Special Agent Dwayne Cassius “King” Pride certainly can, but does NCIS: New Orleans star Scott Bakula actually play the piano on the show? NCIS started life as a backdoor pilot during season 8 of legal drama JAG. Led by Mark Harmon’s Gibbs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service loaned their expertise in two episodes before earning their own spin-off. While the show started off slow in ratings, it grew over the first few years to become one of the most-watched shows on television. Its popularity is reflected in the fact that it’s still on the air nearly 20 years later.
Of course, the success of a series doesn’t guarantee its own spin-offs will hit the same heights. CBS’ Criminal Minds, for instance, ran for 15 successful seasons, but offshoots like Suspect Behavior quickly crashed and burned. That didn’t happen as NCIS’ – which is returning for season 20 – first spin-off Los Angeles has itself been running for 14 seasons. A new series dubbed NCIS: Hawaiʻi debuted in 2021 and proved a hit also, leading to a second season being greenlit.
2014 also saw the arrival of NCIS: New Orleans, led by Scott Bakula’s Agent Dwayne Cassius Pride. Bakula’s “Pride” was first introduced on an episode of NCIS as an old friend of Gibbs. New Orleans didn’t quite have the legs of its parents series or Los Angeles, but it still ran for a healthy seven seasons, with the show coming to a close in 2021. Pride is also seen playing the piano many times throughout, leading some to wonder if the actor himself is performing the songs. It turns out that not does Star Trek: Enterprise star Scott Bakula play the piano, but he has a rich musical background.
Scott Bakula’s Musical Background
In the early ’80s the actor performed in musicals like Nightclub Confidential, and in 1988 was nominated for a Tony Award for Romance/Romance. The following year Scott Bakula broke through by playing the lead role in Quantum Leap, with the sci-fi series running for five seasons. Fans of that series may recall that Bakula played the piano as Sam Beckett occasionally too. The actor himself admitted he had a hand in working his passion for music into NCIS: New Orleans whenever it worked for the story.
Scott Bakula is a talented singer too and got a chance to perform a ballad during his surprise cameo in a season 12 episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philidelphia. While NCIS: New Orleans – which killed LaSalle during season 6 – may have ended, there’s nothing to say Bakula’s Pride couldn’t make future guest appearances on NCIS‘ other offshoots.
Next: NCIS: New Orleans Cast & Character Guide
