NCIS star Brian Dietzen expressed his excitement upon learning that Daniela Ruah, star of NCIS: Los Angeles until its cancellation last year, will return to the NCIS universe to direct two episodes.
Daniela shared the news on Instagram, saying, “Here we go again! This year, I’m thrilled to be directing an episode of NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i! Stay tuned…”
In response, Brian commented quickly with “See you soon!” alongside praise hands emojis.
Fans reacted positively, with one saying, “That’s fantastic news to cheer us all up, you know it will be amazing,” and another adding, “So happy for you Dani! I’m looking forward to seeing your episodes. Congrats!”
Daniela will start filming this month, directing an NCIS episode airing in March, followed by an NCIS: Hawai’i episode scheduled for April.
Speaking to Deadline about her return, Daniela expressed her gratitude, stating, “Kensi was born as a character on NCIS 15 years ago, so the opportunity to return to that set as a director, with that wonderful cast and crew, is an enormous honor.”
She continued, “There are so many familiar faces and people I love who have welcomed me with open arms. It’s like returning home.”
This marks Daniela’s second time behind the camera within the NCIS franchise, having debuted as a director on NCIS: Los Angeles in season 12 and subsequently directing five more episodes.
Fans were saddened when NCIS: Los Angeles concluded its fourteen-season run in May last year. The series wrapped with Daniela’s character Kensi and her husband Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) discovering they were expecting a child, while Callen (Chris O’Donnell) married Anna (Bar Paly) in a city hall ceremony.
Although CBS did not specify the reasons for the show’s cancellation when announced in January 2023, there was speculation about budget constraints.
In response to the show’s end, Daniela shared with ET that she wasn’t sad but viewed it as a creative transition. “I’m not sad that it’s coming to an end,” she said. “I think the show has had an incredible, long run, we’ve told phenomenal stories, and the characters have grown and matured in front of everyone on the show. It’s a bittersweet feeling. It’s time to move on creatively, but it’s going to be so difficult not to be with this great family of individuals.”
Since the series wrapped, Daniela has been busy with various projects, including acting in Netflix’s Portuguese-language series Turn of the Tide and hosting the Portuguese version of The Traitors, Os Traidores.