Nia Long has joined the cast of CBS’ veteran crime drama series NCIS: Los Angeles as a series regular. She will be introduced in the ninth season premiere on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Long will play the team’s new executive assistant director, Shay Mosely. The character will fill the void left by the death of NCIS Assistant Director Owen Granger, played on the show for five seasons by the late Miguel Ferrer who passed away in January. As a former Secret Service agent now working for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Mosely is an experienced Washington insider who brings an east coast style and demeanor to the west coast team.
Apparently the role was written specially for Nia Long because the role plays to her strengths as an actress. The show has been a solid performer for CBS over its 8 seasons and this addition should add to its success. Boyz N the Hood alumna Long recently did a major arc on Fox’s Empire. She can next be seen in the indie film Lemon, from director Janicza Bravo, which premiered at Sundance. Also, she starred in the Sundance indie “Roxanne Roxanne” and recently wrapped the Sony feature Life in a Year.