For years, NCIS: Los Angeles fans relied on one constant: the commanding presence of Linda Hunt’s Hetty Lange. When the character began disappearing in later seasons, viewers were left wondering if the show’s secret weapon was gone for good.
The answer was rooted in real life. In 2018, Hunt was involved in a car accident that required additional recovery time, keeping her off-screen during parts of Season 10. In a statement, the actress thanked fans for their support and confirmed her intention to return once she was ready.
The series worked her absence into the story, placing Hetty on covert missions while introducing new leadership figures. Still, her limited appearances only underscored how vital she was to the show’s identity. As executive producer R. Scott Gemmill later emphasized, Hetty was never meant to simply vanish.
