The NCIS: Los Angeles return date was finally announced by CBS, giving fans a day to write on the calendar for the fall of 2021.
The NCIS: LA cast is returning for Season 13, with a number of changes to the core expected after several main characters left at the end of Season 12.
On the Season 12 finale, Eric Beale and Nell Jones left the show. Nell, played by Renée Felice Smith since Season 2 of the show, was given an ultimatum by Retired Navy Admiral Hollace Kilbride to decide if she wanted to take Hetty’s job. She declined and drove off into the sunset with Eric.
Eric had been played by Barrett Foa for years, but the character received funding for the international HQ of his Kaleidoscope. He would have to go to Tokyo to get it off the ground and he was allowed to hire Nell as part of the deal. Nell loved the chance to go try something new.
When NCIS: LA returns in the fall, fans will no longer get to enjoy the banter between Nell and Eric, but Smith did leave the door open for a potential return down the road.
When is the NCIS: Los Angeles return date?
The first episode for NCIS: LA Season 13 is scheduled for Sunday, October 10 on CBS. The show slides back into the now-familiar 9/8c timeslot on Sunday evenings, where it will follow new episodes of The Equalizer.
“Sunny skies ahead, #NCISLA fam. ☀️ We’re back for another season of cases, chases, and familiar faces, premiering Sunday, October 10. Get pumped. ?,” a message posted to Instagram from the show reads.
A look ahead to NCIS: LA Season 13
In addition to producers having to address the NCIS: Los Angeles cast losing Foa and Smith, some news has come out about one of the supporting characters getting a promotion.
Veteran actor Gerald McRaney, who plays Retired Navy Admiral Hollace Kilbride on the NCIS: LA cast, will be much more prevalent on the show during the next season.
Kilbride is going to be a regular on the show now, so fans are going to see much more of him in the offices and possibly overseeing a lot of what Callen and his team do on each episode.
The NCIS: LA showrunner also addressed the question of whether or not Kensi and Deeks will ever have kids. It looks like this will be a topic that gets addressed more during Season 13 and that are some important aspects of that situation left to explore.
We also got some great news about Hetty Lange and the actress (Linda Hunt) who plays her on the show. The great news there is that we haven’t seen the last of Hetty.
While an October start date seems a little late in the fall, the positive aspect of this is that there will be fewer weeks where repeat episodes are shown, allowing the show to get into a groove with new content each week.
NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 debuts October 10 on CBS.