NCIS: Los Angeles season 11: Are Barrett Foa, Renee Felice Smith returning?
Here’s where things stand at present — Nell’s mother is sick and through that, she was contemplating moving to San Francisco, where she was getting treatment. Meanwhile, Eric had a job offer there that would pay him significantly more money than what he is earning as a part of the NCIS: LA team. More often than not, it’s hard to put stock in these “will this person leave?” storylines, and for good reason — they’re set up to generate paranoia and to raise questions during the offseason to keep people talking about the show. This one was a little more complicated, given that the right thing to do in Nell and Eric’s situation is to contemplate moving. Family comes first, even more than a really great job and a work family you care about deeply.
No matter what the writers wanted you to believe entering the offseason, there’s no longer a reason for concern. Smith and Foa will be returning to NCIS: Los Angeles as series regulars for season 11. This news was first confirmed by TVLine and it’s worth a generous sigh of relief. As understandable as the reason for the departure may have been, the fact that they hadn’t left in the season 10 finale suggested that there may still be a way for them to stick around. Maybe Nell’s mother somehow manages to improve — for now, we prefer to think of this option than the alternative. Having the character stay put because her mother died elsewhere feels a little bit morbid.
NCIS: Los Angeles, Nell, and Eric video discussion: Take a look at our latest video at the bottom of this article! Once you do that, subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube so you don’t miss out on our NCIS: Los Angeles videos and view our official playlist.
While Smith and Foa may not be the leads of NCIS: Los Angeles, they have established themselves as stable presences and a valuable part of the overall package. They’re a source of great levity and entertainment and, now that Deeks and Kensi are married, they’re the couple most likely to have a change in their own relationship status. They’ve been together for a while and it’s hard to see any situation where you’d justify breaking the two up. We’ve already discussed what a possible “Neric” wedding could look like — take a look at the story here.
NCIS: Los Angeles already banked some season 11 footage earlier this year; hopefully, more is going to be coming in the weeks and months ahead. One of the things that you can check out while you wait for new episodes is some of our spotlights, where we take a look at several characters and what lies ahead for them. Take, for example, our take on Kensi — which you can see over here.
What do you think about Smith and Foa returning to NCIS: Los Angeles? Be sure to share in the comments, and come back soon for some other information. (Photo: CBS.)