‘NCIS: LA’: How The Drama Ended Its 14-Season Run On CBS
SPOILER ALERT! This story shares plot points from the series finale of NCIS: LA.
NCIS: LA wrapped its 14-season run Sunday with a promise of more action and adventure for Sam (LL Cool J) and Callen (Chris O’Donnell) — which leaves open the possibility for a reunion on Paramount+ sometime in the near future.
For now, though, the series created by Shane Brennan bid farewell to fans by giving them a much-anticipated happy ending. Callen married his lady love Anna (Bar Play) in an impromptu city hall wedding while Kensi (Daniela Ruah) discovered that she and Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) are finally going to have a baby.
And we did hear from Linda Hunt’s Hetty; we just didn’t get to see her. After the nuptials, Callen received a letter from Hetty offering her Mykonos place for the ultimate honeymoon. But first, she’d like him and Sam to take a “small side job” in Morocco, because she’s found herself in a bit of a pickle.
After Anna tells Callen that she’ll meet him in Greece, the two men make their way to the northwest corner of Africa, where they enjoy a surprise reunion with intelligence analyst Nell Jones (Renée Felice Smith) — last seen on NCIS: LA in season 10. She’s joined by Sabatino (Erik Palladino, who also left the show in season 10) and Nate (Peter Cambor), who last appeared in season 13.
Their mission, if Sam and Callen chose to accept it? Find Hetty.
“You ready for your next adventure?” asks Nell.
“Yeah,” responds Callen. “This is going to be fun.”
Callen and Sam shared some gooey talk earlier in the episode, with the groom-to-be telling his longtime partner that “you and I have been through a lot together over the years. I would not be here today if it wasn’t for you.”
“No you would not,” replied Sam. Don’t worry; he eventually told Callen he loved him.
Since CBS made the decision in February not to renew the show, R. Scott Gemmill and his team had time to craft a two-part series finale. At the time, Gemmill promised fans an ending that “is both satisfying and does justice to these beloved characters.”
NCIS: LA is tied as the fifth longest-running CBS primetime scripted series ever, only behind Gunsmoke, Lassie, CSI and Criminal Minds. The latter two have since been revived, which bodes well for the future of NCIS: Los Angeles.
The long-running procedural drama also has the rare distinction of retaining its original two leads. Both LL Cool J and O’Donnell have spoken publicly about their commitment to the series, which hit the 300 episode milestone in May of 2022.
Source: Deadline
