Producer: 'Fans are going to see him like they’ve never seen him before'

NCIS type TV Show network CBS genre Action

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NCIS has found its new series regular, and he’s a very familiar name: Wilmer Valderrama has joined the veteran procedural’s 14th season.

Valderrama — who most recently had an arc on Grey’s Anatomy in addition to his credits on Minority Report, Awake, and That ’70s Show — will play a once-grounded NCIS field agent who accepted a deep cover assignment years ago and never resurfaced. According to CBS, “Many agents don’t know he’s still on the job or that he’s even alive. Now, he’s back and his dedication to job and country has left him an unpredictable, charismatic loose cannon.”

The actor joins the show on the heels of Michael Weatherly’s departure from the series after 13 years.

“Wilmer Valderrama will be able to flex his dramatic, physical and comedic talents in this classic NCIS role,” said executive producer Gary Glasberg. “Fans are going to see him like they’ve never seen him before. This is going to be fun. We’re thrilled he’s coming aboard.”

NCIS finished last season as broadcast’s most-watched drama series, averaging 20.3 million viewers (the closest runner up is Fox’s Empire with 15.9 million). While Weatherly is back on CBS this fall as the star of new legal drama Bull.