NCIS LOS ANGELES will be back for season 12 after its latest season was cut short. Since the show’s finale, fans have been eager to know the fate of one character from the series in particular.
NCIS LA ended earlier this expected this year as the last remaining episodes of season 11 were unable to be filmed. This meant there were just 22 episodes in the series as the world went into lockdown and the show ended unexpectedly. So the future of intelligence analyst Nell Jones (played by Renée Felice Smith) is still hanging in the balance.
In season 11 of NCIS LA, Nell’s boyfriend Eric Beale (Barrett Foa) left for the majority of the series as he was on a secret mission given to him by Operations Manager Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt).
The mission was so secret he didn’t even tell Nell, who didn’t have a clue where he disappeared to or why
So on his return, this has caused some friction between the once loved up pair, resulting in Nell taking a step back from him.
Fans grew even more concerned though when Nell started talking to friend and colleague Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) about work
Nell confessed to Kensi how she no longer felt excited about going to work.
She didn’t want to get out of bed in the mornings anymore and felt working at NCIS was getting her down.
Nell tried her best to stay focused during the episode but it resulted in her making a decision no one expected.
Heading to Hetty’s office, Nell tried to hand in her resignation but thankfully her boss told her to think more about her future at NCIS.
She gave Nell some time off so she would have some time to think about the decision carefully but was not seen for the rest of the season
Has Nell Jones left NCIS Los Angeles for good?
The last time fans saw Nell was in episode 19 titled Fortune Favors the Brave.
Actress Smith’s reason for leaving the series was the same as Foa’s in season 11 who took time off to star in Angels in America on Broadway.
Similarly, Smith left to focus on other projects which, according to her IMDB page, included working on a short film called Someone to Carry You.
But like Foa, Smith is expected to return to the CBS drama.
The filming of season 11 was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic.
So while she wasn’t going to appear in the next few episodes, Smith might have returned for the series finale before it had to halt shooting.
TV Line noted earlier this year: “Nell does have some important life decisions to make—and Hetty will give her the time to do so.”
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed Nell will be back on NCIS LA, it is believed Smith was taking a break from the drama rather than leaving it behind altogether
NCIS Los Angeles was confirmed earlier this year to be returning for season 12.
Shooting was also announced to be starting on Thursday, September 3
This is a “tentative” start date according to Deadline as the series is remaining cautious in regards to the ongoing pandemic.
A release date for the upcoming series has not yet been announced.
