A new clip from NCIS season 23 reveals the debut of a veteran TV star as Parker’s sister. Moving to Tuesday nights, along with NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney, NCIS season 23 will debut on CBS on October 14 at 8 p.m. ET. It’ll have to pick up after a devastating loss for Gary Cole’s Alden Parker, still reeling from the murder of his father.
The Kominsky Method and Last Man Standing star Nancy Travis has joined the long-running crime drama under those cloudy circumstances, playing Navy Vice Admiral Harriet Parker, the sister of Alden Parker, in a guest role. Travis will make her debut as Harriet in the upcoming season’s two-part premiere.
TVLine has unveiled a sneak preview of the NCIS season 23 premiere, which highlights Travis’ debut as Harriet. She encounters Palmer (Brian Dietzen), and it’s clear from their preview interaction that the situation is tense. Although she’s ostensibly there to look after her father’s belongings, Harriet implicitly dings her brother a few times.
What Harriet’s Arrival Means For NCIS Season 23
Harriet’s debut goes back to the events of the NCIS season 22 finale. Carla Marino (Rebecca De Mornay) double-crosses Alden and kills his father. Because of how the CBS show up to that point, and especially throughout the finale, positions Carla as a potential love interest for Alden, the turn is especially shocking. Carla blames Alden for the death of her son years earlier, though, wanting to hurt him in the same way.
Harriet may not be the most comforting presence. In the clip, she’s all business with Jimmy. And when the subject turns to Alden, she’s dismissive of her brother and the idea that they are on the same playing level. She says, at one point, that “my brother couldn’t have worn the uniform, even if he wanted to.”
| Travis’ Notable Movie & TV Credits | Who She Played |
|---|---|
| Three Men and a Baby (1987) | Sylvia Bennington |
| So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) | Harriet Michaels |
| Becker (2002–2004) | Chris Connor |
| The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) | Lydia Rodman |
| Last Man Standing (2011–2021) | Vanessa Baxter |
| The Kominsky Method (2018–2021) | Lisa |
The logline for the episode teases that Alden puts himself at risk, not to mention his team, in an effort to catch Carla. But setting aside the obvious sibling rivalry and potential resentments, Travis’s addition to the NCIS cast may offer a window into something else. Harriet does spot a file related to Alden’s late mother, Eleanor, whose mystery remains unsolved.
Our Take On The New NCIS Character
Despite the circumstances, Harriet looks like an interesting character to add to the mix. Since she’s been introduced, perhaps there’s some hope that she could recur on NCIS when the emotional landscape is less dire for Alden. She could reflect a side of the character that viewers don’t often see, the kind of vulnerability that only siblings can bring to the surface.
