All language subtitles for NCIS Los Angeles - 00x01 - A Salute to NCIS Los Angeles.eng

- [laughs]
- I hope we're rolling.

Yeah. W-What was the question?

Let's not overthink it.
[laughs]

- KEVIN FRAZIER: Tonight...
- [imitates NCIS: Los Angeles
theme music]

...the cast of
NCIS: Los Angeles say goodbye.

You guys just watched
the finale.

Lots of feels.

My God. Pinch me.

I wasn't expecting that ending.

I-It's not the end
of these characters.

FRAZIER:
...sharing 14 seasons
of behind-the-scenes secrets...

Lot of pyro, lot of explosions.

These are directly
stolen from set.

- Mark!
- ...from the first day...

- It's nice to meet you.
- It's funny,

I forget he's LL Cool J.

...to the final shot.

[choked up]:
This was beyond

anything I could have imagined.

You get overcome with emotions.

I love you, I appreciate you.
Thank you.

- [cheering, applause]
-FRAZIER: Favorite memories...

I was like,
"How did we get that?"

That's not normal life. [laughs]

...that made them
forever family.

They're my brothers.
[laughs]

Daniela is-is that-that fun mom.

LL Cool J always has

- the music playing.
- McRANEY: "Todd,

we're-we're ready."

"Oh, okay," you know?

- Come on. It's NCIS: L.A.
- It's NCIS: Los Angeles.

FRAZIER:
This isCBS Presents

A Salute to NCIS: Los Angeles:

An Entertainment Tonight
Special.

Hello and welcome, everybody,
to a bittersweet tribute.

We just witnessed
the end of an era,

the end of NCIS: Los Angeles.

I'm here at the historic studios
at Paramount,

where all the sets once stood.

The boatshed, the team's desks,

the Ops center, even the gym.

It was all right here
just two months ago.

- It was amazing. It was amazing.
- Yeah.

We-- You know, w-we called
these stages home for 14 years.

O'DONNELL:
I'll probably
be calling him, saying,

"Hey, man, did that
really happen?"

[laughs] Probably.

What-what are you,
what are you doing?

- You want to hang out?
- Yeah.

RUAH:
It's a weird sensation

because it doesn't hit you
in, like, one big slap.

I think it'll hit me

when we don't come back in July
to shoot another season.

As I was driving home
was the first, like, round

that it really hit me,

which is like, "I'm not gonna
be driving to work

on NCIS: Los Angelesanymore."

And that's just
a full cornucopia of emotions.

We made a show that made
so many people happy

and that, uh, built up such
a following around the world.

It was pretty amazing.

FRAZIER:
Yep, after 14 years

and 323 episodes,

we're saying goodbye
to these special agents.

But first,
let's talk about that finale.

We got a long-awaited wedding,

a baby on the way,
surprise guests,

and we finally got to hear
Hetty's voice again.

I think we all have
a lot of feelings about

how it went down,
and so does the cast.

I think that, uh, they did
a nice job wrapping it up.

LL COOL J:
And I think the fans
that, you know,

had an opportunity to be with us
from day one

should feel really, really good

about these characters.

OLSEN:
I think that it's...

...really emotionally fulfilling
for the characters

and also, I think, for--
hopefully,

for everybody that just,
that just watched.

With this ring, I thee wed.

RUAH:
The hard thing is that we took

so many pictures that day,

but we couldn't post them
because we couldn't let it on

to the audience that we were
shooting a wedding scene.

JUDGE:
I pronounce you man and wife.

You may share
your first married kiss.

- [applause]
- [whoops]

O'DONNELL:
I wasn't expecting that ending,

and I actually thought it was
great-- I go, "God, they--

"this thing could end
on us, you know,

"me getting married
and, you know,

"saying goodbye, and that's kind
of it," and then I was like,

"Wait a second,
they're going to Morocco."

Thought it was very clever,

and leaves the fans thinking,

"So they're still doing stuff?

What-- Do we get to see?"
You know?

[car door closes]

- There's nothing here.
- Well, maybe that's the point.

The future is bright.
It leaves the future open.

- Mm-hmm. I like that.
- They're off to new adventures.

LL COOL J:
You never know,
there might be a-a whole movie

for NCIS: Los Angelesone day.

There could be many things
that could happen.

You never know
what could happen, so...

you know, there was no reason
for us to just, like,

drive off a cliff,
like Thelma & Louise,

- you know what I mean,
like, we...
- [laughs]

FRAZIER:
Another mission was
the perfect way

to bring Linda Hunt back
as Hetty Lange.

Fans got to hear her voice
one last time

in a letter
to her surrogate son.

HETTY:
I have been blessed
with the greatest family

one could ever have wished for,

and so have you.

FRAZIER:
Health concerns have kept
everyone's favorite

operations manager off set
for the last two seasons,

but she's never far
from this cast's heart.

HETTY:
The one wish I have for you,
Mr. Callen...

...is that by the time
you leave here,

you've learned the art
of trusting others.

OLSEN:
I-- We needed that closure.

Like, a-as a human being,
I needed that closure.

I'm so glad that she did it.

And I miss her desperately.

The body versus the mind.

There's a fight indeed.

RUAH:
She's incredibly funny.
Incredibly funny.

But to be able to represent her
when we talk about her,

to be able to give her
that final closure in the end,

um, but also leaving
that "dot, dot, dot"

at the end of the show
through her,

which is so, uh, appropriate.

- O'DONNELL: She was
such a part of the show.
- LL COOL J: Huge.

