A simple detail about an office dog ended up shaping one of CBS's biggest new shows of the season.
Jennifer Beals spoke with TVLine in an interview published November 10, 2026, about playing Robyn Wells on CBS's new spinoff NCIS: New York, and she revealed that her character's office dog, Sid, played a surprisingly big part in her decision to join the show. Beals said she even helped choose the real dog, named Dunkin, from casting videos before filming began.
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How Jennifer Beals Landed the Role of Robyn Wells
Beals plays Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robyn Wells, the director of the NCIS New York field office. She supervises a team that includes LL COOL J's Sam Hanna, a familiar face from NCIS: Los Angeles, and Scott Caan's Nick Schaeffer, a brand-new character built for the New York series. CBS describes Robyn as someone who leads with intuition and earns deep respect from her team.
Beals told TVLine that showrunner Byron Balasco, who she had worked with before, called her about the part. She said Balasco wanted to build Robyn as a different kind of TV boss, someone whose authority did not come from being loud or cold. That pitch interested her, but something else sealed the deal.
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Jennifer Beals Robyn Wells Dog Became a Deciding Factor
About seven minutes into that first phone call, Balasco mentioned that Robyn would have a dog in her office. Beals said that detail became, in her words, a huge selling point. She told TVLine, I think that might have just tipped it right over, describing how the idea of a dog sharing the screen with her changed how she saw the whole role.
The character's dog is named Sid inside the show, and he's played by a real dog named Dunkin, a mixed breed with Labrador, Staffordshire and pit-bull-terrier traits. Producers gave Beals a say in casting the role, sending her videos of several dogs being considered. She picked Dunkin, partly for his personality, and partly because he was older than the other candidates. That age detail mattered to her because it helped sell the idea that Robyn and Sid had history together, a bond built over years rather than something new.
Inside the Bond Between Beals and Her Canine Co-Star
Beals did not hold back her affection for her four-legged scene partner. Oh my God, I love Dunkin, she told TVLine, calling him so unbelievable in scenes and praising how he reacts naturally when another actor talks directly to him. She also said he's really photogenic and super smart, qualities that make him easy to film and easy to love on screen.
That admiration goes beyond the set. Beals keeps toys and small presents in her dressing room, and she gives Dunkin something new every time he shows up to work. Parade reported that Dunkin's trainer, Haley Deecken, said the dog gets especially excited about two places, the beach and the studio, suggesting the feeling between Beals and her co-star runs both ways. Parade also noted that Beals shared an Instagram video of herself working with Dunkin, framing him as her favorite costar even with major names like LL COOL J and Scott Caan on the call sheet.
What Sid Reveals About Robyn Wells as a Leader
TV Insider's interview with Beals, first published November 6 and updated November 8, captured how central the dog is to understanding Robyn as a person. Beals described the contrast between Robyn's toughness as a field-office leader and the warmth she shows around Sid, saying it's like having her heart outside of her body sometimes. She added that the office is a place where love is always in the room, a line that captures how the show uses the dog to soften a otherwise high-stakes procedural setting.
That emotional layer matters because Robyn sits above two major characters in the show's chain of command. Reporting from the Los Angeles Times and Yahoo noted that Sam Hanna seeks Robyn's permission to investigate his friend's death, putting her judgment and authority at the center of early storylines. Having Sid nearby gives viewers a window into Robyn's personal side without pulling her away from her responsibilities as the team's boss.
Where NCIS: New York Goes From Here
NCIS: New York airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBS, with Beals, LL COOL J and Scott Caan anchoring the cast. The show has already used New York City locations including Bushwick, Soho, the Diamond District, Red Hook and Gerritsen Beach to build its identity within the larger NCIS franchise. Beals' casting was first announced by CBS and reported by TVLine back on July 7, 2026, well before the show's October debut.
For now, the biggest unanswered question is simple: how much screen time will Sid and Dunkin keep getting as the series settles into its first season. Based on how much attention Beals has given the dog in back-to-back interviews with TVLine, TV Insider and Parade, it looks like Sid is set to stay a key part of Robyn Wells' world, and maybe the easiest character on the show to fall in love with.
