2 l May
23 - 29, 2021
Northeast Oregon TV Weekly
BY JAY BOBBIN
‘NCIS’ bids New Orleans farewell
as CBS spinoff signs off
In helping to bring “NCIS: New Orleans”
to a close, CCH Pounder is leaving it with
Pride.
That’s as in Dwayne Pride, the Scott
Bakula-portrayed team leader who Pounder’s
coroner character Loretta Wade has worked
with closely on the CBS drama, which wraps
up its seven-season run Sunday, May 23. In
the series finale, Pride is preparing to marry
his security-official girlfriend Rita (played by
Bakula’s real-life wife Chelsea Field) when
he’s distracted by an ongoing case.
As the sun sets on one “NCIS” spinoff,
another is on the horizon – using one of
its favorite action-show locations, CBS has
ordered “NCIS: Hawaii” for next season
– but Pounder says she’s satisfied with the
ending given her “New Orleans” alter ego.
“There’s always a catchphrase like, ‘She’s
the moral center’ or ‘She’s the best friend
or the great adviser,’ ” the pleasant Pounder
muses, “and that usually means, ‘Uh-oh.
There’s not going to be much for her to do.’
But (the show’s producers and writers) were
really very attentive to someone interested
in building a character who was something
other than a fabulous workhorse.”
Though “NCIS” already had yielded a
successful offshoot in “NCIS: Los Angeles,”
Pounder maintains she never saw “NCIS:
New Orleans” as a sure bet to be ordered
when she became involved.
“Oh, good grief, no!,” she says
emphatically. “I was one of those who was
like, ‘There’s two of them already. What
could a third one possibly be?’ I was not
expecting anything, but once I discovered
that New Orleans itself was going to be
a huge character in the show, I would see
such unexpected things in the background
... trains, bridges, all these natural things. I
always thought that was a wonderful sort of
paint brush to use in showing what the city
would be like.”
In fact, Pounder enjoyed it enough to
become a full-time resident there: She and
her late husband gave up their house in
California and moved to one in the Big Easy;
where she plans to remain based, at least for
the time being. She had worked earlier with
“NCIS: New Orleans” star Bakula on his
series “Quantum Leap,” but after much other
television work ranging from “The X-Files”
to “The West Wing,” she reasons, “I think
I can operate from pretty much anywhere
these days, provided that the health and
travel restrictions are cool.”
As she says goodbye to “NCIS: New
Orleans,” then, Pounder is glad she’s not
also having to do the same to the actual
New Orleans. “The people are exceedingly
friendly,” she enthuses, “and I really have
appreciated their appreciation of our being
here. They still get excited about seeing film
crews, and that’s really nice.”
541-523-3673 | 541-963-3161
For more information
Her Feet, His Feet,
We take care of ALL Feet
FREE eBooks
and audiobooks
Thousands of titles
AVAILABLE DAILY
Noon to midnight
We specialize in quality medical and surgical care
for all types of foot and ankle problems.
Unlimited # of sessions at NO CHARGE!
It’s PRE-PAID with your taxes.
Access with
your Baker County Library Card
from www.bakerlib.org/kids-teens
Explore the ONLINE LIBRARY at www.bakerlib.org
541.523.6419
info@bakerlib.org
Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M.
Foot and Ankle Surgeon
541-963-0265
888-843-9090
www.GVfoot.com
La Grande
1408 N Hall Street
Enterprise
601 Medical Parkway
Baker
3175 Pocahontas Rd.