Fans of the NCIS franchise were treated Monday to not one but three new episodes, all connected in the first-ever three-way crossover special for NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai'i.
Many of the franchise's characters came together for the special, in which the team tried to get to the bottom of a professor's suspicious suicide after learning he knew top-secret information about an organization of CIA assassins dubbed "Simon Williams."
But one actor whose return would surprise fans is Linda Hunt, who portrays Hetty in NCIS: Los Angeles.
Here is everything that you need to know.
Hetty appeared in the NCIS: Los Angeles portion of the crossover, where she left an encrypted voice message for G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) and Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) that they unlocked by putting together cryptic texts she had sent them.
Hetty explained how the "Simon Williams" group was always planning on making a comeback and suggested they contact a person named Gwen Johns to help with their investigation.
NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner R. Scott Gemmill spoke to TVLine about bringing back Hetty in this way, explaining how important it was to have Hunt appear in the crossover in some form.
"The triple crossover was such an important event for all of our NCIS families that it was important to have Hetty be a part of it, even if she was physically unavailable," Gemmill explained.
"In true Hetty fashion, she proved not only to be on top of what was going on but she even offered some cryptic advice to help get them out of a jam," he said.
In 2020, Hunt's role as Hetty was reduced on NCIS: Los Angeles amid the COVID pandemic so the 77-year-old remained safe during the period. The character's absence was said to be the result of her working out of Syria.
Speaking to Variety in October 2022, Gemmill said that he had plans for Hetty to return to NCIS: Los Angeles during its 14th season. "Hetty has been an integral force within the agency and an especially important part of Callen's past.
He went on: "As Callen starts thinking about his upcoming wedding to Anna, he would want Hetty present. The plan is to go and rescue her at some point and find out what she's gotten herself into in Syria, but we're just trying to figure out when we can pull it off. The goal is to make it happen this season."
NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
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