Attention: NCIS fans, Matthew Lawrence is joining the cast for a guest starring role next week, and Us Weekly has the exclusive first look.
Lawrence, 44, will play Danny Butler, the son of a retired spy and dementia patient Captain Butler (John Getz). When Danny discovers his father’s true profession it makes him wonder if he ever really knew the man.
“My father is a spy for the Russians?” Danny asks in Us’ exclusive first look at Lawrence in the Monday, November 11, episode (see above). “How is that possible?”
Agents Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) explain that his father’s spy days happened before he was born, but that doesn’t calm him down.
“First, he spends my entire childhood on deployment, and now you’re telling me he’s a traitor? That’s just great,” Danny quips.
While Torres and Knight try to figure out if Danny holds any clues to Captain Butler’s whereabouts they ask, “Did he have any friends, anyone from his past who might’ve spoken another language?”
A frustrated Danny fires back, “What, like, Finnish? Don’t you guys think I would’ve told you that?”
‘NCIS’ Season 22 Will ‘Take It to the Limit': Everything to Know
Once Danny starts to realize that NCIS isn’t the enemy, he apologizes for his outburst. “Sorry, it’s just a lot to take in,” he explains. “It seems like everything I know about my father is a lie.”
Torres totally understands. “You don’t have to apologize, I’ve been there,” he replies.
Danny is at a loss when asked where his father could’ve gone, telling Knight, “I really don’t know about my dad’s time in the navy.”
‘NCIS’ Stars Who’ve Confirmed They Would — Or Wouldn’t — Return to Show
He explains that his dad kept all his Navy relics in boxes. “When mom died, I moved in to take care of him. We put most of his stuff in the garage,” Danny says, agreeing to let the team look.
“Just don’t tell me what you find,” Danny adds, shaking his head in disbelief.
The episode titled “In From the Cold” will follow the NCIS team as they work with the CIA to figure out “what secrets are being kept” by Captain Butler before his dementia erases his memory, according to the official synopsis.
Every Star Who’s Left ‘NCIS’: Where Are They Now?
Lawrence’s character appears to be one of the tactics the team will use to help crack the former spy along the way.
The NCIS episode marks Lawrence’s first cameo on a TV procedural since he guest starred on an episode of Hawaii Five-0 in 2019.
The star, however, has appeared in several movies including 2021’s TV movie Mistletoe Mixup — which also featured his brothers Joey and Andrew Lawrence — and 2022’s Christmas on Repeat. Matthew also cohosts the “Brotherly Love” podcast alongside his siblings.
Catch Matthew’s NCIS debut on CBS Monday, November 11, at 9 p.m. ET.