NCIS: Los Angeles is promising to answer a big question by bringing back a significant character.
Hetty will appear this Sunday for the NCIS: Los Angeles season finale. And we can only assume the show will explain where she’s been.
For those who aren’t NCIS: Los Angeles literate, Hetty is Henriette “Hetty” Lang. She’s a small, but powerful force who is the team’s operational manager. Played by Academy-Award winner Linda Hunt, Hetty has led a terrifically interesting life of intrigue. And season 12 of NCIS is no different. She checks in from time to time, via remote call from a war zone, but no one knows exactly where Hetty is. All Hetty will say is it’s not a place where she wants to be.
Linda Hunt Didn’t Film As Much for NCIS: Los Angeles Because of Pandemic
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunt as Hetty hadn’t been on set until the show filmed the finale.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep everyone safe, and Linda is a little extra special in terms of how we have to look out for her,” NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Scott Gemmill told TVLine.
Hetty last showed her power in a December episode, when she was able to get Deeks, who’d been furloughed by the LAPD, into the exclusive academy for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Deeks, who had been the LAPD liaison until his job was eliminated, is married to Kensi, an NCIS field agent.
Hetty has flirted with the idea of retirement. On the show, she plays a character who is 72. Hunt, in real life, is 76. She needed to take off most of season 10, too, to recover from injuries she suffered in a car accident. But NCIS: Los Angeles also had her return for a big moment. She crashed her car to break up a big fight, then, she officiated at the wedding of Kensi and Deeks.
Finale Also Features a Kidnapping of High-Profile Character
This Sunday’s NCIS: Los Angeles finale is called A Tale of Two Igors. According to the show promo, Deeks is kidnapped. The team investigates a strange case — the shooting of a militarized dolphin, who has a Russian microchip.
And Nell, who has been filling in for Hetty, needs to make a decision about her job. Hetty already convinced her to stay once before.
Sunday’s NCIS: Los Angeles episode drew an audience of 5.66 million. It won its time slot, edging out the second hour of American Idol (5.26 million). Sunday is a powerhouse evening for CBS. The network produced the top three shows of the evening, in terms of audience. 60 Minutes registered 7.6 million, followed by The Equalizer at 6.99 million, then NCIS: Los Angeles. Another NCIS spinoff, this one set in New Orleans, was watched by 4.88 million.
CBS already announced that NCIS: Los Angeles will receive a 13th season. NCIS: New Orleans ends this Sunday. The original NCIS, starring Mark Harmon, was renewed for a 19th season. While New Orleans goes away, NCIS: Hawaii premieres next season.
