NCIS: New Orleans Is Giving Pride The Perfect New Love Interest

pride ncis: new orleans pensive face

Just because NCIS: New Orleans takes place in the party-ready Big Easy, that doesn't mean anything is ever easy for this characters. The job keeps everybody busy on a regular basis, but even special agents need a little love and affection every so often, and Scott Bakula's Dwayne Pride is going to get another stab at romantic happiness that, understandably, doesn't involve his ex-wife Linda. But what makes this particular NCIS: New Orleans addition interesting is that the role was filled by Chelsea Field, who just so happens to be Bakula's wife in real life.

Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? It should not be much of a (non-quantum) leap for him to get along with her on the set, since they should have perfect chemistry. When Chelsea Field shows up on NCIS: New Orleans, which is set to happen in the March 7 installment, she will be playing Rita Devereaux, an old friend from Pride's past. On the strictly official side of things, Rita is a District Attorney and a Reserve Navy Commander within the JAG Corps, and she gets embroiled in some cases that Pride and his NCIS team are investigating. Don't be disappointed when sparks aren't immediately flying, as the follow-up episode is where the heat starts up.

For the March 14 episode, Team NCIS will be tracking down a rogue Special Ops Marine who managed to take out six men inside a bar, and this situation will be the one that gets Pride and Rita back in front of each other. You see, the two used to do other things together that had little to do with busting bad guys...they played music together, as she would partner up with him on the piano back in the days when his music major was still fresh. You were probably thinking much dirtier, weren't you? Well, that's fine, too, since they apparently were tickling more than just the ivories back then, according to TV Guide.

It's going to be great to see Pride getting some excitement in that area of his life, particularly when it's Scott Bakula's legit significant other hitting it off with him. Interestingly, though, while this will be actress Chelsea Field's first time on NCIS: New Orleans, it won't be her first appearance within the connected CBS universe, as she also appeared on an episode of NCIS prime back in 2006. That character's name was Jocelyn Wayne, though, so they're clearly not the same person, and we definitely won't be seeing a crossover where she plays both characters. (Or will we?) Here she is with Gibbs.

chelsea field NCIS jocelyn wayne

Not exactly killing it in the ratings, NCIS: New Orleans will keep Pride's boots a-knockin' when it airs Monday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS. Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is heading to the small screen in the near future.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.