And will always be such
a big part of the show, and...

and she's one of a kind.

FRAZIER:
Tonight's finale also

brought back some old friends,

like Erik Palladino,

Peter Cambor
and Renée Felice Smith.

What do you say, gentlemen?

You ready
for your next adventure?

I mean, how are they gonna
wrap it up without Nell?

[laughs]

It felt like I-I had lost

no time in between.

Um, we picked up
right where we left off.

And I think they were,

you know, excited
to have Nell back as well.

Don't tell me
Beale's here with you.

No. Sadly, he is giving
a TED Talk in Singapore.

- Of course he is.
- FRAZIER: Beale didn't factor

into the final storyline,
but for Barrett Foa,

just like the rest of us,
saying goodbye is tough.

FOA:
I'm really sad
that the show is over.

I mean, it's 12 years
of my life, you know?

14 years of-of,
of our fans' lives.

FRAZIER:
And if this face
in the final scene

looks familiar,
well, here's why.

Uh, that's Chris's son Chip,
playing Will,

which is amazing.

I'm the new guy.

O'DONNELL:
My son was in the last scene,
as part of the, uh,

the new team,
which was kind of fun.

We got a kick out of him.

Over the course of the show,

all of my kids had been
on the show, and my wife.

My oldest son had not been on
for various reasons,

and then-- partly during COVID--

and so at the end,
I said, "Oh, my God,

we should have,
we should have done something."

So, it was kind of fun.

SMITH:
It was really sweet to have

that moment, I think.

And I, and I saw Chris

really absorbing
sort of the gravity

of that moment, too.

RUAH:
I was like, do you think
the audience is not gonna notie

that he is
a straight photocopy of Chris?

Do you think people are not

gonna see that that's his son?

And I was just like,
"My goodness, Chris,

you make good-looking children."
[laughs]

FRAZIER: Yeah. This cast has
always been about family.

It even resonates
in the storylines.

We're having a baby.

We're having a baby?

RUAH:
I think Kensi and Deeks

deserved this ending.

I had hoped for this,
to be honest.

I had, like, been putting it
out in the universe

and making little jokes
here and there with our writers

and being like,
"Wouldn't it be great if Kensi

got pregnant
in the last episode?"

OLSEN:
I think it's the only ending
to that story.

I think it's the best ending
to that story.

The end of Deeks's arc,

finding love and-and a wife

and-and potentially
two kids, like,

you can't ask for a better
ending for that character.

FRAZIER:
The two-part series finale

was actually shot
11 weeks ago.

Production schedules
varied for everyone,

which means the cast didn't hae
their final scenes together.

RUAH: So I was out on a Friday
and our show wrapped

on a Wednesday,
so I made a point

of going to work
those last three days.

I went every day to make sure
that I got to hug everybody

on their last day.

Anna, you look stunning.

So do you. You're glowing.

RUAH:
The very last moment we shot
was when Anna says,

"Kensi, you look so lovely.
You're glowing."

And I say,
"No, you look amazing."

It's nice to have sort of, like,
that female mutual empowerment

as my very last line
of the show. [laughs]

OLSEN:
My last scene was with Rosa
right after the wedding.

Or I say, "Did you hear that?"
and she goes, "I did,

I think they're cute,"
and I was like, "What?"

What?

You want that
to be your grandpa?

OLSEN:
That was the last scene I shot

of NCIS: Los Angeles.

RAHIMI:
I remember shooting
the last scene very well.

It was me, Caleb and, um, Gerald

in Ops.

There were lots of tears
on the last day

from-from everybody.

CASTILLE:
You know what was interesting,
I-I didn't cry.

Uh, a lot of our crew,
uh, absolutely did.

Medalion, sure,
but, um, I didn't.

I was just very proud
of everyone,

and the job
that we had accomplished.

Mine was, uh, it was just me
working with a screen.

Sir, Commander Collins

with Navy Munitions Command Pac
is online now.

Got it. Put her through.

McRANEY: You know,
immediately after that scene

was done,

the, uh, first AD called
a wrap on the episode,

a wrap on the season,

a wrap on NCIS: Los Angeles,

and that was that.

FRAZIER:
We were on set with Chris
and Todd for their last day,

and as you'd expect,
it was emotional.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
Uh, guys, um, that is
a thank you, good night.

Done in episode, done in season

and done in show to Chris.

[cheering]

O'DONNELL:
You kind of know it's coming,
and then all of a sudden,

like, you know, then you know
they're gonna say,

"Oh, this is the last scene
for, you know, Chris

on the set," and it--
You're just like...

- Mm-hmm.
- "Wow," it's just, you get
overcome with emotions.

Thank you, everybody.

[choked up]:
That's amazing...

...to say the least.

And it was because of
all you guys.

It's so hard to get
these things to work.

And this was beyond anything
I could have imagined.

So thank you, everybody.
You've worked really hard.

And, uh, I hope everybody
finds another run like this

'cause they don't come up
very often.

And take care, everybody.

[cheering]

LL COOL J:
We did something great.
I mean, you know,

we're the 14th longest-running
show in history

and we're, you know,

number five, I think, on--
for CBS.

I mean, this was
a-a huge accomplishment...

- Mm-hmm.
- ...and I want the crew
to be proud of that.

Never feel like you don't
have access to me in that,

now, if you see me on TV,
I'm no longer your friend,

or now if you see me on TV,

you can no longer
reach out to me.

You can.
You know what I'm saying?

