'NCIS' Welcomes Emily Wickersham as Series Regular

Although her introductory episode has not been aired yet, the producers felt she would be a perfect addition to the show.

Emily Wickersham will be a surge of fresh air for "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service". The actress has been promoted to series regular even before her face hits the screen on the CBS drama.

CBS announced on Monday, November 4 that Wickersham's Elanor "Ellie" Bishop will join the team every week. The actress was previously signed for a multi-episode recurring role and her character will be introduced for the first time in the November 19 episode. Bishop, an NSA analyst, will be assisting Gibbs and the team when a confidential briefing involving the Secretary of the Navy was bugged.

"Emily Wickersham's Ellie Bishop is proving to perfectly complement the NCIS team. Her energy and enthusiasm is contagious. Great things are planned for Bishop and we couldn't be more thrilled to have her on board," showrunner Gary Glasberg said in a statement.

Wickersham's Bishop has been long rumored the replacement for Cote de Pablo's Ziva who made a sudden departure from the show. Glasberg said in a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly, "Our agents are evolving - they're looking at terrorism in a different way, they're having to approach crimes in a different way and I think that having that view of the world is something that our people don't necessarily have much experience in. So I think she'll [Bishop] provide something different. I think she'll emotionally provide something different."

The new character is described as "a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination and idealism."