Tag: NCIS franchise news

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Source: https://deadline.com/2024/02/how-ncis-said-goodbye-to-david-mccallum-ducky-mallard-1235830528/

NCIS on Monday paid its final respects to star David McCallum, who died September 25 at the age of 90.

A fan favorite, McCallum was the last remaining original cast member on NCIS, in which he played an eccentric but highly efficient investigator Donald “Ducky Mallard” for two decades.

As heavily teased in the promos, the episode dubbed “The Stories We Leave Behind” opened with Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen, who co-wrote the episode) arriving at Ducky’s house to find his mentor — dressed in his monogrammed jammies — dead in his bed, with his sweet corgi looking forlorn in the foyer.

“Dying quietly in your sleep isn’t the worst way to go,” comments Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) back at the NCIS offices, after wrapping up a call with Scottish parliament who apparently wanted to send “a mountain of thistles” to honor their native son’s passing.

“He lived a very long, very rewarding life, which he would want us to celebrate more than anything,” added Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll).

So that’s exactly what the episode did — show old scenes from past seasons to remember the character who once said “we all die twice; when our bodies give out, and again when are stories stop being told.”

There was a flashback featuring Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon) with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). Then came a scene with Ducky and Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), followed by one with Ducky and Gibbs talking about how the latter never really shared personal stories at work.

But first, there had to be a case du jour: the last thing Ducky was working on involved a dead soldier named Danny whose name was getting smeared by an ambitious councilman named Allan Berger (um, not to be confused with, we guess, veteran talent agent Alan Berger). The official word was that Danny died in an Afghan brothel, his body riddled with heroin — but his daughter, Serena, suspected otherwise.

So did Ducky. The team does some digging and it turns out Danny was a former bodyguard for Berger, who previously worked as a contractor in Afghanistan and took money on the side from a local heroin operation. Once Danny threatened to expose the shenanigans, Berger had Danny killed.

 

With the case in the bag and Danny’s good name restored, the team could then move on to Ducky’s memorial. But first, a surprise was in store for Palmer, who was prepping to deliver a eulogy. In walks DiNozzo, who brought Palmer a special gift — a bowtie similar to what his mentor used to wear in the lab.

“He had a good friend in you,” DiNozzo tells Palmer. The two then head to the memorial, after Palmer turns the light off in Ducky’s former workspace.

Weatherly hasn’t appeared on CBS since his drama Bull ended in 2022. He left NCIS in 2016.

The episode ended with a title card that read, “In memory of our dear friend and colleague David McCallum. We will miss you.”

 

 

 

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‘NCIS’ fans get to head to the southern hemisphere this fall.

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Source: https://tvline.com/2023/05/22/ll-cool-j-ncis-hawaii-season-3-cast-sam-hanna-crossover/

The NCIS: Hawai’i team is getting a major plus-up.

 

LL Cool J — fresh off wrapping his 14-year run as NCIS: Los Angeles‘ Sam Hanna, who surprisingly resurfaced on CBS 24 hours later to make a bacon-saving cameo during NCIS: Hawa’i’i‘s Season 2 finale — is joining the island-set spinoff for Season 3, as a recurring guest star.

Midway through the NCIS: Hawai’i finale, Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant (played by Vanessa Lachey) was in the course of escaping a pair of back-from-the-dead Adrian Creel’s henchmen when a sniper shot rang out from a nearby hill, felling the second of her and Whistler’s (Tori Anderson) adversaries.

 

The shooter, Special Agent Sam Hanna, then rang Jane’s cell to make reference to the fact that, yes, the NCIS: LA series finale had deposited Sam (and Callen) 6,800 km away in Morocco (on a mission to save Hetty), but also to offer Tennant his future services.

But when the NCIS: Hawai’i finale later drew to a close, it appeared that Supervisory Agent John Swift (Henry Ian Cusick) will be the one to avail the Pearl Harbor office of Sam’s vast experience. For as Jane worried what the fallout would be for unexpectedly letting superspy Maggie Shaw slip away, Swift was seen on the phone talking to someone about how “it couldn’t hurt to plus-up the team” in Pearl Harbor, adding: “I have an idea who….”

In a TVLine exclusive, NCIS: Hawai’i front woman Lachey says she is “so excited” to have LL Cool J (aka Todd Smith) come on board for Season 3. “This is an amazing opportunity to continue evolving the NCIS franchise,” she notes. “And what better way to do that than have Sam Hanna join the team.”

