'NCIS' adds 'Veep' vet Gary Cole, but what does it mean for Mark Harmon's Gibbs?

Two familiar faces, "Veep" vet Gary Cole and "Hawaii Five-0" alum Katrina Law, are joining CBS hit "NCIS" this fall as series regulars for Season 19.  

Cole, a well-known TV and film actor who received an Emmy nomination for "Veep" and just finished a run in ABC's canceled "Mixed-ish," will play FBI Special Agent Alden Park on the long-running procedural. He also has a recurring role on Paramount+'s "The Good Fight.”

Cole's character is not replacing Mark Harmon's NCIS team leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but there has been much speculation about the level of his involvement in the upcoming season. TV Line Monday reported Harmon would appear in a limited number of episodes next season, citing multiple unnamed sources.

Gibbs became distanced from his NCIS team last season after being suspended for the assault of a man who abused dogs. In May's season finale, Gibbs appeared to narrowly avert death when his boat exploded.

"NCIS" viewers already have gotten a glimpse of Law's character, Special Agent Jessica Knight, who appeared in Season 18's final two episodes. CBS describes Knight as "a formidable REACT (Regional Enforcement Action Capabilities Training Team) agent who specializes in hostage negotiations and handles daily high-risk operations with skill and precision. Sharp, athletic and tough, she is fiercely tenacious and with a wry sense of humor." 

Law is hardly a newcomer to the CBS law-enforcement fraternity, having played Quinn Liu, a member of Steve McGarrett's team, during the final season of "Five-0," and a detective on "Training Day."

Cast arrivals and departures have been common over the long run of "NCIS." Law's designation as a series regular comes just after the departure of Emily Wickersham, whose Special Agent Ellie Bishop surprised viewers by leaving the NCIS team – and the series – in the season finale. Another regular, Maria Bello's Jack Sloane, left "NCIS" earlier in the season.

Other returning cast members include include Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, Rocky Carroll and David McCallum. 

One of the series' two spinoffs, "NCIS: New Orleans," ended its run last spring, but "NCIS: Hawai'i" will join "NCIS: Los Angeles" and the original "NCIS" this fall.