‘NCIS’ Star Brian Dietzen Talks New Podcast With Co-Star Diona Reasonover (Exclusive)

NCIS stars Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover are hopping on the podcast train, and Dietzen spoke to PopCulture.com about what to expect.

CBS announced on Thursday that the two will be hosting NCIS: Partners & Probies, which just launched.

The podcast will see Dietzen and Reasonover, who play Dr. Jimmy Palmer and Kasie Hines on the long-running procedural, having revealing, heartfelt, and humorous conversations with cast, crew, creatives, and real-world experts in the NCIS world. The first episode is out now, with new episodes available weekly on Tuesdays wherever podcasts are available and on the NCIS YouTube channel. Take a look at what Dietzen had to say about the podcast and what to look out for. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

PopCulture: You and Diona are hosting a brand new NCIS podcast. What can you tell me about it?

Brian Dietzen: Oh, man. This is something long in the making, and we’re super excited to do it. This was pitched to us about four years ago by our dear friend, Amy Reisenbach, who at one point was a current executive on our show and then became the head of current at CBS and is now the president of CBS. And four years ago, she pitched us this.

She said maybe it could be a rewatch podcast, and then it went through many different iterations, became a true crime podcast, then eventually landed on an interview podcast about the people who create this show, whether they’re producers, writers, directors, actors. And it has been an absolute joy to make each week. I’ve really been loving it.

PC: As you were saying, Amy came to you four years ago about this whole thing. What drew you to the concept of it?

Dietzen: Well, I think that what really drew me to the concept of it was I really love the idea of doing something contemporaneously with the show that’s still on. So often, there’ll be podcasts about shows that are a retrospective look back at the show that was. And to be able to do this concurrently and celebrate the whole NCIS universe, our show, and all of our sister shows, it’s been a real, real treat to do. And the title of the show is NCIS: Partners & Probies. So, myself and Diona are the Lab Coat Crew. We’re the partners on this thing, and the Probies are the fans of the show.

The reason we’re doing this show is because we wanna say thank you to the fans and also give them an inside look at the people that create the shows and the stories that they see each week. And at this point in the show’s lifespan, at 23 years, it’s beyond time to have a big thank you to our fans and doing it in a way that services that and tells the stories to each one of them.

PC: Going off of that, not only is the podcast premiering on the day of the midseason premiere, but it is launching just weeks before the 500th episode. How does it feel reaching that kind of milestone and knowing that NCIS can still reach new audiences after all these years?

Dietzen: Boy, it is bananas. You hear a lot of people asking, “What’s the secret of NCIS?” and all that sort of stuff. And I have my theories, but the reality is if everyone knew exactly what made it successful and made it be the juggernaut it’s become, they would bottle that up and sell it, and I really do think we are really, really blessed on something that does not happen very often.

So I think each one of us wants to take advantage of this time and smell the roses and enjoy ourselves. And I think that’s, to your prior question, that’s kinda where a podcast comes in. It makes a lot of sense right now to say thank you to these people who have made our show such a success. Because this show’s not on the air without our fans and without our loyal fans tuning in each week to see this crazy chosen family solve crimes together and experience their life together.

PC: It seems more and more shows these days are jumping on the podcast train with both official and unofficial podcasts. In your own opinion, why do you think that is?

Dietzen: I think in an age of social media blitzing and being able to have access to how something is made and created and behind the scenes kind of at your fingertips on your phone at any given moment, it makes sense not just to keep up, but kind of blaze your own trail when it comes to here’s how we make this show. And I appreciate it. And my brother, he’s not in film and television at all, he loves seeing behind the curtain, and “How are these stories told? How is this makeup done? How is this score composed?” All that sort of stuff.

I think people are hungry to figure out how… it used to be called how that sausage is made, you know what I mean? But really, “How is this written? How do you actually come up with all of this stuff, and how does it all come together, all these instruments come together to make a television show each week?” I think people have a lot more access to that now, and so it makes a lot of sense to say, “Okay. Well, let’s do a podcast about that and really let people in on it.” And I think that we’re hoping that people will enjoy it.

PC: How do you think NCIS: Partners & Probies sets itself apart from other podcasts?

Dietzen: Well, I would encourage people to listen to the first episode, because I think right there in the first episode, you’ll see what separates us from other podcasts is, man, we kinda go pretty deep on the first show. Diona and I actually interview one another, and there’s stories that are told that I’ve never said in any interview before, and same with Diona. And we really have a good time laughing through some stuff, but we also bring up some stuff that’s been difficult for us and really have some heartfelt moments within that show that I don’t think we’ve really discussed anywhere else.

And it’s kind of that exclusivity and insightful nature that I think people are really gonna go, “Oh, wow. That’s different from what I have heard in an Entertainment Tonight bit,” or something like that. Which, by necessity, is wonderful, but can only facilitate a few minutes. And this can be a full hour of listening to stories, and some of them very, very funny, and some of them really profound and personal. And I think that people with the whole package will really enjoy it.

PC: What was it like interviewing each other for that first episode? Because, as you said, things got very deep, and you two were both very, very open with each other.

Dietzen: I think it was a note given and well-received from our wonderful producer, Isaac Webster, that said, “Hey. The more open we are with one another and allow people in to view who we are, the more people will say, ‘Hey, I want to know more about those folks, and I wanna be on their side and hear how they interview other people from here on out.’” So, it’s kind of just before we have this year-long party of guests that have worked on the show for years, let’s meet the hosts of this party. Let’s kinda set the table and really see what makes these people tick. This is their house that we’re coming into, so let’s see what makes these hosts tick.

And  before we knew it again, we were getting into some topics, like, “Whoa, I didn’t know I’d be talking about that today.” And Diona hit me with a few things, and I hit her back with a few things, good questions. And it was really a wonderful beginning to this, and I think it’s kinda atypical to your average podcast when you can go, “Oh, man. This is Episode 1, and they’re kinda already going to those territories and certainly having fun as well.” But it’s a cool thing, and like you said, what separates this podcast from others? I’d say that’s part of it.

PC: Why should fans, or should I say the Probies, tune into this new podcast?

Dietzen: I think people should tune in if they have a love of this show and this universe. It’s a place where we can all gather each week on a Tuesday and talk about the show, talk about the people that created it, talk about our shared love of this show. And what’s great about Partners & Probies, while you have these two partners, this Lab Coat Crew here between me and Diona, the Probies are what makes the show. The Probies, this is what the show is for. In fact, so much so that we have a segment during the show where we specifically ask questions from our fans.

So, they’ll just have to be looking out on social media for prompts. “What questions do you have for Wilmer Valderrama? What questions do you have for Mariel Molino?” And we’ll be able to ask those questions of our friends. So I think that it’s gonna be a great time, and if you ever wanted to know more about us, here’s your gateway.

The first episode of NCIS: Partners & Probies is out now wherever you listen to podcasts and on NCIS’ YouTube channel. New episodes release weekly on Tuesdays.