Sela Ward is the new boss on Dick Wolf’s FBI

Dick Wolf’s upcoming series FBI has found its new boss, as CSI: New York alum Sela Ward will now play the show’s supervisor role in a recasting.

Recasting is fairly common on Dick Wolf shows, and his new drama FBI is no exception. The show has recast the team’s supervisor, bringing aboard TV veteran Sela Ward.

Ward replaces Connie Nielsen (from the Dominic Cooper film Stratton and who appeared with Jeff Hephner on the Starz drama Boss), who played the Agent in Charge during the pilot.

Rather than take over Nielsen’s character, Ward will be playing a new agent named Dana Mosier.

It’s not known if Nielsen’s performance will still be seen in the pilot, which premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 25, or if Ward will shoot new scenes to be included in that first episode.

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But she’s a famiiar face to viewers of CBS, which is where FBI will be seen. Ward played crime scene investigator Jo Danville in seasons 7-9 of CSI: New York, replacing Melina Kanakaredes. Amusingly, Jo’s backstory was that she had previously worked for the FBI.

Ward is also recognizable as Dr. Gregory House’s love interest Stacy Warner on FOX‘s House, was a series regular for two seasons on the EPIX political comedy Graves, and recently appeared on HBO‘s Westworld as the late wife of William (you can see her briefly in the promo for that episode).

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Sela Ward earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama in 1994 for NBC‘s Sisters, and a second Emmy in the same category in 2000 with ABC‘s family drama Once & Again. She’s got plenty of TV credentials, and so many credits that she’s an instantly recognizable face to so many small-screen viewers.

While Nielsen would have been a fine choice for FBI as well—her work as the MI6 boss in Stratton proves she has the mettle for a supervisor role, and she would have been recognizable to viewers of Dick Wolf series from playing Detective Dani Beck on Law & Order: SVU—Ward is a more than solid second option.

She’s critically acclaimed, she’s well known, and those three seasons on CSI: NY mean she’s got plenty of experience working on a procedural, on the same network no less. She’ll deliver a great performance, provided that the show fleshes out the character of Dana Mosier and doesn’t leave her as the supervisor sitting behind a desk.

Sela Ward’s hiring isn’t the only change happening in FBI season 1; the show also switched out its showrunner and executive producer. You can learn more about that by clicking the link below.

Let us know what you think of this casting news in the comments. For more news on all of Dick Wolf’s other shows, follow the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center.