As plans for Michael Weatherly's "NCIS" exit continue to be tightly guarded, news about the arrival of a new female character before the end of Season 13 has started to circulate.

In all, TV Line reports the cast of TV's most-watched drama will be getting two new series regulars before the end of this season -- one of them a woman named Tess, further described as "quick-witted, sarcastic, shrewd" and "two parts bulldog, one part sweet kitten."

CBS is said to be seeking a "name" actress for the three-time divorced character, also hailed as someone "in her late 30s, who has recently transferred to D.C. from New York City's Counter-Terrorism Unit."

A regular on the series for all of its first 13 seasons, Weatherly recently announced that he will be leaving the show at the end of the season, setting off a frenzy of speculation about how show executives might decide to say goodbye to his Anthony DiNozzo character.

Meanwhile, word has already leaked that Scottie Thompson will be returning as Jeanne Benoit prior to his sendoff. Latin Post has previously reported her return could prominently figure into what ultimately comes of DiNozzo.

Several media sites have also speculated former series regular Cote de Pablo (Ziva David) could also be returning for a special guest appearance.

USA Today previously reported Weatherly is slated to commence working with CBS on other projects and is rumored to have a development deal already in place. His exit leaves Mark Harmon (Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs), Pauley Perrette (Abby Sciuto) and David McCallum (Donald "Ducky" Mallard) as the only original characters remaining on the long-running series.

After a brief hiatus, "NCIS" is slated to return to the CBS airwaves on Feb.9, though no timetable has been given for when the episodes starring Thompson might air.

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