It didn't take long for NCIS: Origins to round out the rest of the Fed Five cast after we learned about the casting of the young Dwayne “King” Pride. While we don’t know for sure if the infamous Privileged Killer case will be addressed on the show, let’s go over what happened and who will be portraying the younger versions of Felix Betts and Dan McLane.
The Fed Five will appear in Season 2, episode 11, which is titled “Feelin’ Alright?” We first met Felix Betts, originally played by the late Stuart Margolin, on season 11 of NCIS. These episodes were also the lead-in to the spin-off NCIS: New Orleans.
On NCIS: Origins, Betts will be played by Modern Family actor Adam Kulbersh. Blue Bloods actor Mark Deklin will portray the role of McLane. It was already announced that Pride would be portrayed by Shea Buckner, who is taking on the role previously played by Scott Bakula.
What we know so far about Pride’s appearance is that he works at the NIS Panama field office alongside Veteran agent McClane, and will join the Pendleton office on a task force involving stolen weapons. Betts comes from the Los Angeles office to also help on the task force. While Gibbs and Pride have a close relationship in the present day, the past will see them dealing with past tension as they work together.
What was the Privileged Killer about and how was Dan McLane connected?
The episode will likely not involve the Privileged Killer since the Fed Five task force has not been officially put together. However, it would be interesting to see the events play out since we know how it affected Pride and Gibbs later when they discovered the truth about Dan.
In the two-part NCIS Season 11 episode “Crescent City,” Gibbs was reunited with Pride when McLane was found murdered, and they discovered it involved a former case they had worked on during their probie years. They thought their killer had been apprehended, a man named Victor Lorta who always claimed innocence.
At the time they were investigating the Privileged Killer, whose victims consisted of members of the Military, McLane was dealing with financial issues relating to family health issues, and the real killer’s father, Josef Hanlon, had bribed him to look the other way.
Being probies, Pride and Gibbs did not know the truth and were stunned to learn what Dan had done. However, at the time of his murder amid re-election as a Congressman, he wanted to tell the truth, but was killed before he could make things right.
However the show portrays the events that occurred surrounding Privileged, we’re excited to see the early beginnings of Pride and Gibbs’s friendship. There is so much to tell, and we’re looking forward to seeing how NCIS: Origins brings the canon into this part of Gibbs’s story.
NCIS: Origins returns to CBS with new episodes on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2026 at 9/8c.