In the recent finale, viewers witnessed Knight accepting a position at Camp Pendleton across the country.
When questioned about her potential exit, co-showrunner Steve D. Binder hinted to TV Line, “Well, you know, we’ve set something up there, and I will point you toward our track record where ‘You never know.’ We’ve had people look like they were going away and then it’s found out they weren’t going away, and then people who just disappear like Gibbs.”
He elaborated, “We’re really trying to follow what I call ‘the Tony DiNozzo departure’ where, in his case he actually did leave the show, but you ask yourself, ‘What would it take to get a certain character away?’ In the case of Tony DiNozzo, we thought he wouldn’t be going anywhere — except for a child, and suddenly that’s the motive that would make him leave. And to get [Knight] to leave this team, it’s a combination of a thing that she had applied for and wanted to do — she’s talked about the plan with her father — and then having this relationship with Jimmy where suddenly things are in flux in a way that it makes it easier for her to say goodbye.”
Steve concluded, “So, I will say this. We do aim to please, and we think the audience will be satisfied with where they see this go. Sometimes that satisfaction is bittersweet and sometimes it’s just pure joy. You’ll have to wait to find out which one it’s going to be.”
Katrina Law herself also addressed the speculation about her character’s future.
When directly asked if she’d be returning for season 22, she coyly responded, “Hmmm…. Better tune in for that season opener! [Laughs, heartily.]”
Regarding her character’s choice, she shared, “I think that at the end, Jessica has to take this position because she knows deep down this is what she wants. She wants a career, she’s very ambitious, and to her a long-distance relationship isn’t the end of things. At the same time, maybe it is, if it doesn’t work out. She has to go forward and see where these things lead, she can’t settle into something she knows will ultimately maker her angry and have regrets. And I think Jimmy’s in the same place — he had a chance to basically say, ‘Please don’t take this job’ and he didn’t. He instinctively knows that Knight needs to go do this, and then they can see where they are after.”
