‘NCIS’ Season 24 welcomes a special guest with a real-life connection to Katrina Law

The last time ‘NCIS’ aired a new episode, the show found a way to sneak a superhero into a Navy investigation. William Katt, who wore the cape in ‘The Greatest American Hero,’ turned up as a doctor in a nod to the series. After taking a week off for CBS’ election coverage, the procedural returns with another guest appearance. This one has a personal connection to Katrina Law.

Law’s daughter, Kinley Andreen, makes her acting debut in the Season 24 episode ‘Speechless.’ Andreen plays Chloe Sims, an 8-year-old witness whose Marine mother goes missing. The episode marks the first time Law, who plays Special Agent Jessica Knight, shares the screen with her daughter. Law joined the show near the end of Season 18 and became a series regular the following season. In an interview with TV Insider, Law called it her “favorite acting gig, hands down.”

The network’s preview keeps one detail about Chloe under wraps. CBS says “the shy young witness is concealing a surprising skill that could be the key to cracking the case.” The first-look photos show Knight with Chloe, and Law said in a video interview that Andreen speaks fluent Mandarin. Law also described how quickly she went from playing Knight to feeling like a proud mom, even in the middle of a scene.

That instinct followed Law into rehearsals. She said that she was so busy helping Andreen run lines and giving her notes that she had barely paid attention to her own dialogue. Andreen had already tried to reassure her. “Mommy, I know my lines,” Law remembered her saying. When the crew was ready to shoot, and the two were getting their final touch-ups, it hit her. “I don’t know what my lines are,” she recalled saying. Law asked her stand-in to run lines with her. Her response to her well-prepared 7-year-old? “OK, show-off.”

There’s a precedent for bringing a cast member’s daughter onto ‘NCIS.’ Back in Season 19, Cay Ryan Murray, the daughter of Sean Murray, who plays Timothy McGee, guest-starred as Teagan Fields in ‘The Brat Pack.’ McGee got to know Teagan while working the case. The team was investigating a string of break-ins at Marine Base Quantico.

Andreen’s debut airs Tuesday, November 10, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. It opens the network’s Tuesday ‘NCIS’ lineup. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can stream it live. Essential subscribers can watch it on demand starting November 11.