NCIS: LA and NCIS: New Orleans aired season finales on Sunday, bringing a lot of current storylines to an end.
Due to late starts and production delays, the current seasons of many television shows have felt a bit disjointed at times. That was also the case for NCIS: LA and NCIS: NOLA.
For fans of Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones (played by Renee Felice Smith) on NCIS: Los Angeles and for viewers who have enjoyed watching NCIS: New Orleans for seven seasons, Sunday night was also extremely bitter-sweet.
Moving forward, NCIS: Los Angeles will never be the same. At the same time, we also won’t get to watch any more new episodes of NCIS: New Orleans.
Is Nell leaving NCIS: LA?
Yes, Nell is leaving NCIS: LA. Fans had been kept guessing about whether or not she was going to take the job that Hetty Lange had left vacant, but we all got our answer during the Season 12 finale. Eric Beale showed up and offered Nell a job in Japan – which she took, and we watched as they drove off into the sunset.
The writing left the characters still alive and well within the world of NCIS, so there is always a chance that one or both of them could return to one of the shows at a later date. For now, though, fans should expect some new faces to show up as part of the NCIS: LA cast this fall.
The great news is that NCIS: LA Season 13 was ordered by CBS, so at least the show will roll on.
Why was NCIS: New Orleans canceled?
When CBS moved NCIS: New Orleans to Sunday nights, the show took an immediate hit in the ratings. TV viewers started tuning out in droves, which was understandable due to the 10/9c timeslot it became mired in.
Some viewers also remained frustrated that NCIS: New Orleans killed off Agent Christopher LaSalle. That wasn’t the direction that the network or the show producers wanted to go, though, as actor Lucas Black requested that he be able to leave the show. He wanted to spend more time with his family, and he was granted this outcome.
In regard to the show getting canceled, star Scott Bakula said that he was surprised by the bad news.
Low ratings were to blame for the NCIS: New Orleans cancellation and it seemed that not enough viewers got on board with the heavy shift in casting from where the show had been during its first few seasons. As such, CBS decided to move in a new direction, and now NCIS: Hawaii will debut in the fall.
NCIS: Los Angeles returns in the fall of 2021 on CBS.
All episodes of NCIS are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
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