Sonja Flemming/CBSSo long Ziva, hello Bishop!
Though fans are still recovering from the shocking news that Cote de Pablo would not be returning for the 11th season, NCIS is ready to move on. The hit CBS series is currently looking to cast a new series regular as the show's leading lady to fill the void left by Ziva's exit, E! News has confirmed.
The character? A twentysomething named Bishop, who is described as "bright, educated, athletic, attractive, fresh-faced, focused and somewhat socially awkward."
"She has a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination and idealism," the casting breakdowns obtained by TVLine, who first reported the news, continued. "She's traveled extensively, but only feels comfortable at home."
Viewers will most likely meet Bishop later in the season, most likely January or February, but they will also have time to say a proper goodbye to Pablo's character, Ziva, as she will appear in the first two episodes of season 11, which CBS promises will contain "appropriate closure in this chapter of Ziva's story."
After eight season on NCIS, Pablo announced her decision to leave the series in July, saying, "I look forward to finishing Ziva's story."
Pablo recently spoke about her exit in an interview with Latina magazine, saying, "It was not an easy decision, not one taken lightly. I feel like I am leaving my family. What I want to say most of all is thank you to the fans and to the people who have been so supportive of me and of the show, who have made the show the great success that it is."
At the 2013 Summer TV Press Tour, CBS CEO Les Moonves opened up about Pablo's exit, revealing that the network "offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money. And then we offered her even more money. We really didn't want to lose her; we love her, she was terrific."
NCIS returns on Sept. 24 on CBS.