We have a relationship.
That doesn't change.

So I love you, I appreciate you.

- Thank you.
- [cheering, applause]

I realize now
that a lot of these things,

how important they are.

And there's more to this
than just

money and jobs
and mortgages and people.

Yes, that's all important,
I know people want to take care

of their families, but you also
have to take a moment

and just remember that
you really did something major.

- -And-and that means something.
- O'DONNELL: Yeah,
and it was nice

that you singled out how
everyone contributed, you know?

- LL COOL J: Yeah.
- 'Cause there's a lot
of people that,

if you're in front
of the camera,

if you're in the vicinity
of the camera, you...

you know, everyone knows
who you are and sees you,

but there's
so many people that...

work just as hard
that nobody really knows,

and they're kind of in the
background doing stuff, so...

It's a r-- It-it is absolutely
a team effort.

RAHIMI:
LL Cool J always
has the music playing,

and he doesn't just listen
to hip-hop and rap.

FRAZIER:
Secrets from
theNCIS: L.A. set.

Dani's a professional dancer.

FRAZIER:
Plus, what happens when
you bring your mom to work.

I was nervous,
I thought she was gonna be...

- [babbling]
- [laughs]

PRODUCER:
We are rolling now.

- Well, there's no hope for me.
- [laughs softly]

What's up? [laughs]

- Kind of looks like him, right?
- Thanks.

Thanks a lot. Thank you.

Look at this.

Get in the middle,
get in the middle.

You know who's the fastest
lip balm putter-oner?

BOTH:
LL Cool J.

We doing it. Enjoy.

- Hello.
- [laughter]

Welcome to NCIS: Los Angeles.

- Ah.
- What's your favorite
part of the set?

RUAH:
I think the Ops center

is really, really cool.

We have a bunch of technology.

O'DONNELL:
This is kind of our little

bullpen area
where we all hang out.

This is the gadget room.

I don't know what the hell
they do in there.

It's nice to meet you.
I'm LL Cool J.

- Nice to meet you.
- [laughs]

I-I forget he's LL Cool J,

but then when we get
out in public

and people are, you know,
yelling for him

and the whole thing,
it-it reminds you.

[people screaming]

FRAZIER:
People always used to wonder,

what are rappers gonna do
when they grow up?

NCIS: Los Angeles.

[both laugh]

FRAZIER:
When the show started in 2009,

LL Cool J was a Grammy-winning
rapper and superstar.

But to theNCIS: L.A.
cast and crew,

he just wanted to be Todd Smit.

I just didn't want to bring
that part of my life to the set.

That's a big name,
it's a big persona,

and there's a lot
that comes with that.

- And I think
it was the right decision.
- And you did that.

I was watching the-the Grammys,

did this, you know,
massive performance

with the whole thing--
I was like,

"I can't believe
that's the same guy...

[both laugh]

"...that I sit and screw around
with all day long,

that that's him up there."

That's the bigger act,
let me tell you.

I think Sam Hanna's
a lot closer to who you are

- than-than that.
- [laughs] Okay.

RUAH:
And in his own words,

he's an introvert by nature.

O'DONNELL:
He's a little nerdy guy
that reads stuff all the time.

He'll make comments on stuff,
and I'm like,

- "Where are you coming up
with this?"
- [laughs]

And then I'll kind of
look it up, I go,

- "He's actually right."
- [laughs]

And I go, "I don't...
I wasn't expecting that."

McRANEY:
He's got a vast amount
of knowledge.

He's highly intelligent.

I enjoyed the conversations

that I would have with him
between shots.

But he does bring
the good energy.

LL COOL J:
It's just like, "Let's play
music, let's have fun.

O'DONNELL:
He brought more
of the music than I did.

- You knew when Todd
was coming onto set.
- Thankfully.

- Thankfully.
You know what I mean?
- [laughs]

♪ Brothers and sisters...♪

SMITH: Oh, yeah.
When Todd walks in,

he'll be playing
some sort of music.

We're like, "What genre

are we playing today?"

And there were a few times
when they would have

to get his attention.

"Todd, we're-we're ready."

"Oh, okay."

And he'd turn the music off,
go to work.

[hip-hop music playing]

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
Let's roll.

Let's roll sound,
everybody, here we go.

It's funny, 'cause Chris
O'Donnell likes a quiet set

and Todd likes the music.

And so when
they're working together,

they're always kind of bickerig

and joking
with each other, and...

It's just,
their dynamic is so good.

Keep it up.
I'm-a bounce you off a rock.

From day one, the thing that's
been the most enjoyable for me

are my scenes with-with Todd,

and just the-the banter
back and forth

and needling each other
on the show, and...

and we do that off camera
as well.

Well, he's got a fan on him
right now.

Seriously. Do you want to--

Take your picture with her,
would you?

Come on. She's dying.

- We already did.
- Okay.

PRODUCER:
You guys are like
the odd couple. I love it.

I remember my first scene
with them together.

We're in the boatshed,
and I think I improv,

"You two are adorable"?

That is adorable.

And the look on,
the look on their face.

And I remember just them
being like, "What the..."

Cuckoo. You're crazy.

He gives me
a thousand paper cuts.

- I give him
one big stab wound...
- [laughs]

...you know, like a--
like, three months later.

Then we go three months
with the paper cuts,

and then I give him
a stab wound.

- It's-it's perfect. [laughs]
- That's so true.

It's perfect.

I don't even know why I try.

I don't, either, but it's fun.

