Alas, the end is here. The time has come for Special Agent Grisha Callen (Chris O'Donnell) and his elite squad to turn in their badges for good. According to reports from Variety, CBS has today announced that its long-running police procedural show, NCIS: Los Angeles will not be returning and will conclude with the ongoing Season 14 slated to air its finale this May. That will bring the total number of episodes for the show to a whopping 322 closing out what has been a thoroughly enthralling run of crime drama.
“For 14 seasons, ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ has been a stalwart of our lineup with characters who were a joy to watch,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment in a statement. “It’s no surprise this show succeeded as a global franchise. From day one, the cast, producers and crew were amazing network/studios partners, and their teamwork, talent and spirit vividly came through on the screen. We are so grateful for the collaboration and remarkable run of these treasured members of our CBS family, and plan to give them the big sendoff they and their fans deserve.”
The first spin-off of NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigation Service), NCIS: Los Angeles branched out from Season 6 of the flagship show with a two-part episode. The show follows a special elite squad who are assigned undercover assignments to investigate criminal activities that threaten the United States. The show balanced its heavy-hitting action by alternating its focus on the personal lives of the squad members delivering blended storylines that made for a riveting watch for 14 solid years.
Despite premiering in September 2009 to mixed critical reception, NCIS: LA proved to possess the audience wooing power of its predecessor, pulling in insane ratings figures at CBS, thus the show went on and eventually fared better among the critics. Throughout its run, NCIS: LA underwent 7 changes to its time slot but impressively maintained a decent viewership ranking. The show currently airs in the Sunday time slot and averages 6.06 million viewers per episode while the ongoing season has since its premier pulled in over 4.2 billion minutes in viewing time. Given those numbers, it's safe to say the show is bowing out on a high note.
NCIS: LA's cancelation was far from an abrupt decision and as such each of the characters as divulged by Reisenbach will be given a well-deserved sendoff. Showrunner R. Scott Gemmill reiterated this in his own statement promising that his team looks forward to "delivering an end to the series that is both satisfying and does justice to these beloved characters.” Gemmill equally expressed gratitude to the show's cast for "their impassioned performances, professionalism and continuous enthusiasm." The NCIS: LA squad was part of a recent first-of-its kind three-way NCIS-verse cross over event that united the special agents across two spin-offs and the parent show for a high-stakes mission which aired on January 9 on CBS. It seems that this event might have set the tone for a potential feature of LA agents in other spin-offs, which makes things even more interesting as well look forward to that final episode.
NCIS: Los Angeles stars LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell, Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Medalion Rahimi, Caleb Castille and Gerald McRaney. The series is created by Shane Brennan who equally serves as an executive producer. Other producers include Gemmill, John P. Kousakis, Frank Military, Kyle Harimoto and Andrew Bartels.
NCIS: Los Angeles will air its final episode on May 14 on CBS at 10/9c. Check out a recent promo for Season 14 below: