Here is what we know so far about NCIS: Los Angeles season 13.
When will NCIS: Los Angeles return?
Season 13 premiered Sunday, Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Which NCIS: Los Angeles cast members are returning for season 13?
While there will be a few departures, the majority of the main NCIS: LA cast is returning:
Chris O’Donnell (Special Agent G. Callen)
LL Cool J (Special Agent Sam Hanna)
Linda Hunt (Henrietta “Hetty” Lange)
Daniela Ruah (Special Agent Kensi Blye)
Eric Christian Olsen (Special Agent Marty Deeks)
Medalion Rahimi (Special Agent Fatima Namazi)
Caleb Castille (Special Agent Devin Roundtree)
Who is leaving the NCIS: Los Angeles cast in season 13?
Both Renée Felice Smith as Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones and Barrett Foa as former Tech Operator Eric Beale have opted not to renew their contracts. The reason for their departure is as follows: Nell has been going back and forth on the decision Hetty presented to her a while back of taking over her job as Operations Manager. But an offer from Eric to join him in Tokyo to help oversee the expansion of his tech company Kaleidoscope was too good to turn down, so the two are headed to Japan. Why was the time right for this to take place? Showrunner R. Scott Gemmill told TV Line, “Both Renée and Barrett have been on the show a long time, and they’re both very ambitious individuals who have projects that they want to do on their own — and we’ve been giving them time off to do so. It seemed like a natural time to let them go off and do some other things and give [their characters] what is a happy, hopefully, ending.” Gemmill also told the site that it doesn’t necessarily mean the last we will see of either of them. “There’s a little loophole in there when Nell says she’s going to be alone in Tokyo with Eric, and she gives it ‘six weeks’ before she’s back. So, we’ll see what happens,” he added.
Who is joining the NCIS: Los Angeles cast in season 13?
As Renée and Barrett check out, Gerald McRaney will be checking in on a full-time basis in his role as Retired Navy Admiral Hollace Kilbride, a recurring role he has been playing since 2014 which will now see him as a series regular. Of course, with the return of Linda Hunt, it is unclear at present exactly what his role will be in season 13. Maybe it will resemble that of Owen Granger (Miguel Ferrer), which was never filled following the death of the actor on January 19, 2017. “When you have an actor of Gerald McRaney’s caliber, you do everything you can to make sure you get him as often as possible,” Gemmill told Deadline. “Admiral Kilbride has been an esteemed part of our universe for seven years now and we look forward to viewers seeing him come in and shake up our NCIS: LA world.”
Will Hetty be returning to NCIS: Los Angeles for season 13?
Yes! Linda Hunt returned as Hetty in the season 12 finale of NCIS: Los Angeles and as she had Kilbride unpack her possessions, it is looking as if she is here to stay. That said, it hasn’t been revealed how many episodes she will be appearing in. Hetty and Kilbride may be sharing duties now that he is also a series regular. “They’re both very smart and very stubborn, so it makes for a fun and volatile dynamic,” Gemmill told TV Insider. “Kilbride outranks Hetty, but he does respect her, even if he disagrees with her methodology and [sometimes] questions the cost of her successes.” And we will also learn more about the mission that took Hetty out of ops last season. Per Gemmill, “She’ll try to resolve that on her own, but in the end, it will suck in the entire team—much to Kilbride’s [disapproval]."
NCIS: Los Angeles season 13 spoilers and storylines
As filming has yet to begin and scripts are still in the works, no spoilers for the season have yet been revealed, but the one storyline that we are sure to see more of is the relationship between Callen and Agent Anna Kolcheck (Bar Paly) as he went to great lengths to rescue her in season 12. Whether or not he will pull out the ring he bought for her before he discovered she had lied to him and propose, remains to be seen, but she did have a convincing reason. Of course, Arkady (Vyto Ruginis), Anna’s dad, will be none too happy if that happens.
How many episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles season 13 will there be?
This has yet to be revealed, but at least 18, which was the number for the shortened season 12, and hopefully, as many as 24, which has been the usual number until COVID-19 cut seasons 11 and 12 short.
What happened in the finale of NCIS: Los Angeles season 12?
Hetty returned just in time to say goodbye to intelligence analyst Nell Jones who is leaving NCIS to work with former tech operator Eric Beale as he expands his company in Tokyo. Deeks was kidnapped by an associate of Kirkin’s (Ravil Isyanov) in need of his help and the team investigated the shooting of a militarized dolphin equipped with a Russian microchip. But the season 12 finale was not a cliffhanger, so at the end, Deeks was back and enjoying a picnic with Kensi, Sam and Callen watched Sam’s son’s flight test, and Kilbride unpacked Hetty’s weapons now that she is back.
What time will NCIS: Los Angeles season 13 air?
NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sunday night 9 p.m. ET/PT time slot on CBS.
How to watch and stream NCIS: Los Angeles season 13 on TV and online?
New episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. It is also available to stream live and on demand on the CBS app and Paramount+.
Where to watch previous seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles?
Previous seasons of NCIS are available on Paramount+ and reruns on USA Network. Next, Where’s Gibbs? Everything We Know So Far About NCIS Season 19