FRAZIER:
Yep. And when Chris,

who the cast calls C.O.D.,

directed his first of
three episodes back in 2013,

Todd thought it was about time.

Set and action.

And he's always in my ear
with a-- It's something, anyway,

so it didn't really make
a difference. [laughs]

Gonna have to have pep talks
with my actors today here.

[laughs]:
I mean, I was like,

it was--
He's running around here

like a soda bottle
that got shook up.

He needed to, he needed
to direct, so it was great.

I think it's--
I'm happy for him.

- And cut.
- ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Cutting.

Thing of beauty.

I am gonna be directing again
this season,

so I'm looking forward to that.

That's always kind of fun,
to get behind the camera

and get to tell LL
what he has to do.

You get up quickly because
I'm like, "Sam," and then

you get up, you're like,
"I'm good, I'm going after him."

FRAZIER: Chris wasn't
the only cast member

to sit in the director's chair.

Daniela directed six episodes,

including a very special one
in 2022,

which was written by Eric.

I fell in love with it.

And it's something
that was not a--

it's not to replace acting,

but it's a lateral step
that I fully intend

on continuing to pursue.

CASTILLE: Daniela communicates
in a way, as a director,

that is so conducive, uh,

to just pulling the performance
you want as an actor.

She has evolved into
the kind of mother on the set.

CASTILLE:
Daniela is-is
that-that fun mom on set.

You know? She lets us
joke around, but it's--

when it's time to work and it's
time to get down to business,

she's able to-to, you know,
bring it in.

FRAZIER:
And speaking of moms, in 2012,

the cast's real-life mamas
made cameos

alongside their famous kids.

Now, that's what I call
two well-mannered young men.

LL COOL J: She did excellent.
She did better

than I thought she would do.
I was nervous.

I thought she was gonna be...
[babbling]

O'DONNELL:
She was rehearsing at home,
though, yesterday.

Well, yeah,
'cause I have one line.

It was like Peter Brady running
around the house saying,

"Hark. Who goes there?"

Hark. Who goes there?

She was doing it all
the different ways possible.

Someone certainly
taught them well.

It was really fun to see
the moms, especially when they,

you know, they call cut,
and then all the moms

kind of turn to each other
and kind of go...

[babbling]
"Oh, my God, oh, my God."

JEANNE OLSEN: It was
a once-in-a-lifetime experienc,

and I wouldn't give it up
for anything.

[cheering, applause]

Just catching bad guys
in my frills.

OLSEN:
I'm not exactly sure
how we end up undercover

at this dance club.

All I know is that, uh,
Dani's doing

a lot of fantastic dancing,
and I am, uh,

I am running the men's room
attendant.

RUAH:
I forgot how happy
dance makes me.

There's, like, this "zing"
that comes up in your body.

OLSEN:
She won't talk about this,
but she was on

Dancing with the Stars
in Portugal,

and I think she won.

FRAZIER:
Yeah, she did.

And another thing Dani
always gets asked about:

- her different-colored eyes.
- RUAH: I have a birthmark

in my black eye,
which makes it black.

Otherwise,
they would both be hazel.

I was born with it. [laughs]

It doesn't affect my vision.

FRAZIER:
And as we look back
on some of the show's

most memorable moments,

it wasn't until season seven
that G. Callen

finally found out his name.

I was excited myself.

[both laugh]

It took a little while.

We started out,
I didn't even know my name.

- [both laugh]
- Oh, my God.

Tell them what it stands for.

- Grisha.
- Oh, yeah. [laughs]

Grisha?

Grisha Aleksandrovich
Nikolaev Callen.

- [laughs]
- I love it. I love it.

O'DONNELL:
I didn't want to know. I-I...

I just thought it was fun
to let the writers go

and-and take the ride with them.

FRAZIER:
Kensi and Deeks' relationship

was also quite the ride.

After four proposals,

Densi said "I do" in season te.

The wedding is here.

O'DONNELL:
They're getting married
overlooking the ocean,

in a beautiful setting here.

Callen and I
are giving Kensi away.

[cheering, applause]

The fans are finally getting
what they've been hoping for

all these years.

[cheering]

FOA:
But it was really fun

to see... [laughs]

Barrett fail.

FRAZIER:
But one thing fans didn't get..

Barrett and I were always
pulling for a musical episode.

[laughs]

FOA:
We did have

our-our candy cane dance moment.

- Wow.
- ♪ Toys♪

♪ Toys, toys for tots.♪

FOA:
Renée and I choreographed
that ourself.

Yo, a lot of pyro,
lot of explosions.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
Fire in the hole.

FRAZIER:
From fires to fistfights,

the intense action.

You wake up the next day.
"What happened to me?"

FRAZIER:
Plus, set life on location.

We shot at every
L.A. sort of monument.

OLSEN:
These sea lions would come up

and they'd be like...
[imitates barking]

DIRECTOR:
Three, two, one, action!

- I could use some help here!
- [gunshots]

LL COOL J:
The coolest thing about
the show to me is that...

...when you're doing it,
everything is so real.

Get down!

When you're running from,

you know, these explosions...

...when I'm jumping over cars...

[tires screech]

...like, I'm really doing it.

Where else in the world
do you get paid

to run around
firing guns and driving cars?

I've lived ten lives,
you know, doing this,

because every week
is, like, a huge adventure.

So many fights,
so many shoot-outs,

so many crazy stunts.

Up steps, down steps,

jumping off a balcony,

shooting backwards, looking up.