 

While Lachey is mum on how exactly Sam will fit into the mix (“That’s the fun part, figuring out how we all will solve cases together”), she is confident that “we will have fun on set!” With a nod to the 3-way NCIS franchise crossover that aired in January, she says, “From the moment we started filming the triple crossover, to hearing the news of Todd joining our team, it’s been laughs, love and excitement all around.”

In fact, Lachey surmises that the success of said crossover played “a big part” in whetting appetites for LL Cool J’s move to Hawai’i. “We all loved working on the triple crossover, so this transition seemed natural,” she says.

 

Visits: 73

Source: https://www.cinemablend.com/television/ncis-los-angeles-final-episode-wrapped-up-hettys-story-with-returning-characters-but-something-was-missing

Wowzers! We knew some big moments were coming to NCIS: Los Angeles’ final episode ever, and fans got to watch it all go down as “New Beginnings Part 2” closed out the previous week’s cliffhanger and started parceling out its happy endings. As Daniela Ruah teased ahead of the finale without actually saying it, the episode delivered a city hall wedding for Callen and Anna, some huge pregnancy news for Deeks and Kensi, and an update on Linda Hunt’s long-absent Hetty. But while it was great to see some familiar faces returning to close things out in the final sequence, there was still something pretty huge missing: Ms. Henrietta Lange herself!

I know I’m not the only one who hoped NCIS: L.A. would find a way to get the fan-beloved Linda Hunt back on the show in person for its swan song, especially to see Callen tying the knot, albeit in a more subdued capacity. Even if it was just via a Zoom call or whatever, to have her physical presence around would have been aces, considering she’s been absent from the broadcast drama since the Season 13 premiere. Granted, I fully understand that it’s difficult for the actress to commit to such things, despite the showrunner’s attempts to bring her back for Season 14, whether it be due to physical ailments or other issues. So it’s not for nothing that the series finale DOES feature some voiceover narration from the actress, even if she wasn’t around for an in-person appearance.

What’s more, that voiceover work is what sets up the final scene, which itself sets up the idea that these characters will continue working together for years to come, as opposed to some TV finales that frustratingly pull characters apart to go off in different directions. 

How NCIS: Los Angeles’ Finale Updated Hetty’s Story

Following Callen and Anna’s wedding, a mysterious courier showed up with an envelope for Chris O’Donnell’s character, whose wax seal featured some familiar initials. (Though Sam ran off to ask the guy a question, he mysteriously disappeared! Sort of.) As it turns out, even though Hetty isn’t in close contact these days, she somehow still knew about the impromptu wedding taking place, and managed to set up both the newlywed couple’s honeymoon and a new mission for the dynamic duo. Here’s what her congratulatory letter said:

Dear Agent Callen, Congratulations on your wedding. I am so very happy for you and Anna. I only wish I could have been there to celebrate such a glorious occasion with all of you. Most people think I never had a family of my own, but I beg to differ. I have been blessed with the greatest family one could ever have wished for…and so have you. As always, Hetty P.S. I have arranged for you and Anna to have my place in Mykanos for your honeymoon. Stay as long as you like.

I’m sure Callen and Anna were more than excited about the concept of having a sweet ass spot in Greece to go celebrate their nuptials without job stress to worry about. Though they better hope Anna’s dad doesn’t find out its location, lest he try and take a pair of dates out there, with one of them possibly being Deeks’ mom.

The envelope also contained some plane tickets and a secondary note that didn’t even let Callen soak in the post-wedding bliss before having him wonder about his next task around the world. Here’s what her second message said, sans voiceover. 

I’ve also sent along two plane tickets to for you and Sam in the event that you may have a couple days beforehand to help me with a small side project.

Naturally, the episode ended with Sam and Callen making that trip to Morocco to see what the side project was, only to touch base again with a trio of familiar faces.

NCIS: Los Angeles’s Series Finale Brought Back Nate, Sabatino, And Nell

For the briefest of moments, it seemed like the CBS drama was actually going to deliver a big Linda Hunt appearance whenever LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell’s characters showed up in Morocco. (Even though it seemed patently ridiculous for Callen to “recognize” Hetty from behind.) Instead, though, he found Renée Felice Smith’s Nell, who was there to bring the pair into their next adventure. Smith left NCIS: Los Angeles in the Season 12 finale, which also happened to include one of Hunt’s final appearances.

