Following the end of NCIS: Los Angeles, some of the cast managed to stay within the NCIS universe. LL Cool J appeared on NCIS: Hawai’i before its cancellation after three seasons, while Daniela Ruah directed an episode of both the Mothership and Hawai’i. Eric Christian Olsen, meanwhile, has snagged a new job at CBS, but it’s not in the franchise.
Olsen, who is best known as Marty Deeks on the NCIS spinoff, confirmed during a Television Critics Association press tour that he is an executive producer on the upcoming Matlock reboot, which is set to premiere on the 2024 TV schedule. He previously served as an executive producer on the Hulu series Woke, but he was as excited as ever to become an EP on the new drama (via Soaps):
I’ve had so many experiences working for CBS for 13 years, and I did think that this was an incredible opportunity and platform to find stories that I was really passionate about and then help build them from the ground up.
While he won’t be on-screen, it is nice to know that Olsen will be sticking with CBS, at least for now. The network has certainly become his home over the last decade, and it sounds like they want to keep him around as long as possible. The Kathy Bates-led Matlock reboot has been a long time coming, and knowing that Olsen is an EP makes it all the more exciting to watch.
Since he won’t actually be acting and, according to his IMDb, has no acting projects in the works, could he possibly make an appearance on Matlock? It’s hard to predict, especially with the series not even premiering yet. Eric Christian Olsen did express interest in possibly coming on to play a character though, but it won’t be one like Deeks:
Every time there’s a horrible lawyer, a mean lawyer, they’re like, ‘Eric, will you read this?’ So, it’s just me playing terrible lawyers. I think there’s an opportunity for a big villain role sometime in the future.
It would be fun to see Olsen in a villain role, especially after playing a character like Deeks for so long. The fact that he has been asked so many times to play a lawyer, and now he’s producing on a legal show feels like fate. Also, with this Matlock, he has the chance to stay behind the scenes for now and work on executive producing duties, but he’s not completely counting out a potential appearance in the future, which is definitely good.
That being said, it’s hard to tell whether or not Olsen would have the time to return to the NCIS franchise if given the chance. He previously pitched himself to return for NCIS: Sydney, so he’s clearly wanting to come back. It would also give fans the chance to get some updates on Densi following their surprise baby news in the series finale.
Who knows when and if that will ever happen, though? Regardless, it will be exciting to watch Matlock this fall and support Eric Christian Olsen’s newest role. Be sure to watch the new series premiering on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, and keep your fingers crossed that Olsen appears as a villainous attorney in the near future.
