In the midst of airing its 22nd season as part of the 2025 TV schedule, NCIS is staying strong by still churning out exciting stories. The series, which is one of nine shows that’s been renewed by CBS as of late, continues to deliver surprises and heartbreak, such as the breakup between Jimmy Palmer and Jessica Knight. While it seemed like there could be a chance of Jimmy and Jessica getting back together, that may not happen now that Jimmy’s getting a potential love interest. Brian Dietzen discussed that as well as his sweet connection to the actress playing her.
The March 3 episode of the long-running procedural, which is titled “Close to Home”, will introduce a new face, who could shake up Jimmy’s world. According to TV Insider, Erinn Hayes will portray Wendy Hill, Jimmy’s neighbor, who he meets at the H.O.A. cocktail hour event. Considering Jimmy hasn’t had the best luck when it comes to romance and is still getting over his breakup with Jess, Dietzen shared balanced thoughts on the notion of his character possibly finding a new romantic spark:
I love that what we see here is we see Jimmy really trying to be happy is what it comes down to. We see that it didn’t work with Jess, his wife has passed away. He’s still trying. He’s still trying to find something. He is not an old guy. He’s still middle-aged guy with a teenage daughter. He doesn’t want to hang it up yet. So he’s making his efforts, however difficult it may be in the midst of her potentially, I don’t know, maybe being a murderer. We’re not sure. I don’t know. But I like to see that they’re giving Jimmy his shots at it.
It took a while for Jimmy to really get back into the dating pool after losing Breena and, even when he started falling for Jess, he was still on the fence. Now, the two of them have broken up, and the situation is seemingly okay between them, considering they’ve settled into a new normal for Season 22.
With all of that in mind, fans may have been hoping that they would try things out again since Jess is sticking around and no longer with REACT. It’s way to early to say what might lie ahead for Jimmy and Wendy, but I agree with Dietzen that it’s great that Jimmy gets another shot at love.
Whatever happens between Jimmy and Wendy, it sounds like the actors who play them are glad to be in each other’s company. Brian Dietzen revealed a longtime connection he shares with Erinn Hayes, and it’s not just because of her CBS background. Dietzen and the Kevin Can Wait star have known each other for quite a while, and some stage work is involved in their personal history:
Yeah. Well, okay, first off, I can’t say enough good things about Erinn Hayes. I’ve known Erinn since I was about 18 years old. We went to college together, and we first played opposite one another when in a production of Antigone, I was Haemon, and she was Antigone. So we go way back to Greek tragedies, and she’s absolutely terrific. She’s a hilarious comedian, and she’s also a wonderful dramatic actress. So I was really happy when I saw there’s this character coming up. I said, you got to get Erinn to come on. And she’s obviously been on a number of CBS shows, so they were happy to have her.
I’d imagine that the two actors’ personal relationship adds a layer of comfortability to their work on NCIS. One would hope that the two actors prove to have solid chemistry and that Erinn Hayes sticks around for a little while. The length of her tenure on the show aside, I think it’s just lovely that Hayes and Brian Dietzen have the chance to work together again.
NCIS can be unpredictable when it comes to what’s done with its heroes and antagonists as well as the relationships they become entangled in. With more episodes to come in Season 22, I remain excited to see whether luck will indeed be a lady for Jimmy. Fans will have to tune in on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS to find out. They can also stream said installments the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.