I still think back
to that, like--

I think this was
season one or two.

I had one thing,
I ran out of this building,

and every ten feet,
another bomb would go off.

The explosions
we had in this show,

it was just unbelievable,

some of the things they did.

But it was incredible,

because they would
get it all set,

there'd be a big safety meeting.

They'd say,
"Okay, we're going hot."

DIRECTOR:
Nine cameras are speeding.

We're going hot on the effect.

- And then they'd yell, "Action."
- DIRECTOR: Background. Action!

And these bombs just
start going, and flames.

- It became second nature and...
- It was amazing.

DIRECTOR:
That's how we do it
on NCIS: L.A.

[cheering, applause]

LL COOL J:
A lot of pyro,

lot of explosions, lot of guns.

It was, it was fun.

FRAZIER:
From the start,
NCIS: Los Angeles

came out guns a-blazing
and full of action.

In 2012, the show earned
an Emmy nod for its stunts,

and over 14 seasons,
fans saw it all.

- DIRECTOR: Action!
- [grunting]

LL COOL J:
I've been sore for ten years.

I'm always sore. [laughs]

OLSEN:
This is what I went
to college for.

[babbles]

The best stunt that I've done
is the, uh,

is the fight scene
with LL Cool J.

That's all me.

[cheering]

I learned that choreography
in literally,

like, 20 minutes.

Uh, Todd is the most
professional,

in control, total stud athlete.

- [grunts]
- LL COOL J: This is, uh,

for me, it's like
a dream come true.

I'm like a kid in a candy store.

[grunts]

RUAH:
During that MMA episode,

he actually got punched
by LL accidentally.

OLSEN:
We're going through the steps

and it just
all of a sudden connects,

- and I just go...
- [laughs] Just "boink."

I'm, like, 185 pounds.

LL Cool J is 230 pounds
of muscle.

So it hurts a little bit.

SAM:
Yeah.

Laid him out like Sunday supper.

OLSEN:
I just ran through

about seven alleys and, like,

kung fu-fought a guy
in that alley right there.

RUAH: He's, like,
reading the script, going,

"Why didn't they call in
my brother?"

I can tell you what my brother's
doing right now: he's surfing.

My brother is surfing
while I'm fighting people

in an alley going,
"Where is my double?"

- DEEKS: Really?
- FRAZIER: Yes,
you heard it right.

Eric's stunt double
is his older brother

and former Navy SEAL Dave.

Dave is now married to Daniela
in real life.

But don't worry,
we'll get to that love story

a little later.

My brother is so fun
to have on set.

He's so good at his job.

Like, that first
giant explosion,

he jumped up, and as it did,

the fireball just wrapped
around him.

Like, he's done some
unbelievable stunts on the sho.

Stunts that I wish
that I had done.

That's such a question
that Dani would have, like,

five answers to,
'cause she's so into, like,

her knife fights and everything.

God, I-I have so many things
that I want to say right now,

and it's not coming out
fast enough,

because that's how passionate
I am about

the action sequences
in our, on our show.

[grunting]

I would literally ask writers
to write me more,

you know, fight sequences.

This is how somebody gets hurt.

OLSEN:
She's throwing real punches
every time,

and if I don't block them,
she's gonna hit me in the face.

Those are my favorite parts
of the show.

- [shouts]
- Yeah? How do you like that?

I've had a few, um,
amazing women double for me,

but the person who's been
with me the longest,

her name is Kim.

So, the hand-to-hand combat
was mostly me,

um, but everything else is Kim.
[laughs]

[grunts]

[yells]

I love every stunt
that they let me do.

Recently, we had
the crossover episode,

and we were in this crazy,
like, airplane graveyard,

and, uh, my character had

to jump off the wing of a plane

onto a perpetrator.

They let me jump,
but obviously, onto a big,

cushioned, you know, surface.

But I felt really cool doing it.

[laughs]

Shooting on location,
I love those days.

Literally, this job is how
I learned how to get around L.A.

L.A. is another character
on this show,

so we got to show her love.

If you're gonna get shot at,
you might as well

do it in the sunshine.

Being all over L.A.,
I mean, we w...

we went to every part of L.A.

I've been in alleyways.
I know restaurants.

- Water treatment plants.
- You know,
water treatment plants.

I know it all.
I know all the spots.

- All the good spots.
- But it was great. To shoot

at all the iconic locations
was pretty amazing.

That's got to be near
the L.A. Forum.

That is the Forum.

Boom. Didn't even need MapQuest.

I mean, I remember seeing Linda

having this amazing scene
in the Hollywood Bowl.

I was like, how did we get tha?

Bob's Marionette Theater?

♪ Another opening♪

♪ Another show...♪

We've shot in Long Beach
where it was LL's birthday,

and we were shooting
at a fish market,

and these sea lions
would come up

and they'd be like...
[imitates barking]

And so for, uh, LL's birthday,

he was taking the fish
and chucking it to the sea lios

in the middle of Long Beach.

He and I were laughing so hard,
like two eight-year-olds

just so excited to feed fish
to sea lions.

That was a great day.

Got hit by a car today.
That was a lot of fun.

FRAZIER:
We're throwing it back
to when the cast made

their prime time debut.

We were lucky
we jumped in to NCIS'sshow.

I'm definitely hoping that
the spin-off, uh, goes ahead.

FRAZIER:
Plus, the real story behind
Dani and Dave's romance.

RUAH:
I looked down, I was like,
"Wow, that guy's attractive."

