be the person to torture him with? And it’s really just his dad at this point.”
© GettyCarla blames Parker for the death of her son, since he died in a car accident after Parker informed him of his mother’s illegal activities.
In July, Steven also opened up about how coming into the 23rd season, the show intends to prioritize the characters’ personal lives as storylines more than ever before.
© GettySpeaking with TVLine about what viewers can expect from season 23, he said: “We really want to get to everybody in a big way.”
“I know people always say, ‘I watch the show for the characters’ — that was always our thing — and I really want to make this a character-forward show in a way we haven’t seen before,” he went on, and emphasized: “So, if you’re invested in these people, this is going to be the season for you.”
© CBS Photo ArchiveThe move is not unlike the direction of the Austin Stowell led prequel series NCIS: Origins, which premiered last year, and which focuses on a young Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the character Mark Harmon starred as on the franchise’s original show for close to two decades.
Though certainly packed with action and drama, the show primarily focuses on giving fans an intimate glimpse into Gibbs’ early days as a special agent, and the personal events that shaped his role on NCIS.
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