CBS Prepping Planted "NCIS" Spinoff Produced by Mark Harmon & Gary Glasberg
by NELLIE ANDREEVA
Monday September 23, 2013


CBS is looking to further expand its lucrative "NCIS" franchise. I’ve learned that the network is working on a planted "NCIS" spin-off series, which will be introduced in a two-part "NCIS" episode slated to shoot in February and air in the spring.

Set in New Orleans, the potential spin-off is executive produced by "NCIS" star/executive producer Mark Harmon and executive producer/showrunner Gary Glasberg.





The character-driven project, written by Glasberg and produced by CBS Studios, centers on the the NCIS New Orleans office which handles cases from Pensacola through Mississippi and Louisiana to the Texas panhandle.

New Orleans was picked as a backdrop for the show because of its pedigree of a rich setting of music, fun and debauchery that makes it a magnet for military personnel on-leave. And with fun comes trouble.





This would mark the second spin-off from veteran "NCIS", which also spawned hit "NCIS: Los Angeles". The LL Cool J-Chris O’Donnell starrer also started off as a backdoor pilot, airing as a two-part episode of "NCIS".

In expanding the "NCIS" franchise, CBS and CBS Studios are taking a page from their "CSI" playbook by setting every new series in a new town (Las Vegas, Miami and New York for CSI; Washington, Los Angeles and New Orleans for NCIS).



With "NCIS" and "NCIS: LA" showing no signs of slowing down, CBS may very well have three "NCIS" series on the air next season, just like it did with the "CSI" franchise for almost a decade.

Season 11 of "NCIS" kicks off tomorrow night.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/ncis-spinoff-cbs-mark-harmon-new-orleans/

Exclusive: Mark Harmon on the Next "NCIS" Spinoff
Oct 8, 2013
by Chris Willman


Goodbye, Tiva. Hello, NOLA! This spring, watch for a two-part sweeps episode of "NCIS" that will also function as a pilot for "NCIS: New Orleans". If the CBS drama is given the go-ahead, it could be on the air as soon as next fall.

Mark Harmon is set to be one of the new show's executive producers, which may surprise anyone who remembers that he wasn't crazy about the idea of "NCIS: Los Angeles" four years ago.



What convinced him that a spinoff wouldn't dilute the mother show?

"Gary Glasberg. That's my answer!" Harmon says of "NCIS's" showrunner since 2011, who will carry out executive producer duties on the new installment. "The target is two terrific episodes of this series, which we were going to do anyway. But now we get a chance to really do it."



Glasberg presented the star with what was supposed to be just an idea for an episode.

"And to Mr. Harmon's credit, he looked at me and said, 'That's more than a sweeps episode.' I realized he might be right," Glasberg says. "We'll do our best to cast and write it well and create something fun and different."

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Mark-Harmon-NCIS-Spinoff-1071762.aspx

Meet the Agents of "NCIS: New Orleans"
by Matt Webb Mitovich
12/6/13


"NCIS: New Orleans" is one step closer to reality, with the release of the casting breakdowns for the four series leads.

To be executive-produced by "NCIS" showrunner Gary Glasberg and series star Mark Harmon, the CBS pilot — to be introduced as a spring 2014 episode of "NCIS" — will follow the New Orleans office as it handles cases from Pensacola through Mississippi and Louisiana to the Texas panhandle.

Per ShowBiz411, the four lead characters shake out as follows; each is open to “any ethnicity.”





Agent Pride: A male in his 50s, Pride is described as “charismatic and full of life, yet stubborn, direct and no-nonsense.”



Agent Lasalle: This “muscular, devilish and charming 30something fella was born and raised in Louisiana, a former Sheriff’s deputy who’s been through some rough times.”



Agent Brody: Hailing from the Great Lakes office, this 30something female boasts an Ivy League mind and “Grace Kelly-like class, pomp and circumstance.”

Unpredictable, funny and fierce, she’s determined to be the best female agent NCIS has ever known.



Dr. Wade: Presumably the Ducky of the team, she’s “outspoken, eccentric and void of social boundaries.” She’s also a college football nut who “doesn’t give herself enough credit for still being quite a looker.”

http://tvline.com/2013/12/06/ncis-new-orleans-pilot-casting-news/