[laughs]
The rest is history.

FRAZIER:
A Salute to NCIS: Los Angeles:

An Entertainment Tonight Special
will continue. This is CBS.

Chris, Dani, Eric, Todd.

You guys killed it, man.
14 years.

And, uh, just, well done.
Well done, guys.

VALDERRAMA:
To all my brothers, uh,
and sisters over there

at, uh,NCIS: L.A.,
um, I love you guys.

And you guys know
how I feel about you.

So good luck, break a leg.

COLE:
To everyone atNCIS: L.A.,

best of luck.

Cheers.

LAW: Thank you for
holding down theNCIS fort

and, uh, representing,
and then, uh,

who knows, maybe you pop over
to our show every now and then.

Hmm.

FRAZIER:
Oh, yeah, you see,
that's some love right there

from theNCIS flagship.

You know,NCIS: L.A. was
the first of three spin-offs

from the show,
making its debut back in 2009.

But get this: the O.G.,
starring Mark Harmon,

actually branched off

from the hit seriesJAG
in 2003.

Now, we first met Callen,
Sam, Kensi and Beale

in a two-partNCIS episode
that served

as a backdoor pilot for L.A.

So what was it like on set
for that very first scene?

- ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: A mark!
- DIRECTOR: Action!

[tires screech]

Yes, I got hit by a car today.
That was a lot of fun.

It's my first, uh, I s--
yeah, big American job,

so, uh, I'm pretty excited.

- Are you trying
to get under my skin?
- Is it working?

O'DONNELL:
I'm at the table read onNCIS,

and, uh, I remember
we walked in that room,

and I'm just meeting everybody.

I'm like,
"I remember watching him

- onFriday Night Videos,
you know?"
- Yeah.

♪ Don't call it a comeback♪

♪ I been here for years...♪

O'DONNELL:
You got my man here, and...

and, uh, and then,
the cast came in

from the original show,
and they were like a family.

We're like--
I'm looking around, going, uh,

"Is this group gonna be close
like that group?"

- And you just don't know.
- Oh, wow.

O'DONNELL:
If you look back, the journey

and the friendships
and the bonds, it's incredible.

And we absolutely do
have that relationship

that we saw the other cast had.

FRAZIER:
And just like the original,

NCIS: L.A. has been
at the forefront

of telling stories that matter.

O'DONNELL: What Sam went throuh
with his wife dying,

and stuff like that.

And-and my character
was searching for his parents

and-and their relationships
with Hetty.

And there-there are
certain episodes

where it's-it's action and fun,

and then there's some where
you're kind of digging deep.

FRAZIER: Honoring the military
is another mission

that's highly personal
to this team.

LL COOL J:
My-my grandfather
was in the Army,

um, my dad was in the Navy.

So I believe in this country,

I believe in what
the military does

and I believe
in supporting the troops.

And, uh, as-- My character's
a former Navy SEAL,

so it-it just,
it's a lot of fun to-to...

- to be able to represent!
- [cheering]

I think you got to celebrate
the people

that put their lives
on the line.

You know, I-I do believe,
as, uh, as somebody

that has a brother-in-law

that's done seven tours
as an E.O.D.

and a brother
that is a former Navy SEAL,

that you got to celebrate
the people

that are willing to go out thee
and put their lives

on the line every single day
to-to give us this opportunity.

McRANEY:
They have touched on some

controversial subjects
from time to time.

But their overall emphasis
is on entertainment.

They never preached.

They would take a point of vie,
but they didn't preach.

They entertained with it.

FRAZIER: Entertaining
with a message

is what madeNCIS: L.A.
so compelling.

Consider this: it's one
of the first American TV shows

to feature a series regular
wearing a hijab.

Special Agent Fatima Namazi.

RAHIMI:
It was always a character
with a hijab.

That was always the plan.

Went into the audition
with a headscarf on.

Um, yeah, I think that
they-they really wanted

to represent that, um,

so they wanted to find someone
who-who emulated that.

We've made a point of sort of

shining a light
on certain issues,

whether it was
Asian American hate,

whether it was
LGBTQ in the military,

whether it was police brutality
against African Americans.

- Out of the car.
- Hey, w-whoa!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.

It was very, very important
for me to tackle that

and tell that story
in a way that also

reflected, like, my life.

Super important for me
as a young Black male.

Unless Rountree murdered
somebody this morning,

there's no explanation for this.

FRAZIER: And then there are
the fierce women ofNCIS: L.A.,

giving us strong, independent

and empowered role models
for generations to come.

Out of the car.

[over radio]:
Weapon.

RUAH:
I presumed,

in my 24 years of age,

that if I'm going to be strong
and intelligent

and a go-getter
and all this stuff,

that I had to perform,
like, kind of stiff

and very poised

and-and once I fell into
being more at ease

with the character and knowing
that I could be strong

and tough and capable and smar,

but also a goofball,
it kind of changed everything.

And that was
the empowering thing.

To be an example
for other young women...

Actually, I have a great story.

I went home to New York
for the summer,

and this person, she said,

"I just want to tell you
that Nell Jones

"makes all that tech stuff
look cool.

"And my daughter sees that,
and she sees you,

and you've helped her
see herself."

OLSEN:
It is the difference
of entertainment

from when I was a kid, like,

what an '80s hero looks like
versus now.

Like, the fact
that my two daughters,

when they get to watch
their aunt,

like, as the toughest person
in the room,

I think it's, whether
it's conscious or subconscious,

I think
it's an absolute necessity

for-for us to have, you know...

