Scott Bakula Hints at What’s Ahead for Pride on ‘NCIS: New Orleans’

Sam Lothridge/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

When production wrapped for the night, the NCIS: New Orleans cast and crew threw star Scott Bakula a birthday bash fit for a king, complete with a sheet cake decorated with the image of his character, Special Agent Dwayne Pride. The following day, Bakula was back in Pride’s shoes, dispensing New Orleans-style justice and telling us all about it.

NCIS: New Orleans continues its sixth season on CBS with Tuesday’s new episode “Matthew 5:9” (10pm ET/PT) in which Special Agent Christopher Lasalle’s (Lucas Black) desperate hunt for the truth about his brother Cade (Clayne Crawford) comes to a critical point when evidence suggests a drug-trafficking ring may be involved.

Pride travels to Alabama to join Lasalle in searching for clues and assisting local law enforcement to track Cade’s last known whereabouts. Of course, Pride is going to do this investigation his own way.

“This guy wears his heart on his sleeve, anyway, so when you start messing around with his family or extended members of his family, he has trouble doing both things — taking care of his people and also doing his business,” Bakula says of Pride’s not-by-the-book mentality. “It’s a battle. It’s something he fights all the time.”

The case of Lasalle and his brother is deeply personal for Pride. “He has those kinds of parental emotions, and he and Lasalle have been together the longest,” Bakula says. “He’s nurtured him and been his mentor. He knows Lasalle’s story and knows the challenges he’s faced with his brother. Hopefully, the rest of Pride’s team can handle what’s going on in New Orleans so he can really devote himself to being there to help Lasalle in any way he can. It’s a powerful arc, and it’s explosive in many ways.”

It’s been a rough year for Pride, as well. He’s been suffering from nightmares, insomnia and hallucinations stemming from his traumatic experience being kidnapped and drugged last season. Bakula hints that these visions will put Pride on the path to some important realizations in coming episodes.

“He gets some information about some events that happened when he was a very young person that kind of help organize his mind a little bit in terms of looking back on his life and understanding why he is who he is,” Bakula says. “I think that’s going to be satisfying for the audience and, I think, for his character.”

23 Comments

  1. I don’t understand why CBS keeps messing around with the characters on the shows!!!!! This one will NOT be the same without LaSalle!!!! Are you trying to get people to find other shows to watch?????

  2. It better be a dream, I live this show and it won’t be the same without LaSalle. I may stop watching if this is truly what it seems.

  3. I am so disappointed. He was one of the main reasons I watched. And I miss city mouse too. Why do you get rid of most interesting characters. I someone so jealous they get rid of people. Like others – this is the last ncis NO for me if he doesn’t come back!!!!

  4. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that they would eliminate a character so critical to the show. I love Scott Bakula and all the others, but LaSalle’s part completed the show.

  5. I am upset and angry that he is dead,,, a pillar and favorite on the show… make it a part of someones nightmare and bring him back… please!!!

  6. I won’t watch this show again if LaSalle isn’t on the show. He’s the reason I watched. It better be a dream.

    • Bakula and Black are the main reasons I watch. I thought maybe it was a dream. As I’m watching it appears to be a real plot change, and Black is leaving. Don’t like it one bit. Really makes me wonder about the future of the show, no offense to Bakula, who has carried a show before. Really liked LaSalle character.

  7. This better be some story arc this season to justify killing a pivotal character like LaSalle off.
    I guess it will be revealed whether this was a story driven death or whether it was Lucas Bkack’s decision to leave the show.

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About Ryan Berenz 2186 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.