Hacks & cracks
There’s no time for partying when NCIS: New Orleans returns: season 3 has killers, kidnappers and workplace romance.
NCIS: New Orleans Season 3 Thursday (from 27 July) M-Net (*101) 19:30
There’s no time for fooling around when Agent Pride (Scott Bakula) and his team take up arms again in action franchise NCIS: New Orleans (2014- current). “I’ve told people that it’s going to be the same but different [to the first seasons],” laughs the 62year-old. “I’ve been here for two seasons and I’ll say it again, I’ve never been a part of anything as wildly successful as this show!” And it isn’t just popularity with fans that’s wild – the storylines are all over the place!
CRACKING AT THE SEAMS
The biggest change is that
Brody (Zoe McLellan) isn’t around anymore. “The team struggle with Brody’s sudden departure,” says an insider, but in reality actress Zoe was let go by the show bosses for “creative differences”. She revealed on her Instagram account that she wasn’t told that her character’s storyline had “run its course” and she had expected to be in season 3. Instead, her place is taken by new series regular Special Agent Tammy Gregorio (Vanessa Ferlito), who will be investigating the team after season 2’s mole storyline.
ART IMITATES LIFE
Episode 16 (16 November) sees a softer side of Agent Pride when his “friend” Rita Devereaux asks the team to find a missing Naval lawyer who worked with classified cases. Rita is played by Scott’s wife Chelsea Field (she had a one-episode role in franchise original series NCIS, 2003- current). “It was fun,” says Scott. “After 16 years together, I thought I’d show her where I work [Laughs].”
TEAM OF MANY TALENTS
“It’s non-stop action. There is a new enemy around every corner” says Scott. And he isn’t joking! The team deal with everything from CIA conspiracies (episode 5, 24 August) to a gang of hackers in episode 13 (26 October). Plus, there is a twist in the season finale (episode 24, which should air in 2018) when the team – Christopher LaSalle, Sonja Percy and Gregorio (Lucas Black, Shalita Grant and Vanessa Ferlito) – ask the FBI to help catch Pride, who’s gone rogue.