‘NCIS’ season 11: Scott Bakula signs up for ‘New Orleans’ backdoor pilot

Does “NCIS: New Orleans” now have a leading man? It sure seems like it, based on the news now that former “Quantum Leap” and “Star Trek: Enterprise” star Scott Bakula  has signed up to star in the show, which will first air as a two-part backdoor pilot during “NCIS” season 11 later this spring.

Bakula in particular is going to play a man named NCIS Special Agent Pride, who is a man that embodies in many ways the life and culture of the Big Easy. He is a strong, passionate guy, and by most estimations a hero. He really works as hard as possible to ensure that everything he does is right.

Bakula would potentially star in the new series if it was ordered for CBS, but you have to remember with this network specifically that this is not a sure thing. After all, “NCIS: Red” was a much-touted property at one point featuring Kim Raver, but it never got off of the ground even though it also had a backdoor pilot that aired in the past. This is all going to come down to the writing and the cast chemistry. As they showed with not bringing forward “Beverly Hills Cop,” this is not a network that will bring something to life unless it deserves to be so.

There is a new episode of “NCIS” airing on Tuesday night, entitled “Monsters and Men.” Suffice it to say that it is a big one, as we are dealing largely with the end of the Parsa saga for now.