Why did NCIS: Los Angeles end after 14 seasons? The real reason behind the cancellation
When CBS announced in January 2023 that NCIS: Los Angeles would end with season 14, the news landed like a plot twist. The show was still pulling 6.06 million viewers on average and stood as the top scripted program in its Sunday 10 p.m. slot. So why pull the plug on a hit?
One word: money.
The real reason
CBS never gave an official explanation, but the industry consensus — first reported by Deadline — is that the show had simply become too expensive to keep making. NCIS: LA filmed on location in Los Angeles, one of the priciest production cities in the world, with big-name leads in Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J whose salaries had grown over 14 seasons.
That's the standard economics of long-running network TV: the older a show gets, the more it costs, even when the ratings hold.
The timing made it sting more. The cancellation came right after a hugely successful three-way crossover event with NCIS and NCIS: Hawai'i that delivered some of the franchise 's best ratings in years.
How the cast reacted
Publicly, with grace. LL Cool J posted on social media in 2023:
"After 14 seasons, this is the perfect time to end @ncisla on top of our game!!!"
O'Donnell thanked fans for "an amazing 14 year ride." Behind the scenes, though, reports described the news as a surprise to the cast and crew. The silver lining: CBS told showrunner R. Scott Gemmill early enough for him to write a real ending rather than an accidental one.
How it ended
The finale aired in two parts — "New Beginnings" on May 14, 2023, and "New Beginnings, Part Two" on May 21, 2023 — capped by a CBS tribute special hosted by Kevin Frazier. The send-off included a wedding, giving longtime fans the closure most canceled shows never get.
A few numbers that put the run in perspective:
- 14 seasons — premiering in September 2009 as the first-ever NCIS spinoff.
- Fifth longest-running — among CBS primetime scripted series, behind only Gunsmoke, Lassie, CSI, and Criminal Minds.
- Both leads went the distance — O'Donnell and LL Cool J stayed from the pilot to the finale, a rarity in the franchise.
And Sam Hanna didn't stay gone long. LL Cool J turned up in the NCIS: Hawai'i season finale weeks later, keeping at least one member of the OSP team on the board.
Canceled on top. Not many shows get to say that.