And lo and behold, that adventure happened to also include returns from Erik Palladino, marking his 21st appearance as Vostanik Sabatino, and Peter Cambor’s Nate Getz. Neither was super-duper surprising to see here, as Sabatino showed up once already this season, for Episode 1411, while Nate appeared in two Season 13 episodes, which where his first since Season 8. Still, it’s always great to see them, and they had a bright and bushy-eyed new recruit with them that beared a not-so-coincidental resemblance to Callen himself. The circle of life, as it were.

While fans no doubt would have loved to see Barrett Foa’s Eric Beale back alongside Nell, it wasn’t meant to be. Whenever Callen asked about him, she gave this simple and on-point update:

He is giving a TED talk in Singapore.

A billionaire is gonna billionaire, amirite? Am I, though? I don’t actually know any billionaires.

While audiences won’t have any more full-length episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles to dig through, we can always hope that CBS and the applicable producers might one day figure out a way to bring some of the L.A. team into one of the other series, whether it be for another three-way crossover or for something smaller in scope. In the meantime, all 14 seasons are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.

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Source: https://deadline.com/2023/03/ncis-los-angeles-two-part-series-finale-wrap-up-special-dates-1235285010/

NCIS: Los Angeles is expanding its series finale to two episodes. The double series ender will air at 10 p.m. Sunday, May 14, the date previously announced as the series finale, and at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 21, on CBS.

Following the May 21 episode, CBS will air A Salute to NCIS: Los Angeles an Entertainment Tonight special that takes a look back at the past 14 years of the series.

“Wrapping up a series is always bittersweet,” said showrunner and executive producer R. Scott Gemmill. “We were blessed to have 14 seasons together, so bringing it to a satisfying end was extremely challenging after so many years. Fortunately, CBS was gracious enough to give us an extra episode in order to send off our characters in a way befitting their stories that hopefully the fans find both satisfying and hopeful.”

In the May 14 episode, “New Beginnings, Part 1,” when an ATF agent goes missing, the agency seeks help from the NCIS team to investigate stolen military-grade weapons and locate the agent. Also, Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Anna (Bar Paly) continue to plan their wedding, Roundtree’s (Caleb Castille) sister (Ava McCoy) interviews for medical school, and Sam (LL Cool J) encourages his father to take part in the drug trial.

In “New Beginnings, Part 2”, the NCIS team continues the case with ATF and the stolen weapons.

Both episodes also will be available for streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier hosts A Salute to NCIS: Los Angeles special from Paramount Studios, where NCIS: Los Angeles filmed for 14 years.

The one-hour special features footage and interviews with NCIS: LA cast members from the past 14 years, including current exclusive interviews, favorite memories and behind-the-scenes moments from the Entertainment Tonight vault.

NCIS: Los Angeles, which will have aired 322 episodes including the series finale, is going out on a high note. The show is averaging 6.08 million viewers and is the top scripted program in its Sunday 10 p.m. time period.

The NCIS spinoff is a drama about the high-stakes world of a division of NCIS that is charged with apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals who pose a threat to the nation’s security. By assuming false identities and utilizing the most advanced technology, this team of highly trained agents goes deep undercover, putting their lives on the line in the field to bring down their targets. Armed with the latest in high-tech gear and regularly sent into life-threatening situations, this tight-knit unit relies on each other to do what is necessary to protect national interests.

Along with O’Donnell, LL Cool J, and Castille, the series stars Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Medalion Rahimi and Gerald McRaney.

R. Scott Gemmill, John P. Kousakis, Frank Military, Kyle Harimoto, Andrew Bartels, and Shane Brennan, who created the series, all serve as executive producers. NCIS: Los Angeles is produced by CBS Studios.

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Yup, that’s right, folks! The more superior NCIS of the franchise was renewed today for Season 21.

Despite so many cast changes over the years, it’s writing has remained hard core and true to what the show was always about, and as a result of all that, it still has millions of fans worldwide and still makes CBS a lot of money.

(LA unfortunately, can’t say anything about that because it’s really bad writing sank it and it’s ratings.).

Here’s to another year of the way more superior NCIS!!

