‘NCIS: Origins’ Is Casting Young Version of Scott Bakula’s Pride

Meredith Jacobs
13 Comments
Scott Bakula - NCIS: New Orleans - Dwayne Pride - Episode 715
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What To Know

  • NCIS: Origins is casting a young version of Dwayne Pride, originally played by Scott Bakula.
  • The upcoming Season 2 episode will explore Pride’s days as a Probationary Special Agent and his relationship with Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
  • Gibbs and Pride were part of the Fed Five, explored in a 2014 two-parter of NCIS.

“Hello, my brother.” That’s how Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) greeted Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula) on NCIS in the backdoor pilot for New Orleans, “Crescent City,” in 2014. But how did they develop such a close friendship? Well, we’re about to start getting the origins of just that.

NCIS: Origins is casting the role of Young Pride for an episode to air later this season, TV Insider has learned exclusively. Yes, Pride is joining other characters whose younger versions have showed up on the prequel including Gibbs (Austin Stowell), Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid and Muse Watson), Vera Strickland (Diany Rodriguez and Roma Maffia), Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (Adam Campbell and David McCallum), and Tobias Fornell (Lucas Dixon and Joe Spano). Scott Bakula played the role of Pride for seven seasons of NCIS: New Orleans, from 2014 to 2021.

Origins‘ version of Pride, a former Sheriff’s Deputy, is a newly minted Probationary Special Agent from the NIS Panama office. He has a history with Gibbs (Austin Stowell), and the two must resolve their past tension as they go undercover on a case.

“One of the special things about NCIS: Origins is being able to explore the early days of so many beloved characters from the franchise,” said co-showrunners and executive producers Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North. “We’re excited to go back in time and meet the 1990s version of New Orleans’ pride and joy, the legendary Special Agent Dwayne Pride, and learn more about his history with Gibbs.”

Mark Harmon Scott Bakula NCIS New Orleans Gibbs Pride Crescent City

Skip Bolen/CBS

The aforementioned “Crescent City” delved into the Fed Five — Gibbs, Pride, Franks, Dan McClane (whose murder reunited Gibbs and Pride), and Felix Betts — and one of their past cases, the Privileged Killer. Dan, who had taught Pride everything he knew, and Franks had been the senior members of the team, and Gibbs and Pride, at the time, were both probies. That means we’ll also be keeping an eye on Pride’s dynamic with Franks in the ’90s.

In 2014, Gibbs told his team — Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), and Eleanor Bishop (Emily Wickersham) — that he had known Pride for 30 years, “trust him with my life. You can trust him, too.” (That put their first meeting in 1984.) It sounds like this Origins appearance could show at least the beginnings of how the two go from having “past tension” to just that.

That same two-parter also saw Pride claim that Gibbs stole his stopping the elevator move from him. “Stole my ass,” Gibbs protested.

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Meeting Young Pride and exploring his origins is coming after the NCIS prequel did just that, bringing Adam Campbell over as the younger Ducky (a role he played on the mothership previously) and showing how he began talking to victims.

The series is produced by CBS Studios. David J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal, Mark Harmon, and Sean Harmon serve as executive producers. Casting directors are Jason Kennedy, Krysti Baxter, and Meredith Goble.

What are you hoping to see when Young Pride shows up on NCIS: Origins? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS: Origins, Tuesdays, 9/8c, CBS

NCISNCIS: New OrleansNCIS: OriginsDavid J. NorthGina Lucita MonrealMark HarmonScott Bakula



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  1. T

    TUF

    Great news!

    Now all we need is a young Hetty

    1. D

      Dean

      Gibbs never met Hetty at all and any thing involving them is at best only know by reputation. Its preposterous how one person seems to know more about an agency than its actual directors

    2. G

      Green Olive

      That would be way too funny!!

      Love it!!

    3. J

      Joyce

      Hetty has had a very interesting life. Still so much to learn about her. Would love this.

  2. M

    Maria

    Great I'd love to see a real good actor portray Pride. I loved that show.

  3. L

    Lorrie Fiel

    I wonder who they will get to be young Pride? Scott Bakula could just leap in there and do it.

  4. T

    Think1959

    Great Idea!, love seeing the younger versions of the people we know and love from the orginal series. Hopefully we will get to see a young Vance and hopefully find out how Gibbs met Abby.

  5. V

    vetlass

    Apparently poster Dean has never worked for the gov't in any given situation. In covert operations there is always a possibility that there is an unknown player behind the scenes,

    1. D

      Dean

      Its a fictional show so your point is already invalid. And nothing in the show’s run indicated Hetty and Gibbs ever met. You and The Ultimate Fan girl like to vaguely associate everything to an add on character that came in long after established continuity like Star Wars does with Rey or the Mandalorian just cuz its a breakout character doesn’t mean it has any connection to what already is. Like Dominguez on Origins Hetty is just an add on trying to matter.

  6. D

    Dean

    Never did get into the NOLA show but the few minor crossovers there were Gibbs was actually more quipy and funny whenever he and Pride shared scenes so that would be fun. Glad to see that it wasn't always like that before they were ‘brothers’ they had beef. So color me curious of the why. I’m hoping for however long Origins lasts we may see how he met Callen its implied from the LA two parter Gibbs and Callen did covert overseas work back in the day or how he met Abby or even the red haired agent before Kate.

  7. N

    Nick

    I want to see how Diane got to be a .. mean

  8. M

    Mike Raines

    Missed my chance had a pride reveal episode all mapped out.... I'll say go ahead and steal my intro... Opening should be young gibbs looking in the mirror while mark harmon narrates, “Some stories I don’t tell.- Especially the ones where pride gets in the way..." then as he wipes his face with a towel we hear bakula's voice 'but some stories are still worth hearing." As he lowers the towel to reveal a clearly young dwayne pride.

  9. M

    Molly

    I know, I know, ... but doesn't Bakula(Pride) look like Robson Green!