‘NCIS’ Brings In ‘Loose Cannon’ Wilmer Valderrama

Wilmer Valderrama has recently earned a great deal of attention over his break up with pop star Demi Lovato, but the actor is no looking forward with a new role on the CBS crime drama NCIS. In getting back to work, Valderrama will step in as an NCIS series regular, becoming a part of the NCIS team, after the series lost another regular, Michael Weatherly. While he is new to the series, the NCIS creative team has already released a preliminary description of Wilmer’s character and it seems this new investigator may blur the lines of acceptable behavior on NCIS.

NCIS Brings In Wilmer Valderrama As A Loose Cannon To Liven Things Up

Valderrama will play a veteran field agent, so NCIS fans shouldn’t expect a green officer liable to make embarrassing and costly rookie mistakes, but that doesn’t mean Wilmer will raise the bar in his new role. To the contrary, the actor’s NCIS character returns after having been lost in a deep cover assignment many years earlier, leading many to believe that the investigator had either been corrupted by those he’d been assigned to observe or had been killed in the line of duty. When the character played by Valderrama does return, he’ll be unpredictable and beguiling, but will also be as dedicated to his job and his country as any officer.

“Wilmer Valderrama will be able to flex his dramatic, physical and comedic talents in this classic NCIS role,” says NCIS executive producer Gary Glasberg. “Fans are going to see him like they’ve never seen him before. This is going to be fun. We’re thrilled he’s coming aboard.”

Since he first captured the attention of audiences in his That 70s Show role, Valderrama has appeared in a long line of shows with his most recent roles on Grey’s Anatomy and Fox’s all too brief Minority Report adaptation.

Wilmer Valderrama Infuses NCIS With New Life, Following The Dramatic Exit Of Michael Weatherly

Bringing Wilmer onto the series as a kind of a loose cannon comes after Michael Weatherly was written out of the series to allow him to pursue other projects. In the series, Weatherly played Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. The NCIS character was involved with Ziva David, played by Cote de Pablo, but that character was killed off, leaving DiNozzo despondent and mournful. As NCIS closed out Season 14, Tony left the NCIS team to concentrate on raising his daughter. The departure leaves room for Weatherly to return in the future without any story complications, suggesting Michael might be departing on good terms with NCIS producers.

“He is a valued part of the CBS family, and the immense charm and talent he brings to the screen as ‘Very’ Special Agent Tony DiNozzo has helped make NCIS what it is today — the No. 1 drama in the world,” CBS said in a statement about Weatherly’s departure from the series. “We thank Michael for all of his contributions to this successful franchise and look forward to continuing to develop projects with him as part of our ongoing development deal.”

Michael Weatherly had been with NCIS since the show’s 2003 premiere and the actor said of his departure that it was inevitable at some point, as much as he loves the drama and enjoys working with the cast and crew.

“I should’ve left years ago, but I was having so much fun I overstayed my welcome horribly — like that guest who won’t leave and keeps digging into your fridge.”

Next up for Michael Weatherly, the actor will star as Dr. Jason Bull in Bull, a T.V. movie about one of the most influential trial consulting firms of all time.

[Image by Rochelle Brodin/Getty Images for De Re Gallery]