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.”

24 Comments

  1. I really Hope pride finally went to sleep and this whole episode was just a horrible nightmare that LaSalle died and he’ll wake up next week and everything will be back to normal

    • I really hope your correct!!! This was my favorite Ncis show. I will never watch Ncis:New Orleans ever again if Our Country Mouse is really gone!

  2. I don’t really believe he’s dead. I’m more than sure city mouse would’ve returned at least for the funeral they were extremely close.

  3. I AGREE WITH EVERYONE 100!!! WORST BAD MOVE EVER LIKE TAKING PRIDE OFF!! YOU CANT YOU DONT YOU SHOULDN’T! HE WAS A GREAT DEAL AND PART OF THE SHOW!!!WOWWW!!! WHYYYY!! I’M SOO HURT AND UPSET!!

  4. I won’t watch the show without LaSalle!! Him and Pride are the show – without him it won’t be good. Big Mistake – HUGE!!

    • I actually feel like I’ve really lost someone. My heart is broken it just won’t be the same. I may even let NCIS New Orleans go. All the franchises has been disappointing. I know nothing is forever but this is just something I can’t stand for.

  5. I don’t like the way lasalle was killed off. If this is true then the show will die off also. It’s already starting to get boring with all the stupid dreams.

  6. I do not like it that Christopher died on this show. Why take away an excellent actor but keep mediocre actors or actresses. There are a new one I could do without. I don’t understand it.

  7. Lasalle is the best character on the show. I truly hope he is not dead I think that it will hurt the show somewhat. He’s the heart of the show.

  8. I really hate that he he is not on the show anymore! I was hoping that they where going to bring him back some way some how. He and pride made that show! It won’t be the same he is a great actor!

  9. I can’t believe that this character has been written out without warning. I won’t be watching as much if at all.

  10. What the heck? I’m still crying after it’s over!
    This is terrible. Wonder why he left?
    I’m praying it’s a dream.

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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.