'NCIS' Prequel Series Casts Its Female Lead

NCIS: Origins has found its female lead. According to Deadline, Mariel Molino has been cast in the NCIS prequel series opposite Austin Stowell, who was previously cast as young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Molino will portray a new character in the franchise, Special Agent Lala Dominguez, "a former Marine who navigates her 1990s male-dominated field with a steely resolve and a dark sense of humor. When a tormented Leroy Jethro Gibbs joins her team, the ensuing story between these two enigmatic outsiders is filled with sparks and turns that will keep the audience guessing."

The new prequel will take place before the events of NCIS in 1991, following Gibbs as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton, finding his way on a ragtag team led by legendary agent Mike Franks. It seems like Gibbs and Special Agent Dominguez will have an interesting dynamic that will be one to watch. However, it also sounds like not everything will be as it seems, which will surely keep not only the two agents but the audience on their toes.

Molino is most known for her role as Elena Santos on the short-lived Freeform drama The Watchful Eye, which premiered in early 2023. Other credits include The Shade, Promised Land, Narcos: Mexico, Glee, and several projects in Mexico, such as Entre Correr y Vivir, El Vato, Papis muy padres, La Negociadora, and more. Most recently she can be seen in the Spanish-language film Arillo de hombre muerto.

The Mexican-American actress is the second person cast for the highly-anticipated NCIS prequel. It has been ordered to series by CBS for the 2024-25 season, meaning that more casting announcements are likely on the way, including for young Mike Franks and young Vera Strickland, among other possible familiar characters and new ones. Meanwhile, Mark Harmon will serve as narrator and executive producer, with his son, Sean Harmon, executive producing as well alongside David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal. North and Monreal are also co-writing the premiere and serving as co-showrunners.

Hopefully more details will be released soon for NCIS: Origins, including casting, but it's already shaping up to be a pretty good series. Origins is not the only new NCIS spinoff that is coming soon. Paramount+ recently ordered a Tony and Ziva spinoff, with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo reprising their beloved roles. Even with the NCIS franchise creeping up on 1,000 episodes, there is no indication it's slowing down any time soon.