8 Questions We Have for ‘NCIS,’ ‘LA,’ & ‘New Orleans’ in 2021

Gibbs NCIS Blakely Pride New Orleans Hetty Los Angeles
CBS (3)

To close out 2020, the three NCIS shows featured episodes filled with surprises (both good and bad), and loose threads.

NCIS has played a bit with time in the first episodes of Season 18, and both timelines have left us wondering exactly what’s going on and where Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and former FBI agent Tobias Fornell’s (Joe Spano) investigation (in December 2019) into the counterfeit opioids that nearly killed the latter’s daughter is going to lead.

Over on Los Angeles, Special Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and former LAPD liaison/furloughed Detective Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) get a Christmas miracle from operations manager Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt), but what’s next for all three of them?

And down in New Orleans, Special Agent Pride (Scott Bakula) is dealing with dirty cops and facing a new professional endeavor as he tries to clean up his city.

Scroll down as we take a look at some of the burning questions we have for all three shows in the new year.

NCIS: Los Angeles, 2021 Return, Sunday, January 3, 8:30/7:30c, CBS

NCIS: New Orleans, 2021 Return, Sunday, January 3, 9:30/8:30c, CBS

NCIS, 2021 Return, Tuesday, January 19, 8/7c, CBS

Mark Harmon NCIS Season 18 Premiere Gibbs Flashforward
CBS

NCIS: Why does Gibbs shoot McGee in March 2020?

In the opening scene of Season 18, we jump forward a bit to March 2020, and Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) is trying to stop a plane from taking off, only for a sniper to shoot at him and then hit him twice, once in the arm and once in the leg. That sniper is none other than Gibbs!

Fornell (Joe Spano) undercover at Beltway Burgers with Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) - NCIS Season 18
Sonja Flemming/CBS

NCIS: What happened to Fornell?

The latest lead takes Fornell undercover at a burger joint, and he has just uncovered the alias of the kingpin of the drug ring (Merriweather) when he disappears on Gibbs. When the agent goes to meet his friend at the drive-thru, he learns Fornell hasn’t been to work in two days. What happened to him?

Linda Hunt Hetty Video NCIS Los Angeles Season 12
CBS

NCIS: LA: Where is Hetty?

So far in Season 12, Hetty has only appeared twice, both via video chat. And all we know is she looks like she’s “nowhere I want to be” (it looks like the middle of a war zone). She has intelligence analyst Nell (Renée Felice Smith), who tried to quit last season, filling in for her, but how long will it be before Hetty returns in person or the team gets involved in what she’s up to?

Kensi Deeks House NCIS Los Angeles Season 12
CBS

NCIS: LA: What will Deeks becoming an agent mean?

Just as Deeks is feeling pretty down about his professional future — his liaison position was terminated, and LAPD furloughed him — Hetty calls in a favor and gets him accepted to FLETC. He’s going to be an agent. (It’s about time, really.)

But will we see him and Kensi as partners in the field again? Was he right to worry about being transferred anywhere? Will Deeks still be selling the bar so the couple can buy their new house, or does he no longer need to?

Callen and Anna - NCIS Los Angeles - Season 12 - Chris O'Donnell and Bar Paly
CBS

NCIS: LA: Will Callen propose to Anna?

Special Agent G. Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Anna Kolcheck (Bar Paly) are finally making it work (it helps that she can, mostly, stay in Los Angeles and isn’t a fugitive anymore). And when Callen reunites with his foster brother, Raymond (Demetrius Grosse) asks about his personal life and advises him not to wait upon learning he’s in a potentially serious relationship.

Could there be a ring in the future? (How hilarious would be it to see Callen even approach Anna’s father, Arkady, played by Vyto Ruginis, about proposing? Or Arkady finding out his plans on his own?)

Larry Mitchell as Det. Donovan Blakely and Scott Bakula as Special Agent Dwayne Pride in NCIS New Orleans - Season 7
CBS

NCIS: New Orleans: How much of a threat are the dirty cops?

In the fall finale, Pride helps take down some dirty cops in the NOPD (including Larry Mitchell’s Detective Donovan Blakely, above). But so far, they’ve just lost their jobs. Pride wants to make sure they pay and justice is served. “This isn’t over,” Blakely warns. Should Pride be looking over his shoulder? He and Rita (Chelsea Field) already got swatted.

Amanda Warren - NCIS New Orleans - Mayor Zahra Taylor
CBS

NCIS: New Orleans: Will the Mayor's task force succeed?

Mayor Taylor (Amanda Warren), off Loretta’s (CCH Pounder) declaration that New Orleans deserves better, has an idea on how to rebuild after COVID in a way that serves all the citizens: a task force to look into systemic issues like policing, housing, schools, healthcare, and childcare, and recommends big and small changes. She wants Pride to join. Will this prove to be beneficial for the city?