...those-those heroes.

FRAZIER:
Coming up in our
Salute to NCIS: L.A.,

the family behind the scenes.

McRANEY:
She's married to her
on-screen husband's brother.

So, it's...

FRAZIER:
And remembering a fallen legen.

Miguel was special, man.

Even in his last weeks of life,
he never missed a table read.

That guy there--
the really cute one--

so you think it's Deeks?
It's not Deeks.

That's my husband.

RUAH [with British accent]:
Right in the back there.

They're interacting
in a very interesting way.

Perhaps we can get closer
and observe them... in the wild.

That's my husband right there!

McRANEY:
She's married to her
on-screen husband's brother.

So, it's...

a strange family dynamic.

You are so not my type.

RAHIMI:
Oh, boy.

Talk about family drama.
No, I'm just kidding.

[laughs]
They're so great.

[laughs]

CASTILLE:
I'm like, "You guys are

like brother and sister."

Like, the conversations, the...

you know, the little bickering
back and forth.

God. Now they're gonna air this.

This is the worst part
about your bad decisions.

How does it...?

God, no.

- Yes.
- Do you know
how much time we spend...?

- We do, actually, don't we?
- Yes.

- [beeps]
- [both making retching sound]

- [beep]
- Now. Bam. Done. Cut.

- [laughter]
- You got it. It was great.

RUAH:
Eric joined us, uh,
end of season one,

and he said,
"You need to meet my brother."

And then I met Eric's now-wife-
at the time, girlfriend-- Sara.

And she was like,
"You need to meet Dave.

You need to meet Dave."

Eric and Sarah invited me
to go to a friend's house.

Dave was there, and he...

They were playing, uh,

touch football
or something like that.

And the ball came flying
in my direction,

and he kind of, like,
flew and caught the ball

and fell at my feet.

And I looked down,
and I said, "What's up?"

And I didn't know that was
Eric's brother at the time.

I looked down, and I was like,
"Wow, that guy's attractive."

Turns out it was Dave, turns
out the attraction was mutual,

and turns out we got married
and had two kids.

[laughing]:
The rest is history.

FRAZIER:
In 2013, Dave and Dani
had their first son, River,

just four months after Eric and
Sarah welcomed his cousin Wyat.

Then, in 2016,
both women gave birth to girls

just three weeks apart.

- Eric definitely got
the brunt of it.
- Comes home,

and he's like, "Man, phew,
Dani today." And I'm like,

"What are you talking about?
What do you mean?"

- [laughing] Just like...
- [laughing]

RUAH:
I remember the first time

the cast ever went out
to dinner together.

And it was season one,
so at the time,

I was like, "Oh, my God,
I'm having dinner

with Chris O'Donnell
and LL Cool J. Oh, my God."

And now I'm just like,
"Yeah, what's up, bro?"

They're my brothers. [laughs]

I love them so much.

LL COOL J:
I think when you work

this closely with people for
so long, we have a real rapport

and a real relationship
with them.

We're going to always know each
other and always be friends.

I mean, it's just,
this is what it is.

CASTILLE:
The relationships
that you see on camera,

the chemistry that you see
there, is-is due to the fact

that we all have great
relationships outside of work.

RAHIMI:
It is like a family.

That's what was so beautiful

about the show,
is it really was a family.

FRAZIER:
And just like any family,

the cast faced
some heartbreaking losses.

In January 2017,
their beloved costar,

Miguel Ferrer, passed away
after battling throat cancer.

His final episode as NCIS
Assistant Director Owen Granger

aired February 19, 2017.

His loss is still felt.

Yeah, it's tough.
Miguel was tough.

You can watch his last
couple episodes. He was...

He was really struggling.

RUAH:
And the fact that

even though he was...

Even in his last weeks of life,

he never missed a table read.
He came

to every table read.

OLSEN:
I just assumed that

he was going to get better
like he did the time before.

And then
when he passed away, like...

Didn't get a chance to...

Uh, we didn't get a chance
to say goodbye to him.

RUAH:
After he passed, his wife

came up to me, and,

um... she said, "You know,

Miguel was always really shy
on the red carpets and stuff."

She said, "He would wait
for you to arrive."

'Cause I'm obviously, like,
big and loud and whatever.

And she's like,
"He would wait for you to arrive

so he could walk down the carpet
with you."

His last red carpet, I was
super pregnant with my daughte,

and I kept yelling out
that it was his baby. [laughs]

You know, and he laughed,
and we laughed together.

He was...

...a big storyteller.

I mean, he was the epitome
of a Hollywood baby, right?

SMITH:
He grew up

in old Hollywood, and he was

just a wealth of information.

Frank Sinatra was in his
living room when he was a kid

because his mom was
Rosemary Clooney,

and I mean, just...

You know, and his cousin
George Clooney.

We got inside tips
about George's wedding.

SMITH:
You know,

that's not normal life. [laughs]

LL COOL J:
Miguel was special, man.

Uh, you know,

he was Miguel Bond to me.
He was the coolest dude.

And I saw him--
He rolled up on a horse one day,

one of these seasons.
He, like, rolled up so cool.

Like, yo, Miguel was

the coolest dude on the planet.

Yo, he was hilarious.
He was amazing.

Good memories.

It's hard for me
to even put into words.

14 years is
one-third of my life.

FRAZIER:
The cast reflects on
their journey, but if you think

they left the set empty-handed,
oh, think again.

