The day after Melina Kanakaredes announced that she would be leaving CBS’s "CSI: NY" after six years on the show, an Emmy Award winner has been cast as the female lead, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Sela Ward will play “an experienced investigator from Washington, D.C., whose work is driven by her empathy for the victim,” according to the network.

Ward is especially excited to be working with the show’s star, Gary Sinise. "I am thrilled to be working with Gary and this terrific group of people,” she said. “I’m a huge fan.”