ER's Maria Bello Joins the Cast of NCIS

Maria Bello will join the cast of NCIS in Season 15, CBS revealed Thursday.

Bello, who first came to prominence on Season 4 of ER before branching out with acclaimed performances in movies like The Cooler and A History of Violence, will make her return to regular network TV when she joins NCIS starting in the fourth episode of Season 15.

She'll play play an as-yet-unnamed NCIS agent who was built her reputation as the agency's premier forensic psychologist. Before that, she was a second lieutenant in the Army who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. She's mischievous and can be bitingly sarcastic, but she's great at her job and a positive force in the department. Unlike the other agents, she's not afraid to stand up to Gibbs (Mark Harmon). There will be friction between them, but there's also mutual respect.

"We have always been big fans of Maria Bello's work and are excited to be introducing her as an agent who not only has a distinct talent, but also a unique relationship with Gibbs," NCIS executive producers George Schenck and Frank Cardea said in a statement.

NCIS Season 15 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 8/7c on CBS.

(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)