‘NCIS’ season 11: Scott Bakula on filming ‘New Orleans’ spin-off show

In just a matter of few weeks, the entire viewing public will have a chance to check out something exciting that the “NCIS” crew has been working for some time: The backdoor pilot for the “New Orleans” spin-off show.

If this these two episodes are received well by the viewing public and the “NCIS” faithful, then odds are the show will come back with more episodes airing in the fall. One of the tools that is in the arsenal here? Shooting at least a chunk of this first episode in the Big Easy itself. Speaking on the subject to USA Today, the spin-off’s proposed star in Scott Bakula teases per USA Today just why this episode could be so popular thanks in part to where it is located:

“It’s a love letter to New Orleans in four short days … There was some insanity going on. Mark [Harmon] and I laughed a lot. You’ve got a double-decker bus going by with 200 tourists on it and all of a sudden, they look over and he and I are standing on a bridge looking out over the town square. We’re trying to do this very serious scene, and people just start screaming, ‘Hey, Gibbs!’.”

Harmon and “NCIS” showrunner Gary Glasberg are the executive producers on the project, which will make it the third edition to the “NCIS” franchise if it is picked up. When will we know the answer to that? Think May, when CBS holds its upfront presentation along with the rest of the major networks.

Is there anything in particular that you want to see on this “NCIS” episode that you believe will bring it over the top? Share what you think below, and head over here in the event that you haven’t read the full synopsis for this big episode yet. Also, be sure to sign up now if you want to grab some more updates courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: CBS