The new NCIS spinoff in New Orleans is one week away and lead actor Scott Bakula dished on the anticipated new series.

Meet The Full Cast of NCIS: New Orleans 

"I'm trying to say to people that it's going to be the same but different," he told The Los Angeles Times in a new interview. "Look, the NCIS franchise is beyond successful. I've never been a part of anything as wildly successful as this show has been. It's the most watched show on the planet. I can't get my head around that."

The actor will star as Dwayne "King" Pride, who once did run New Orleans' NCIS unit in real life. Pride, who Bakula said is portrayed accurately, is also the technical adviser for the new show.

Michael Weatherly Teases NCIS: New Orleans Crossover 

"He absolutely loves his job. I met him on the phone. I was getting background. He said, 'I'm at your disposal. You can call me any time you want. Well, no, don't call me on Thursday, because I'm helping out on a case that's out in such and such a parish.' I'm like, 'Wait a minute, I thought you were retired?' He said, 'Well semi-retired. Now it's a pretty big case, and so they asked me to come in,'" Bakula recalled.

"He's a little bit of, I think 'rebel' might be too strong of a word, but he gets the job done. He's not always super-worried about what the correct procedure is or the rules are. He knows everybody in town. He knows all the police in each parish that we go to."

NCIS: New Orleans will kick off right after the season 12 premiere of NCIS on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Get a first look at NCIS: New Orleans below:

Tags: NCIS New Orleans Scott Bakula