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“NCIS” season 16 may just have the perfect solution to the long-running series' dwindling cast. Most of the original cast members have been trimmed down over the years, with Pauley Perrette's Abby Sciuto being the latest departure in season 15.
Abby Sciuto's departure isn't helped by the fact that her old partner-in-crime and part-time mentor, Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum), is still with “NCIS” season 16 but will be appearing onscreen less due to the actor's family commitments. But Diona Reasonover's Kasie Hines may be the perfect replacement to Perrette's quirky goth scientist and a true inheritor of Ducky Mallard's legacy on the show.
Originally introduced as Ducky Mallard's research assistant in season 15, Diona Reasonover was recently promoted to a regular cast member for “NCIS” season 16. While originally just slated to keep Ducky on schedule as he worked on his book on forensic cases, Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon) bring Kasie into the NCIS team in episode 23 of season 15 after Abby Sciuto leaves due to the trauma of being shot in the line of duty.
“NCIS's” showrunners Frank Cardea and Steven D. Binder share with Variety that even though Kasie Hines will functionally be filling the role that Perrette's Sciuto left behind as the team's forensic's scientist, her character aims to be a fresh lens which new viewers of the show can relate with in “NCIS” Season 16. Kasie Hines isn't meant to mimic fan-favorite Abby Sciuto's attitude; rather, Hines is meant to be a newcomer with “unjaded enthusiasm” that can hopefully infect her “highly experienced and somewhat hardened federal agent” co-workers.
Hopefully, Hines's fresh perspective and enthusiasm will also infect veteran viewers of the show as well as new viewers who will start their fandom with “NCIS” season 16. Fans of CBS's crime-drama series who are looking forward to seeing how Kasie Hines will be working full time with Leroy Gibbs and his team can expect “NCIS” season 16 to air its premiere episode on Sept. 25.