Visits: 47

Source: https://deadline.com/2023/01/ncis-los-angeles-canceled-final-season-14-end-cbs-series-finale-date-1235229384/

One of CBS’ longest-running scripted shows, NCIS: Los Angeles, will be coming to an end after 322 episodes. Its current 14th season will be the show’s last, with the series finale set for May 14, airing on the network and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.

The NCIS spinoff, starring LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell, is tied as the fifth longest-running CBS primetime scripted series ever, only behind Gunsmoke, Lassie, CSI and Criminal Minds. Among the four, the two shows that have aired in the last 50 years, CSI and Criminal Minds, both have since been revived, which bodes well for NCIS: Los Angeles‘ future.

Additionally, NCIS: Los Angeles is a rare long-running procedural drama to have had its original leads, LL Cool J and O’Donnell, stay on for the entire run. Both have spoken publicly about their commitment to the series, which hit the 300 episode milestone last May, and their fellow cast members.

According to sources, the cast and crew of NCIS: Los Angeles are being told today about the series coming to an end. A cancellation of a long-running drama with big-name leads filming in L.A. should not come as a shock given the big price tag involved, especially at a time when networks across the board are looking to cut their spending. Still, I hear the cancellation news came as a surprise to many associated with the show as it follows the strong ratings for the three-way crossover with mothership NCIS and latest offshoot NCIS: Hawai’i.

“This NCIS Crossover was a huge success!!”, LL Cool J just wrote on Instagram. “After 14 seasons, this is the perfect time to end @ncisla on top of our game!!!”

I hear the timing of the decision stems from the network’s desire to allow showrunner R. Scott Gemmill and his team to craft a series finale, which they will have to jump on right away to get it ready for May. In a statement (you can read it in full later in the story), Gemmill promised fans an ending that “is both satisfying and does justice to these beloved characters.”

NCIS: Los Angeles was the first spinoff from NCIS, now in its 20th season. It was followed by NCIS: New Orleans, which ran for seven seasons, and NCIS: Hawai’i, now in its second season.

Boosted by being part of the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Los Angeles set a record for the quickest off-network syndication sale in fall 2009 when it was nabbed by USA Network for a massive $2.2M-$2.3M an episode just 6-7 weeks into its run. The series has remained a money maker for producer CBS Studios with distribution in more than 200 countries.

 

“For 14 seasons, NCIS: Los Angeles has been a stalwart of our lineup with characters who were a joy to watch,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “From day one, the cast, producers and crew were amazing network/studio partners, and their teamwork, talent and spirit vividly came through on the screen. We are so grateful for the collaboration and remarkable run of these treasured members of our CBS family, and plan to give them the big sendoff they and their fans deserve.”

Unlike the mothership NCIS series, which stayed in its original Tuesday time slot for almost two decades until recently relocating to Monday, NCIS: Los Angeles has been a classic utility player for CBS, moving seven times in 14 seasons and helping reestablish a beachfront for the network with scripted series on Sunday.

The series, created by Shane Brennan, is averaging 6.06 million viewers and is the top scripted program in its Sunday 10 PM slot. Season to date, new episodes have amassed more than 591 million potential social media impressions and Americans have watched over 4.2 billion minutes (through Jan. 15) of the current season.

“I want to thank both the network and studio for their partnership and support over the years; Shane Brennan for giving us such a great playground; and my partners John P. Kousakis, Frank Military, Kyle Harimoto and Andrew Bartels for their tireless efforts and collaboration episode after episode,” said NCIS: Los Angeles executive producer and showrunner Gemmill. “Our crew has grown to be a true family, and their hard work and dedication has been fundamental to our success year after year. My deepest gratitude to the cast members, who have brought our characters to life with their impassioned performances – thank you for your talent, professionalism and continuous enthusiasm. And to our loyal viewers who loved our characters and followed their journeys, thank you. We look forward to delivering an end to the series that is both satisfying and does justice to these beloved characters.”

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My take:

Truth be told, when Hetty started getting the short stick, that’s when I started disliking this show. Plus, all the bad writing that happened to the team afterwards just made me more angry.

I’m not that bummed out. Just disappointed that everyone deserved so much better from these last few years. Now we have to hope that everyone (including Hetty) can somehow get a happy ending. (and yes, the perfect ending I have in mind is Hetty being home for Callen’s wedding)