'NCIS' Season 14 Update: ‘Blue Bloods’ alum Jennifer Esposito seeks to fill Michael Weatherly’s shoes

From one cop show to another, actress Jennifer Esposito seems to have carved her niche in that field.

As “NCIS” gears up for season 14, CBS announced that it has tapped “Blue Bloods” alum Jennifer Esposito to somehow compensate for the loss of one of the show’s big stars, Michael Weatherly. Earlier in May, Weatherly appeared as Agent Anthony DiNozzo for the last time in the “NCIS” episode titled “Family First.”

[READ: “'NCIS' Season 13 episode 24 spoilers: Tony DiNozzo goes out with a bang in ‘Family First'”]

Weatherly, who has become a fan favourite after being part of the highly rated TV show, left a pretty big void, which CBS hopes to fill with Esposito. The 43-year-old actress will appear in the premiere episode as Alex Quinn, described as “an experienced agent who left field work and became an instructor at the Law Enforcement Training Center,” according to Fox News.

“We couldn't be happier to have Jennifer Esposito joining us for season 14,” executive producer Gary Glasberg said in a statement. “She embodies everything that we hoped for in the character of Quinn and we can't wait to have her come be a part of our team.”

Fans were quite taken aback to hear that Esposito has signed up in the CBS show after leaving its other drama, “Blue Bloods” in seemingly bad terms. In 2012, she criticised CBS for letting her go because of her Celiac's disease, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

However, it seemed that the network has since reconciled with the actress. In addition to Esposito, “NCIS” beefed up its crew with Wilmer Valderrama. Last month, CBS announced that the 36-year-old actor is joining the “NCIS” cast members as a series regular. The “That 70s Show” favourite will play “a once grounded NCIS field agent who accepted a deep cover assignment years ago and never resurfaced,” according to TV Guide. Valderrama’s character is described as an “unpredictable, charismatic loose cannon.”

It would be interesting to see how the two new characters work with the original “NCIS” cast, including Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs), Sean Murray (Timothy McGee), Emily Wickersham (Eleanor Bishop), Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer), Rocky Carroll (Leon Vance ), Pauley Perrette (Abby Sciuto) and David McCallum (Dr Donald Mallard).

“NCIS” Season 14 returns on Sept. 20 on CBS. Stay tuned for “NCIS” spoilers and reviews.