In an interview with TVLine at a press event for the new CBS series Matlock, Eric Christian Olsen, who serves as an executive producer on the show, shared why he’s not interested in reprising his role as Deeks on another NCIS series. Olsen, who starred alongside LL Cool J in NCIS: Los Angeles, mentioned that while he misses working with his co-stars, such as Todd, Renée Felice Smith, and his sister-in-law Daniela Ruah, he doesn’t feel the urge to return to the character. Instead, Olsen is content with his current role on Matlock, where he can immerse himself in creating “really good, dramatic or funny scenes.”
NCIS: Los Angeles, which premiered in September 2009, was the first spin-off of the NCIS franchise, running for 14 seasons. It followed Special Agents Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) and Grisha Callen (Chris O’Donnell) as they tackled military-related crimes. The show ended in May 2023, following the conclusion of NCIS: New Orleans in 2021.
While Olsen won’t be returning to the NCIS universe, fans can look forward to the return of Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Harmon will make a cameo and narrate the new prequel series NCIS: Origins, which explores Gibbs’ early career as a special agent at the fledgling NIS Camp Pendleton office. The show will star Austin Stowell as the younger Gibbs, with Harmon also serving as an executive producer.
Meanwhile, NCIS Season 22 is set to premiere on October 14, and showrunner Steven D. Binder has teased a unique episode that will explore what happens when a highly skilled spy, akin to Jason Bourne or James Bond, ends up in a retirement home and begins dealing with the realities of aging.
