Jennifer Beals has been cast as the female lead in NCIS: New York, CBS's newest spin-off in its long-running crime drama franchise, starring alongside LL Cool J and Scott Caan. The casting matters as it fleshes out the top billing for a series that is being launched at speed for a autumn debut, forming part of CBS's NCIS-branded Tuesday-night line-up with next-day streaming on Paramount+.

Beals will play Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells, the field office director and boss to LL Cool J's Sam Hanna and Caan's Nick Schaeffer. Three further actors have joined as series regulars playing members of the team: Jacqueline Byers as Special Agent Addison "Addy" Ross, Shane Harper as Special Agent Wyatt Hill, and Devin Druid as Tech Specialist Sean Sullivan. The show is produced by CBS Studios with Byron Balasco as showrunner, and sees LL Cool J reprise his NCIS: Los Angeles role as Hanna returns to his native New York.