Eric Christian Olsen Trades Deeks for a Role That Could Redefine His Career

NCIS: Los Angeles‘ Eric Christian Olsen has a new TV gig that makes losing Marty Deeks worth it. Deeks was a fan favorite character who is often on the top of lists of characters that should return to the NCIS franchise. Ironically, he was not part of the series’ regular cast until season 2, appearing only as a guest star during the procedural’s freshman year. However, Deeks played an important role in the unit and thus is sorely missed.

Unlike most of the characters in NCIS: Los Angeles, Deeks had a foot in two worlds. He was an undercover operative who was the liaison between NCIS and the LAPD, often making enemies in both the military and the police department. Deeks was popular because he straddled the line between courageous and reckless on a regular basis. However, the biggest reason he continues to be popular is Deeks’ relationship with Kensi in NCIS: Los Angeles, which is a story that will never continue now since Deeks has been written out for good.

Olsen’s Next TV Role After NCIS: Los Angeles Is Producing Matlock

The Actor’s Next Career Move Puts Him In Charge Of One Of Network TV’s Biggest Shows

Olsen hasn’t taken another acting job after leaving NCIS: Los Angeles. Instead, he has moved into producing. This type of career move is common in the network TV industry; many producers and directors start out as actors, and sometimes stars of long-running shows take on the executive producer role within their series as well as continuing to act in them. In Olsen’s case, however, he isn’t producing an NCIS show. Instead, Olsen is one of the producers of Matlock.

Marty Deeks is a beloved character on NCIS: Los Angeles and now that the show is over, fans are wondering if he’ll return to the franchise.

This is an impressive role for him to take on. Olsen founded Cloud Nine Productions, which is the company which developed Matlock, in 2016, and hit pay dirt when he began producing the Kathy Bates vehicle. The quasi-reboot of the 1980s hit legal drama is one of CBS’ most popular shows, and Olsen enjoys producing high-quality episodes even though he misses acting. Although Olsen had produced other things in the past, he didn’t quit his acting job until he began producing Matlock, which he realized would take up the majority of his time and energy.

Matlock Is The Biggest Show Of The 2024-2025 TV Season

It Is Both Popular and Critically Acclaimed

Matlock has been surprisingly successful for CBS. Although it was far from certain that a reboot of the 1980s Andy Griffith cozy mystery show would be of interest, the series has enjoyed high ratings throughout its freshman season. Matlock‘s success can be attributed partially to the fact that it drew inspiration from the Andy Griffith series without trying to replicate it. Instead, Madeline Kingston (Kathy Bates) takes on the name Matlock to go undercover at a law firm she believes to be partially responsible for her daughter’s death from opioid abuse a decade earlier.

Matlock has not only proven to be popular with audiences, but has also received critical acclaim. Most notably, Bates won the 2025 Critics Choice Award. Each episode also generally gets high marks from television critics. Matlock‘s winning formula includes combining the overarching mystery with a case of the week, making it both similar and different from other legal procedurals. Given its success, it is unsurprising that CBS greenlit Matlock season 2 before the freshman season was half over.

Will Olsen Ever Return As Deeks In The NCIS Franchise?

It’s Unlikely, But Not Impossible

Olsen had worked as a producer on various projects during his last few seasons with NCIS: Los Angeles. However, he quit acting so that he could focus full-time on his producing duties once CBS greenlit Matlock. Producing a major network show takes a lot of time and energy, making it impossible for Olsen to split time between acting and producing. Given Matlock‘s success, it is not likely that Olsen will return as Deeks any time soon, However, that does not mean things won’t change in the future.

Olsen states in Parade that he sometimes misses acting when he watches scenes from behind the camera rather than being directly involved in making them. It remains to be seen if he can fit in any appearances as Deeks in NCIS: Los Angeles as time goes on, but for now the only acting he is doing is at table reads for Matlock, where he stands in for various characters, most often villains, when going over new scripts for the first time. Thus, it’s possible Olsen will return to his original role someday, but it doesn’t seem like that will happen any time soon.