[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the NCIS Season 21 episode “Reef Madness.”]
Jessica Knight made a huge decision in the NCIS Season 21 finale, and it’s one that likely has fans wondering if cast member Katrina Law is leaving the CBS show for good.
In “Reef Madness,” NCIS head Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) approached Knight with a surprising offer. He wanted her as the head of the new NCIS REACT team at Camp Pendleton. But taking the job would likely mean moving to the West Coast and leaving behind the rest of the NCIS team, including her boyfriend Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen).
Knight accepted the new job in the ‘NCIS’ Season 21 finale
When Vance initially approached Knight about the job, she told him she’d have to think about it. As she considered her options, she and Parker (Gary Cole) investigated the murder of three people whose bodies were found on a decommissioned ship that was about to be turned into an artificial reef.
Knight and Parker ended up trapped on the ship, though thanks to a brave move on her part, they were able to escape. The episode ended with Knight telling Vance what she’d decided about the job.
“Hell yeah, sir,” she told him. “Let’s do it.”
Is Katrina Law leaving ‘NCIS’?
“Reef Madness” definitely seemed to be setting up Knight’s departure for new adventures in California. But is Law really leaving NCIS? As of now, we don’t know. The actor played coy when TVLine asked her about her future on the CBS series.
“Hmmm…. Better tune in for that season opener!” she replied.
Law also hinted at her rumored exit in a May 7 Instagram post.
“Guess we gotta wait for CBS FALL,” she wrote.
Though the episode ended with Knight looking forward to a new path in NCIS, that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s gone for good, NCIS co-showrunner Steven D. Binder told TVLine.
“Well, we set something up there…,” he said. “And I will point you to our track record where you just never know. We’ve had people look like they were going away and then it turned out they weren’t, and then we had people who just disappeared, like Gibbs.
“So I will say this: We do aim to please,” he added, “and we think the audience will be satisfied with where they see this go.”
In an interview with The Wrap, Binder reiterated that fans will have to wait and see what’s next for Knight and how her decision to accept the new job affects her relationship with Jimmy (who was obviously not thrilled to hear that she was accepting Vance’s offer).
“Well, we hope it means good things for Jessica’s future for sure,” he said. “As for Katrina’s future, you know, we like to keep the audience guessing, and surprise them. So I think what that means is surprises you’ll have to guess at?”
NCIS Season 21 is streaming on Paramount+.
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