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Jennifer Esposito Confirmed As Michael Weatherly’s Replacement On ‘NCIS’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 05:34 PST, Jul 17, 2016

Jennifer Esposito was recently cast as a series regular in the upcoming 14th season of NCIS. According to Fox News, Jennifer Esposito was cast in NCIS to help fill the void left by Michael Weatherly, who notably departed from the show last spring.

CBS announced that Esposito will join the series in the Season 14 premiere as Alex Quinn. Esposito takes on the role of an experienced agent who left field work and became an instructor at the Law Enforcement Training Center. Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, will recruit her to the team at the top of the season.

The executive producer for the show, Gary Glasberg, expressed his joy with the casting of Jennifer Esposito for Season 14, saying that the Summer of Sam actress embodies everything that the writers and himself had hoped for in the character of Quinn.

The news of Jennifer Esposito landing another role in a CBS drama comes as some surprise for fans after she left Blue Bloods amid controversy, accusing CBS in 2012 of firing her from the show due to her Celiac disease. Via a series of Twitter messages, the actress claimed that CBS had not listened to her doctor and that, as a result, she had collapsed on the set of the show with the entire cast as a witness to the incident. After a week, Esposito’s doctor said that she could return to work.

At the time of the tweets, Jennifer Esposito claimed that CBS had not believed her illness and saw the incident as a scheme to get a raise. Esposito has since moved on from the incident and the controversy surrounding both herself and the network as she is set to make her debut on the Season 14 premiere of NCIS on Tuesday, September 20.

Jennifer Esposito may well be a good choice for the show, as the news of her being cast in NCIS was met with positivity from fans. According to Buddy TV, Jennifer Esposito could well become a perfect addition to the cast and the show.

The casting of the Welcome to Collinwood actress in the role of Alexandra Quinn was seen as a welcome addition by fans of the CBS hit series. Although the fans still refuse to accept any casting changes stemming from the huge void left by Agent Tony DiNozzo, most fans are eager to have Esposito on the show for a very good reason: the Don’t Say a Word actress is no stranger to cop procedural shows.

Esposito played the role of Detective Jackie Curatola, who was the partner of Detective Danny Reagan, in the CBS drama Blue Bloods. Esposito’s Jackie, who was divorced and was often the butt of sexist jokes and comments from her colleagues, appeared on the show from Season 1 to Season 3. She proved herself to be the most interesting character on the show, as she was the perfect partner for Danny. The character, and Esposito, was adored by fans.

When she eventually had to take a break from the NYPD on the show, she was greatly missed, and fans agreed that a void was left by the actress on the show, as nobody else came close to taking over as Danny’s partner despite several possible replacements being considered. Her status as an irreplaceable part of the show spoke volumes about the kind of energy and portrayal that NCIS fans can expect from Jennifer Esposito.

Not much is known about Esposito’s new character as yet, or if the new character is anything like Jackie from Blue Bloods. All that is known so far is that Jennifer Esposito’s new character is described to possess a sharp wit, a quick mind, and immense talent. It is very likely that Esposito’s new role on NCIS will become a hit with the fans and, once again, showcase her talent.

[Photo by RW/MediaPunch/IPX/AP Images]

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