No easy ride on NCIS
It has been named the world's most- watched TV drama, is in its 12th successful season and continues to captivate viewers despite losing a key cast member last year.
Although it is rare for any show to enjoy such success in the fickle world of television, NCIS is an exception to the rule; the series spawned from the now defunct naval crime drama JAG has also produced two popular spin-offs NCIS: LA and NCIS: New Orleans.
With NCIS being something of a juggernaut on US television, it is no wonder actress Emily Wickersham was filled with trepidation when she scored a role on the series last year.
Having played small roles on The Sopranos and Gossip Girl, joining the show's 11th season as the bright but elusive NSA analyst Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop marked Wickersham's big break.
"Nervous is an understatement," Wickersham recalls. "Knowing the viewership and how successful this show is and how this cast has worked together for so many years, there were a lot of intimidating factors there for me.
"I feel like NCIS is everywhere and on all the time, so I was definitely a fan. In that respect, it made it that much scarier. I mean, it's one of those shows that you see and think 'Wow, that is such a successful show', and I didn't expect I'd ever be on it, so it was pretty cool."
Initially cast for three episodes, Wickersham made such a good impression the creators decided to keep her on as a series regular.
"It's a big thing having a new character come in, especially after the team had worked together for so long," Wickersham says. "I think they wanted to make sure it was the right fit, so I was thrilled after three episodes to find out that I was going to stick around."
Stepping in to replace former female lead and NCIS favourite Ziva (Cote de Pablo, who unexpectedly departed the show last year citing "personal reasons"), Wickersham's Bishop eventually found her stride within the tight-knit NCIS fraternity, even though it took some time for their leader, hard-nosed Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) to warm to her.
Even so, there is still an air of mystery surrounding Bishop's private life.
For several episodes, creators titillated fans with the revelation that Bishop was married but it was only recently that the identity of her husband, known only as Jake, was unveiled. Set to be played by English actor Jamie Bamber, creators will introduce Bishop's other half this season, but not even Wickersham can explain why her character's personal life has been shrouded in so much secrecy.
"Maybe she's just super-private about her husband, at least that's what it seems like to me so far," Wickersham says.
"We're still yet to meet him. I hope we'll get to meet him. But from what I've heard and what I've worked on, we will get to know Bishop a bit more in her personal life, which I cannot wait for because it's also going to be all new to me and learning more and more about the character makes it more fun."
For the most part, US critics have praised Bishop's addition to the NCIS unit as a "refreshing change of pace", describing her as a "brilliant new kid on the block".
That said, she still felt the pressure to live up to fan- favourite Ziva, even though rumours abound that De Pablo will make an appearance in the show's current 12th season.
"Cote did such a wonderful job as Ziva and I know all the fans out there really, really love that character, and how could you not," she says.
"It was really scary but I tried to think of it not as a replacement but as an added character."
"I know some people don't love the Bishop character; I think getting a new character coming on, it's going to be a bit tough but for the most part I feel like people have been pretty accepting. I really feel like they've given Bishop a shot."
