Boston Public Gave NCIS Star Brian Dietzen His First Acting Role, But It’s Now Hard to Find

A brief first television role

Dietzen’s acting career began with Boston Public, a drama created by David E. Kelley. The series followed teachers in Boston’s public school system and aired on Fox from 2000 to 2006.

In Season 3’s “Chapter Forty-Six,” Dietzen played David Caplan amid the aftermath of a riot at Winslow High School. Caplan did not return in later episodes, and details about the part remain limited.

Boston Public earned recognition

Boston Public initially ran in syndication on TV One. It has since disappeared from television and is not available on streaming platforms or DVD.

A one-day NCIS audition

Two years after his Boston Public appearance, Dietzen joined NCIS as medical examiner assistant Jimmy Palmer. He told journalist Paul Semel in 2013 that he viewed the part as a one-day guest role and made bold choices at his audition.

The NCIS team liked his audition and expanded Palmer into a ten-year job, Dietzen said. He reflected that a starring-role audition might have involved network testing and led him to make different choices.

From guest role to series regular

More than 20 years after joining NCIS, Dietzen has become a series regular and helped establish Palmer as a fan favorite. He also co-wrote the Season 21 tribute episode for David McCallum, a longtime NCIS cast member who had died.

In a 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dietzen described his part in the show’s success as humbling and called the experience incredible. His work on the series has extended both onscreen and behind the scenes.