The NCIS universe has steadily expanded ever since that first episode in 2003, branching off into other cities where spin-offs like NCIS: Los Angeles have found great success. Los Angeles, in particular, has become one of the crown jewels of the franchise, nearly rivaling the popularity of the original show. Like any other NCIS show, Los Angeles has terrific characters that make it such a compelling series, and while every member of the cast contributes to the show’s success, none are quite as unforgettable as Henrietta “Hetty” Lange (Linda Hunt). As the stylish, petite, and secretive Operations Manager of the unit, Hetty plays an indelible role in the show, and thus, her absences that began after Season 9 were sorely felt. But what hurt most was her absence from Season 14, specifically, the show’s finale, leaving a slight hole in the resolution of the spin-off. The way things turned out leaves fans asking one important question: what exactly happened to Hetty (and, by extension, Hunt) during these gaps?
Hetty Started Disappearing From ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ in Season 10
Hetty was part of the original cast of Los Angeles, and from the beginning, she was introduced as the Operations Manager and the ultimate badass in espionage. From the contrast between her small stature and intimidating demeanor to her reliable leadership that involved calling in favors from her colorful, mysterious past, Hetty has also been hailed the best character in the NCIS franchise for some. She was a dependable presence on the show for nine solid seasons, but Season 10 and most of Season 11 saw the character go missing from the screen. However, this was not planned on the series’ part. During this first major break from the show, Hunt was actually recovering from a car accident. Hunt tells TV Line that although there were “no serious injuries,” she “had to take some additional time to recover,” which led to her late start in Season 11.
Thankfully, Hunt recovered and returned to Los Angeles, but the reunion would be short-lived as Hunt took another break during the next season. In the show, they explain that Hetty needs to return to Syria for an elusive personal mission, and her role as Operations Manager is supposed to be temporarily fulfilled by Admiral Kilbride (Gerald McRaney), but by the end of the season, his position is permanent. Hunt’s second departure has a real-world explanation as well. This season was filmed in 2020, during the early peaks of the pandemic, and as such, Hunt was unable to return to the set to prioritize her health. Showrunner R. Scott Gemmill told TV Line, prior to production, that they were “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’ Season 13 Was Hetty’s Final Appearance
After her three-season hiatus, Hetty finally reappeared in the Season 13 premiere, which would be her final appearance on the show. When she leaves Los Angeles once again (for the same COVID reasons), fans’ hopes of her returning to the show were slowly diminishing, but Gemmill reassured us in an interview with Parade that “her story continues.” He explained that “she was in at the beginning of this season, and then we had her disappear. The plan [was] to follow that up next year with some reveal,” referring to Season 14.
However, Hetty was nowhere to be seen in Los Angeles’ final season. Unfortunately, as Gemmill informed TV Insider, Hunt didn’t have the availability for the show, but she subtly makes her one last hurrah through a voice cameo and a written one. During the unprecedented crossover between three of the biggest NCIS shows, which included NCIS, Los Angeles, and NCIS: Hawai’i, Hunt makes a voice cameo through an encrypted recording the team was forced to decode — even though she was miles away, Hetty still proved she was dedicated to her team. She does so once again in the Season 14 finale, where Hetty sends a written letter to the newly married couple, Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Anna (Bar Paly), congratulating them on their wedding while also sneakily asking them to help her with a “side project,” likely a secret mission in true Hetty fashion. Though Hetty doesn’t reappear, these additions make sure she is still connected to the other characters and provide extra excitement for fans.
‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Kept Hetty’s Fate a Mystery
While each of Hunt’s absences from the show is neatly explained, the fate of the Los Angeles character is more of a mystery. The most concrete explanation we ever get about Hetty is that she is on a secret mission in Syria, and during the final two seasons, there were even theories about her dying in a coffee shop that exploded. However, through the voice recordings and that final letter, the team and we find out that she simply faked her death. While it’s nice to know she’s alive, it leaves some questions about her fate. While we don’t know her status currently, in the aforementioned interview with TV Insider, Gimmell also shared the storyline he potentially wanted to create if Hunt had the availability to return. It would have involved the team conducting a rescue mission for Hetty and helping her out with her troubles in Syria, but unfortunately, with the season canceled, this didn’t pan out.
There’s always a chance that Hetty’s storyline could be addressed in one of the other shows in the NCIS franchise. When the show was canceled, Agent Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) crossed over to Hawai’i, so it is not impossible for Hetty’s story to follow suit. That being said, it is unlikely that Hunt would be willing to return to the franchise, as when she first got the role, she made it clear in an interview with The Daily Beast that she had never initially intended to find such a long-term role due to her age. “I wasn’t looking for anything,” she explained. “I’m now 66. At this time in my life, that this has come along, feels just like a gift.” As such, we may just have to chalk Hetty returning to the franchise as wishful thinking, keeping our favorite Operations Manager’s fate an unknowable mystery — how very Hetty of her.