LL COOL J:
I was thinking
about putting the boatshed

- in my backyard.
- [laughing]

- What am I doing? Praying?
- RUAH: Not so much here.

Okay, this is going to be
on national television.

[laughs] Okay.

REPORTER:
Can you describe NCIS

only using the letters
N,C, I and S?

Wow.

New.

Classic.

Uh, NCIS.Hmm, geez.

Inspiring, did you say? Yes.

Sexy.

Really?

- Okay. You ready?
- [laughing]

Yeah. What was the question?

"Never ceases..."

"...to interrupt...

the sexy." [laughs]

That's the worst thing
I've ever said on camera.

- What did Chris say?
- Sexy.

Same thing? Oh, my God.

[laughter]

I'm on the catwalk with...

♪ I'm too sexy
for this uniform.♪

FRAZIER:
You know, it wasn't always
hard work and chasing

bad guys
for theNCIS: L.A. cast.

[laughs]

FRAZIER:
And after 14 years on a set,

it starts to feel
like a second home.

So, what do you do
when it's time to say goodbye?

You take some keepsakes.

I got all the goodies.

[both laughing]

LL COOL J:
I got all the goodies.

Nah, I just wanted my, um...

- O'DONNELL: I got my vest.
- LL COOL J: I got my vest.

- Um, I got my badge.
- Oh, you did?

- Yeah, I got the badge.
- I need to...

- I need to get my badge.
- You like that?
You like that, huh?

Yeah, you kind of
one-upped me there.

RUAH: I took a lot
of Kensi clothes because,

come on, those boots,
those jeans,

those sweaters,
those plaid shirts. [laughs]

So we always had two badges
in case

one got lost.
We had two badges.

And I asked for both badges

so I could eventually
give one to each kid.

I'd be like, "Look."

And on the badges is still
my photograph from season one.

So... [laughing]

OLSEN:
If you, uh, watch the finale,

I'm wearing a pink blazer
to the wedding.

And I literally took that,

uh, and then wore it
to the wrap party.

And a bunch of Jordans.

Wearing them right now.
Just go like that. Yup.

I got to snag a few clothes
and some shoes.

I just took my chair back,

and I took a lot of wardrobe.
[laughs] I...

Rountree's got a good wardrobe.

LL COOL J:
I want to make sure
I get a Sam Hanna outfit

and a Callen outfit.

I want that, as well,
so I can put it

in one of those shadow boxes.

I'm trying to pack up

the rental house
that we've had in Encino

and move all of that stuff
to Florida.

And when I thought
about taking something

from the set, it was like,

"What are you thinking of?

"You got enough crap to haul to
the other side of the country.

Get over it."

FRAZIER: But it's not really
goodbye for this cast, 'cause

once you're family,
you're always family.

And let's not forget
about the group text.

I'll text him dumb stuff,
and he will me,

as much as I would
my best friends

from college or high school.

There's a couple of different
ones, which is interesting.

You got LL Cool J
on a text thread,

you don't want to just be
hitting it every day.

That's LL.

So that one's...
You-you save the special stuff

for-for the one
with everybody on it.

Just pick up the damn phone
and talk to me.

McRANEY:
Everybody in that cast
I want to see again.

I've given everybody my number.

They know where I'm moving.
It's, uh.... yeah, you know.

- O'DONNELL: I will
see him more...
- LL COOL J: Yeah.

O'DONNELL:
...now that we're not working.

It's my man. Like, we...

Look, we worked together
for 14 years.

He's got a little BabyBjoörn.

He's going
to carry me around town.

- [laughing]
- Just kind of cozy in there.

It's gonna be great.
It's gonna be great.

Chris needs some milk.

[both laughing]

Here's to happy endings
and new beginnings.

OLSEN:
What is the thing
that I will miss the most?

And when you have a kid

that moves out here
from Iowa with $500

in his pocket with, like,
the hopes and dreams

of doing something special, you
can't ask for more than that,

which is to go to work
with people you love

and get to do something
that-that you care about

and to tell stories
that sometimes,

much to my surprise,
like, mattered to people.

I-I mean, I don't understand
how you can't miss that.

I'm going to miss this.

And I think
we did good work here.

We did great work.

I look around,
and these are the people

who I'll remember
for the rest of my life.

FOA: You hear
from other cast members,

you hear
from other crew members

how these other shows... They're
like, "Nothing is like this."

We are on something
very special.

You really have
to remember to cherish it,

um, and I think we did.

Now that it's all over,
how do I feel?

I feel super grateful.

I'm... so grateful

to have been
a part of something,

to be a part of history, reall.

RUAH:
I got to be a part of it

with those particular people,
that particular cast,

that particular crew,
those particular directors.

This particular network.

My God.

Pinch me.

It's time, and we're good.

I think we're fine with it.

I think, at the end of the day,
would we have continued? Sure.

But if this is...
But the time is right.

- We ended on top.
- Yeah.

You know, we ended on top,

and-and that's
a beautiful thing.

- That was a pretty sweet moment.
- Yeah.

I've had a lot of those
over the years.

FRAZER: You know,
this empty soundstage

holds a lot of memories.

Lifelong friendships
were forged here.

Great television was created.

Here's one last salute
to the cast and crew

ofNCIS: Los Angeles.

Keep believing in the beauty
of your dreams.

Thank you for sharing
this journey with us.

Thank you for riding with us.

And, uh, you know,
the best is yet to come.

Amen.

I'll leave it to my preacher.

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CBS

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