#’NCIS: New Orleans’ Deals With COVID-19 & Finds Little Moments of Joy (PHOTOS)

Life is changing in New Orleans on the CBS procedural — but in at least one good way when Season 7 begins.

Chelsea Field has been promoted to series regular on NCIS: New Orleans, and as the first photos from the November 8 premiere, “Something in the Air, Part I,” show, Special Agent Dwayne Pride (Field’s husband Scott Bakula) is happy to have girlfriend Rita Devereaux in town. And this time, it’s for good.

“Rita has reassessed her life. She’s done pushing papers in a boring office job,” Field told TV Insider of her character’s move from D.C. back to NOLA. “Her relationship with Pride is easygoing, but she feels they need to define it a bit more.”

This comes at a time that the city — and the team — will be dealing with the effects of COVID-19, as the pandemic has been written into the scripts. In the premiere, “Pride sends Tammy (Vanessa Ferlito) and Carter (Charles Michael Davis) to investigate a suspicious death aboard a humanitarian ship docked offshore, where once on board they learn that some of the crew have become infected with the deadly disease,” the logline reads. “Also, Wade (CCH Pounder) is overwhelmed by the amount of bodies coming into the morgue due to Covid-19.”

Scroll down for a look at the premiere.

NCIS: New Orleans, Season 7 Premiere, Sunday, November 8, 9:30/8:30c, CBS