No one can ever really replace Pauley Perrette's "NCIS" Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto ... but the show must go on. Or whether it must or not, it *is* going on.

"NCIS" Season 16 will include Diona Reasonover as a new series regular. She had guest starred in three episodes late last season, playing Ducky's (David McCallum) new graduate assistant Kasie Hines.

Fans wondered if Kasie would end up The New Abby on a permanent (or at least longterm) basis, and now it's confirmed:

(They meant "cue.")

Actress/writer Diona Reasonover, 26, doesn't have a very long filmography at this point, but she starred in the short-lived TBS series "Clipped," and in individual episodes of several shows -- from "2 Broke Girls" and "Grace and Frankie" to "Superstore" and "Girl Meets World." She also has writing credits for "Adam Ruins Everything," "I Love Dick," "I Love You, America," and "The Standoff," in which she also starred.

Pauley Perrette was a regular on "NCIS" for 15 seasons, but there was apparently some behind-the-scenes tension leading to her exit, including "a workplace concern" she took to CBS more than a year ago.

"NCIS" Season 16 just started taping this week for its premiere September 25, 2018 on CBS:

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