NCIS: Los Angeles had a great cast, with some major stars mixed in with actors who became fan favorites thanks to the show. Faces like Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J had a large fanbase prior, while names like Daniela Ruah and Renée Felice Smith made their names on the show. Eric Christian Olsen was someone between those two levels. He has now announced his next gig after the popular procedural ended.
Here is what Olsen is doing now and why it might surprise some of his fans.
Eric Christian Olsen Has Another CBS TV Show Coming
Eric Christian Olsen was a movie star before he arrived on NCIS: Los Angeles. He had roles in Pearl Harbor and Not Another Teen Movie. His breakout was playing Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. Olsen played Jim Carrey’s character from the original movie in the prequel.
Joining NCIS: Los Angeles as Marty Deeks seven years later was a chance to show he could do something much bigger than mimicking a comedian in a comedy prequel. He quickly became a fan favorite and starred on the show from 2010 to 2023.
However, when CBS canceled the series, LL Cool J moved on to NCIS: Hawai’i for one season. The rest of the cast started looking for their next opportunities. Now, it looks like Olsen found his next television show, but it isn’t what fans might have expected. He is the new executive producer for the Matlock reboot.
“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,” Olsen said at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour (via CinemaBlend).
According to Olsen, he wants to help make some good TV after years of being offered roles of “terrible lawyers.” With that said, Olsen hasn’t completely retired from acting. He added, “I think there’s an opportunity for a big villain role sometime in the future.”
What Is Matlock About?
Moving from NCIS: Los Angeles to Matlock is moving from one franchise to the next. While NCIS was a hugely popular show, with great spinoffs that all succeeded on one level or another, Matlock was also a very successful TV series. It ran originally from 1986 to 1995.
The original series starred Andy Griffith as a folksy attorney who solved the toughest of cases. However, he always did it in a law-abiding and upstanding manner. It ran for nine seasons and 193 episodes before ending.
This new version is a reboot, with Kathy Bates starring as Madeline Matlock. However, it is also a show that exists in the same universe as the original series, with Bates’ character simply sharing the same surname as Ben Matlock. In the new show, she returns to a prestigious law firm and uses her intelligence to win cases and expose corruption.
Are you excited to see what Eric Christian Olsen does next? Does the new Matlock series sound interesting? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