Mark Harmon and Scott Bakula - NCIS - Crescent City
Skip Bolen/CBS

Will there be any kind of crossover?

NCIS and Los Angeles have had mini-crossovers over the years, while the mothership and New Orleans have had major two-parters. Is there any sort of crossover in the future for any combination of the three shows?




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  1. T

    TUF

    Good questions.

    The one I really want answered is the Hetty one. Deeks is obviously not leaving, so I'm assuming he and Kensi will be just fine. And I really want to see Callen propose!

    I doubt there'll be a crossover. Timelines are all over the place right now, plus all 3 shows are handling 'the thing' differently. Maybe next Season.

  2. G

    GoldFlame

    I think a crossover featuring the three NCIS series, as well as those who have crossed over with the franchise, including Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver (with 5-0), Scorpion (with LA), JAG (with LA and the Original), and Magnum (with 5-0) would be perfect. Magnum, TC, Rick, Harm, AJ, Gibbs, Pride, McGarrett, Hannah, Rollins, Junior, Hetty, Sam, Kensi, Tammy, Callen, Dalton, Desi, Matty, and others in a five part crossover event? CBS would break records on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday, if done right they could even use it to launch a new series, maybe a California version of Five-0 or even a New York version with Pride's future son-in-law commanding the task force in New York. You have three sniper teams of two (Tammy, Kensi, Gibbs, Rick, maybe Dalton and Kono), two pilots, four intelligence specialists, five SEALs, one DELTA, utility assets (Callen, Pride, Chin, and Desi), and medical assets (Loretta for autopsies stateside, Ducky for field medicine, Jimmy to help Loretta, Max or his replacement from 5-0), then you have the brains back at the office who could handle things stateside, including the fixer in MacGyver. The possibilities are endless, they could do two simultaneous crossovers, one focused on stateside actions and the other on a deployment in response to what the investigation uncovers. Maybe that unconcluded storyline from Hawaii Five-0 that involved the conspiracy from Washington that wanted to splash the airliner returning the Marines body and the Fornell drug case?

    1. P

      PurpleHammer

      Very ambitious 👍🏾

    2. R

      RedRocket

      What about Sebastian, Ellie, McGee, & Torres?

      1. G

        GoldFlame

        They'd lead up the stateside and the tech side, Sebastian, Eric, Jerry, Patton, and Nell could handle drone support and communications. The SecDef or SECNAV on NCIS could even make an appearance, maybe AJ and his old team could make an appearance. I'm still hoping Mac and Harm land reoccurring episodes on LA, Mac as Hetty/Granger's permanent replacement and Harm as a JAG liaison to eliminate the DC garbage the LA office has seen in recent years, maybe Bud could become liaison to Gibbs's team, with Rita as liaison between JAG, NCIS, and DOJ in New Orleans. How about a spinoff NCIS: Pearl Harbor, JAG: San Diego, maybe NCIS: New York City, or NCIS: REACT (React Team with a unit like the Criminal Minds BAU but instead of brains being muscle and investigations using the success of FBI: Most Wanted to try it). If CBS realized it, they could make a summer series out of a JAG reboot and a shrunken NCIS spinoff and a 5-0 spinoff that would break summer viewership records and get rid of the reality garbage they've had to do to fill things.

  3. B

    BlueTooth

    What has helped the original NCIS, is that is has been on Tuesday night at 7 pm, for years, never changes. The New Orleans and LA versions have been on various times and days, especially with Covid-19 issues. Doesn't seem fare to lose NCIS New Orleans, my favorite show, due to the pandemic. It used to follow Mark Harmon's show, and now it doesn't. Let's get the NCIS shows all back on Tuesday nights where they belong! And you can add JAG on Wednesdays too.

  4. C

    CyanCandy

    Probably will be the case that Callen should Marry Ana, Will Deeks leave

    The answer is "No".

    Will Nell be the new "NCIS" Agent

  5. G

    GoldBug

    I think the NCIS: NEW ORLEANS show was wonderful; WHY IS IT GOING OFF?????????????

  6. G

    GoldAnchor

    I think if deeks flunked out of the academy Betty should not have pulled strings to him becoming an agent he is painin the ass and should be of show

  7. O

    OliveSailboat

    Why is NCIS LA not running new series on sunday night? They keep changing days to.?????

  8. G

    GreenBee

    If Deeks was working to make the bar profitable instead of chasing after Kensie wondering what she was doing all the time during his furlough then the bar wouldn't be a liability and become an asset and they can have both the house and bar.

    1. R

      RedToast

      I love the character of Hetty. We need Hetty back on the show. I love Sam an Callen' s partner relationship. NCIS Los Angeles is my favorite now of the three. Nell and Eric are the bomb. And the two new characters are great. Kensi can kick some butt. I thought it was kinda unerving putting them together, being they are related by marriage. That's just me.