NCIS: Los Angeles fans are aware that the NCIS franchise is changing with every passing year. To say that they haven’t thought about their favorite show being next on the chopping block is an understatement.
In May 2021, CBS sent shockwaves when it announced that NCIS: New Orleans was officially canceled after seven seasons. The network then followed up with the addition of NCIS: Hawai’i to the lineup. But perhaps, most surprising of all, actor Mark Harmon left NCIS after playing Special Agent in Charge Gibbs for 19 seasons. Now, there might be reason to believe that changes will soon be underway for NCIS: L.A. after actor Eric Christian Olsen posted a cryptic message on Instagram.
This past New Year’s Eve, hours before the ball dropped in Times Square, Eric posted a preview image of himself in a then-upcoming episode NCIS: L.A. The actor, who has played investigator Marty Deeks since 2010, wrote: “We about to get back into it.” He included a dozen hashtags, but the one that really got fans riled up was #thefinalseason, hinting that the drama’s current season 13 would mark the end of the longtime series.
But before NCIS: L.A. fans could begin spiraling, his other hashtags quickly clarified that he was only teasing viewers. “#jk #butyouneverknow,” Eric added. He also mentioned other beloved CBS shows that have been canceled in the past several years, like MacGyver, Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS: NOLA.
Despite concluding his hashtag thread with the hopeful messages of #celebratewhatwehave #embracethejourney,” it seems like some folks didn’t read his full post or they truly believe NCIS: L.A. is really ending.
“Excuse me??? The final season?!” one fan wrote. “Nooooo! Say it ain’t so!” another added. “I cannot believe they are going to cancel this amazing show!! 😡😡😢💔💔,” a different fan said.
As of right now, it isn’t clear whether or not season 13 of the Los Angeles-based show is the last installment. (CBS usually renews or cancels its shows around May of every year.) That said, we do know that the NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner has previously revealed that there has been some thought about the series eventually ending.
Speaking with TVLine after the season 12 finale in May 2021, R. Scott Gemmill opened up about what the final chapter could include. “We sort of always have that in the back of our mind, [but] I will hope to get a heads-up if that is the case,” he told the outlet. “Just so that we can go out with an episode, or a bunch of episodes, that really tie up things and send our characters into the future in a way that makes everyone happy. But we’ll just have to wait and see. If there is someone that knows, they’re not telling me.”
While fans continue crossing their fingers for the NCIS: L.A. team to stick together, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for Eric’s Instagram hashtags in case he has more intel. Because like he said, you never know!