Why NCIS Producers Don't Rule Out Scott Bakula's Return As Agent Dwayne Pride

Everything in the NCIS world revolves around family, whether it be a team that loves and supports each other no matter what or romantic relationships that have sprung up between colleagues over time. Those individual families have intertwined over the years, with characters from all of the NCIS spin-off shows meeting, arguing, and eventually becoming friends over the years. Time and distance have even resulted in characters from concluded and canceled installments coming back. To wit, Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) has returned to the fold to become a semi-regular on "NCIS: Hawai'i." With that in mind, might other faces — such as "NCIS: New Orleans" lead Dwayne "King" Cassius Pride (Scott Bakula) — surface on another program?

CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios President David Stapf told Deadline King might appear on another show in the franchise. — if the show's writers come up with a good idea first. "If any of the writers have a good idea, and it feels organic, and more on story and [makes] sense versus just doing it to do a stunt, sure, we are open to it," said Stapf. Agreed Reisenbach, "I think when you get into this universe and become a part of the family, we're always happy to have you back in any capacity." She cited the case of "NCIS: Los Angeles" star Daniela Ruah, who has returned to direct several franchise installments.

Scott Bakula hasn't said if he would welcome a return, though he was candid about the bittersweet emotions he felt at the end of "NCIS: New Orleans." Stapf and Reisnbach, however, remain open to spin-offs featuring other characters.

Several beloved and long gone "NCIS" characters might make fun limited series fodder; Amy Reisenbach and David Stapf didn't shy away from creating a mini-showcase for one person in particular — Pauley Perrette's Abby Sciuto.

"We haven't talked about it or thought about it. We love Pauley, and she's always welcome in any of the NCIS [shows], but it hasn't come to us from the writers and/or from her," Stapf said. He admitted that he'd been joking when he'd proposed an Abby-centered miniseries, but the more time he spent considering it, the more sense it made for him to greenlight. "It's genuinely not a bad idea, she was a beloved character."

Perrette hasn't acted since the cancellation of her sitcom "Broke," but she keeps an active Instagram account. Despite the fractious relationship between Perrette and Mark Harmon that had her vowing never to return to "NCIS," it's quite possible that an Abby limited series wouldn't require his presence. And so Abby's future — like King's — remains up in the air.