We’re getting a younger version of another classic NCIS character in NCIS: Origins. Who’s playing the younger Dwayne Pride?
NCIS: Origins has been careful not to use too many future NCIS characters in the prequel tale. We have seen the young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) beginning his time in the nascent NCIS alongside boss Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid). The series has featured a young Ducky (Adam Campbell), but hasn’t shown many other fan favorite characters yet.
That will be changing as NCIS: Origins season 2 will feature a younger version of Dwayne Pride from NCIS: New Orleans. Played by Scott Bakula, Pride appeared on NCIS first before headlining his own spinoff that lasted seven seasons.
NCIS: Origins finds its young Dwayne Pride
Cast in the role is Shea Buckner, a former collegiate polo star turned actor with appearances on The Rookie, The Blacklist, and more. This version of Pride is described as a former Sheriff’s Deputy turned NIS Panama probie. According to TV Insider, “he has a history with Gibbs and the two must resolve their past tension as they go undercover on a case.”
Speaking to TV Insider originally about bringing in a younger Pride, showrunners and executive producers Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North said:
“One of the special things about NCIS: Origins is being able to explore the early days of so many beloved characters from the franchise. We’re excited to go back in time and meet the 1990’s version of New Orleans’ pride and joy, the legendary Special Agent Dwayne Pride, and learn more about his history with Gibbs.”
It’s a great move for fans as it will shed light on an untold part of NCIS lore!
Who are the Fed Five in the NCIS universe?
As longtime NCIS fans know, Gibbs and Pride were once part of what was called the “Fed Five,” a pack of young agents who grew as friends over the years. They were mentioned in the two-part NCIS season 11 episode that acted as a backdoor pilot for NCIS: New Orleans. Gibbs and Pride were the rookies under Franks, Dan McLane, and Felix Betts (Stuart Margolin). The group worked together to put a serial killer away, only for the case to haunt them years later.
Besides Pride, the episode will also show the younger versions of McLane and Betts. There’s no casting yet, but McLane is described as “smart, authoritative, confident, with an old school masculine energy. He works out of the NIS Panama office and is called in by the San Diego team to lead a joint task force aimed at stopping a stolen weapons ring.” Meanwhile, Betts is in his 40s and “a buttoned-up, likable and exuberant auditor and ‘paper-trail genius’ from the Los Angeles NIS office, who is brought in to help a new task force. His superpower is sifting through mountains of bureaucratic paperwork, finding patterns that help solve cases.”
The story will explore the Five working that case and also show how Gibbs and Pride went from adversaries to close friends. It’s unclear if Bakula will make an appearance as Mark Harmon does, offering us an elder Pride narrating the adventure. It will be fun showing the contrast of the two men, Pride not as intense as Gibbs and while difficult at first, they can find common ground in the end.
However it works out, NCIS fans are in for another younger version of a beloved character to make this prequel even better!
NCIS: Origins airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
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