NCIS
Image AP Photo/CBS, Michael Yarish

With the departure of actress Cote De Pablo from the long-running CBS hit "NCIS," producers are casting a replacement to the show's leading lady, Ziva David.

RELATED: Who Will Replace Ziva On NCIS? Rumors Suggest Leslie Hope May Be Cote de Pablo Replacement [SPOILERS]

Ziva has been a part of NCIS fans' lives for eight of the ten seasons the show has been on the air, but as the 11th season begins Sept. 24, fans will have a couple of episodes to say goodbye, as CBS promises closure on Ziva's storyline, putting the newbie's arrival around January or February.

According to TV Line, the new character's name is "Bishop," and citing "casting intel," the website learned the new addition to the show is "bright, educated, athletic, attractive, fresh-faced, focused and somewhat socially awkward. She has a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination, and idealism. She's traveled extensively, but only feels comfortable at home," TVLine says.

RELATED: Will Ziva Die On 'NCIS'? Find Out How The Show Will Handle The Departure Of Cote de Pablo [SPOILERS]

Prior to the arrival of Bishop, the show will "rotate some fun people" through the agency's doors.

"The first two episodes are all about Ziva's departure," executive producer Gary Glasberg recently told TVLine. "And then in the third episode we introduce, for instance, a woman in her 50s who is a few days away from retirement and just needs to fill the desk time. She, in theory, knew Gibbs all the way back to the days of Mike Franks. So we're going to bring in people like that and have some fun with different characters. And then, hopefully, when people are comfortable enough, one will walk in and be The One."

Although Ziva's exit will likely be painful for loyal viewers, fans can rest assured that the character won't be killed off in her final two episodes, and that there will be a resolution to her on again/off again romance with Michael Weatherly's Tony. "The will they/won't they is answered," Weatherly recently told TV Guide, adding, "Tony's going to be forced to face this Sword of Damocles that's been hanging over him since Season 3."

RELATED: 'NCIS' Season 11 Spoilers: Ziva And Tony Romantic Storyline Confirmed By Cast

In a recent interview with Latina magazine, De Pablo spoke about her exit from the show saying: "It was not an easy decision, not one taken lightly. I feel like I am leaving my family. What I want to say most of all is thank you to the fans and to the people who have been so supportive of me and of the show, who have made the show the great success that it is."

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