“NCIS: Origins” enlisted “SNL” alum Bobby Moynihan and “Orange is the New Black” star Lori Petty in recurring roles, coshowrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal revealed Saturday.
Moynihan boards the “NCIS” prequel series as Woodrow “Woody” Browne, head of the NIS Forensic Lab, while Petty plays Dr. Lenora Friedman, an assistant medical examiner. North and Monreal announced the news during the Television Critics’ Association’s summer press tour.
North promised Moynihan would bring some comedy to the CBS procedural, saying “we’ve done one scene with Bobby so far and hysterical is an understatement.”
“NCIS: Origins,” which is currently a week into production, stars Austin Stowell as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Taking place beginning in 1991, the show follows Gibbs as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, according to the official logline.
The show’s ensemble cast also includes Mariel Molino as Cecilia “Lala” Dominguez, Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, Tyla Abercrumbie as Mary Jo Hayes, Diany Rodriguez as Vera Strickland and Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolf.
Mark Harmon will narrate and executive produce the series alongside his son, Sean Harmon, alongside North and Monreal. North and Monreal cowrote the premiere episode and serve as coshowrunners, reuniting after serving as writers on “NCIS” for 10 years.
In addition to “SNL,” Moynihan is largely known for his voice acting, with roles in “Inside Out 2,” “IF,” “Monsters at Work,” “Nature Cat” and “Krapopolis.” He can also be seen in “Unfrosted,” “Party Down” and “Blockbuster.”
Petty is best known for her roles in “Tank Girl,” “Free Willy,” “A League of Their Own” and “Point Break,” and has also appeared in “Station Eleven,” “Obliterated” and “Orange Is the New Black.”
“NCIS: Origins” will debut Monday, Oct. 14 from 9-11 p.m. on CBS before moving to its regular 10-11 p.m. timeslot on Monday, Oct. 21.
