‘NCIS: LA’ Season 14: Saving Hetty, More ‘Monster’ Killers & Densi as Parents

Chris O'Donnell as Callen, Bar Paly as Anna in NCIS Los Angeles
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Ron P. Jaffe/CBS

Save Hetty! In the military drama’s Season 14 opener, intel has at last confirmed the location of the former boss lady (Linda Hunt): Syria.

“It starts off very bad for her, but eventually [the info provides] a little bit of hope,” NCIS: Los Angeles executive producer R. Scott Gemmill says. The news fires up Special Agent G. Callen (Chris O’Donnell) to go rescue his imperiled surrogate mother, despite their unresolved issues about his childhood spy training. Admiral Kilbride (Gerald McRaney) nixes the plan, though: He needs all hands on deck after terrorists set off an explosion at a facility that manufactures Navy drones.

That’s just the first big boom. Arsonists light up one episode, and those gruesome serial killers that stitch bodies together from Season 9’s “The Monster” make their return. The team also helps one of their own, Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), when son Aiden (Tye White) is wrongly accused of pilot error and may lose his military career.

Different kid-related problems face married agents Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) now that they’ve adopted teen Rosa (Natalia del Riego). “They’re trying to be cool but are overprotective,” says Gemmill. To the rescue: Deeks’ mom, zinger slinger Roberta (Pamela Reed).

Meanwhile, Fatima Namazi (Medalion Rahimi) improves fellow special agent Devin Roundtree’s (Caleb Castille) bad online dating profile and Callen’s skills at planning his big day with fiancée Anna Kolcheck (Bar Paly). If only Hetty were there in person! Notes Gemmill: “Her absence affects Callen as he works toward having his wedding, realizing he doesn’t really want to go through with that without her.”

NCIS: Los Angeles, Season 14 Premiere, Sunday, October 9, 10/9c, CBS

This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s 2022 Returning Favorites issue. For more first looks at fall’s returning shows, pick up the issue, on newsstands now.