Will Emily Wickersham Return to ‘NCIS’ After the Midseason Premiere?
Exclusive
What To Know
- Emily Wickersham returns as Ellie Bishop in the March 3 midseason premiere of NCIS after a surprise appearance in the fall finale.
- Wickersham reveals to TV Insider if she could return again after that episode.
NCIS fans are in the middle of quite the treat: Emily Wickersham surprisingly returned at the end of the December fall finale and will be seen in the March 3 midseason premiere. But Ellie Bishop has gone through a lot in the five years since she left (in the Season 18 finale). Sure, she’s wanted as a cyberterrorist, the reasons for which have yet to be revealed, but we trust there’s much more to that than meets the eye — and so when we spoke to her about her return, we had to ask if we could see her again after this next episode. (Executive producer Steven D. Binder previously told us that the upcoming episode is it for Wickersham, for now.)
“It is open. The door’s open,” Wickersham promised TV Insider. “I love it there. I love working there. Getting to go back was just going back and seeing family that I’ve worked with and friends that I’ve worked with for so many years, so, the environment was wonderful and they left it open.”
She continued, “I don’t know, I’m happy to go back again. I would never close the door on that at all. I feel so lucky to have been able to work there for so many years, and it’s such a great set and it’s such a great team. If they wanted me back, I would definitely. It would be fun. We had fun.”
It was at the end of the fall finale that Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) learned that for her first NCIS Elite assignment, she’s to track down Bishop — who just so happened to be watching her and the rest of the team at the cemetery, where Alden Parker’s (Gary Cole) mother was (finally) being buried. Our exclusive sneak peek teases at least part of the reason she’s back. But there’s not just what’s going on with Bishop and why NCIS Elite is after her that her return has to address. There’s also the will they/won’t they relationship with her former partner, Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama).
For Wickersham, “a lot of why I was excited to go back also is this relationship between Bishop and Torres that I’ve missed playing so much. I love working with Wilmer, and we have such a fun time on set and off set,” she told TV Insider. “And the two of them, when he joined NCIS, I think that there was just this rapport right away, and over the years, as you know, the two characters shared so much friendship-wise, bubbling romance-wise, and just like a vibe. And so I think that Torres has always been a character for Bishop to lean on in any moment, for any silly thing but also something real.”
What are you hoping to see from Emily Wickersham’s Ellie Bishop in the midseason premiere? And do you want to see her again after it? Let us know in the comments section below.
NCIS, Midseason Return, Tuesday, March 3, 8/7c, CBS
Conversation11 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
M
I think Knight and Bishop can coexist well in the series, let's remember season 14 with Quinn, but yes it's true, Ellie's return to the regular cast would be life-saving for the NCIS ratings, if the writers don't understand this they will alienate not only Bishop's fans but also all those who want to see that beautiful ending and we all know what kind of ending we're talking about
-
K
Tony and Ziva would be better to bring back
-
-
G
I love to see Bishop back, in cluding the relationship with Torres. Never cared much for Knight.
-
F
It would be good for the ratings to bring Ellie back, because it is getting a bit stale with Knight. The show has been hanging on for years, but bringing Ellie back might give it a little more life with or without Knight! Sometimes we watch, and sometimes we do not, so it isupto the powers that be, if she comes or goes permanently.
-
M
Yes! I love ncis, I’ve been watching since the beginning and with so many original characters gone and no current romance Ellie coming back would be perfect!
-
A
I would love to have Emily back on the show, because the show needs her and Michael Weatherly back. I have watched every episode and recently it's getting stale.
-
M
There's no point in making comparisons. Tony and Ziva have their own paths, while Ellie and Nick have another. I'd bring back all three, but if I have to choose one, I'd prefer Ellie, for the simple reason that while Tony and Ziva had their own spin-off to develop their story, Ellie and Nick were the ones who carried the series forward until Bishop's exit, especially given Gibbs' decline in recent seasons. I'm just saying that doing another spin-off wouldn't make sense, but it would make more sense to contextualize Torres and Bishop's story in the original series and contextualize it with its events. Many of you always compare Ellie and Ziva, and this is an objective mistake because you always have to keep the written script in mind, not the actors. Then, if you want to compare the two characters, you have to keep their nature first and ask yourself why Ellie and Ziva are always compared, and not compared to the other actresses who have been on NCIS? The answer is simple: even though the two (Ellie and Ziva) were completely different, they are both the most important female characters in the world! Just look at the ratings for the episode "HER." Will they be able to replicate those ratings for all the other episodes of the season? Ultimately, Bishop's return to the regular cast is pure fresh air for NCIS. It will be up to the production to take risks with their choices, which have caused NCIS to lose ground in recent years.
-
K
I really liked Ellie the first few years. She first started out as an analyst/agent. She was nice, by the rules and just a little naive. This made her a totally different personality compared to other agents. Refreshing. Then the writers tried to turn her into Ziva. Not trusting anyone, going rogue etc. She suddenly wasn’t very likable. I blame the writers not Emily.
-
S
Never cared for Bishop. Hopefully It is a short return.
-
A
Hmmm, I thick Knight needs to go! Bishop is a breath of fresh air for the "getting stale" series.
-
-
K
I want to see Ziva and Tony back ...not Emily
