Daniela Ruah Returning To The NCIS Universe After LA (But Not How You Think)

Fans last saw Daniela Ruah as Kensi Blye on the series finale of "NCIS: Los Angeles." After following her journey since the very first episode, fans got to see Kensi end her story in a wonderful place, expecting a child with her partner Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen). And while Kensi doesn't have a cameo slated for any time soon (that we know of), Ruah is back on the case in a much different capacity.

"NCIS: Los Angeles" may have ended after Season 14, but "NCIS" and "NCIS: Hawai'i" are still going strong. Deadline reports that Ruah will direct episodes for both still-running procedurals. Her "NCIS" episode will come out in March, while the one for "NCIS: Hawai'i" will come out the following month. And she's ecstatic to remain a part of this franchise, as she said in a statement: "Kensi was born as a character on 'NCIS,' 15 years ago, so now to be able to step onto that set again, as a director, with that incredible cast and crew, is an absolute honor."

It isn't her first time stepping into the director's chair. She's previously helmed six episodes of "NCIS: Los Angeles" across Seasons 12, 13, and 14. 

Daniela Ruah shared the news about her upcoming directorial gigs on Instagram and got plenty of positive praise from fans. Among the comments were other "NCIS" players excited to see Ruah getting back into the franchise. One famous name that popped up was Brian Dietzen, who's been in the "NCIS" cast as Jimmy Palmer since Season 1. He kept it short and sweet, "See you soon!" Ruah only appeared on two "NCIS" episodes — "Legend (Part I)" and "Legend (Part II)" — for Season 6. Brian Dietzen actually isn't in those episodes, but it looks like the two will come together at last in 2024.

Ruah's "NCIS: Los Angeles" co-star Erik Palladino also got into her Instagram comment section where he exclaimed, "Well... yeah. Makes perfect sense to me. Awesome at directing- check. Awesome at being a human – check. Hired!"

It's exciting to see Ruah's talents flourish behind the camera as well as in front of it. In an exclusive interview with Looper, the actor spoke about the challenges that sometimes come with directing: "I was directing [an episode] a few weeks ago, and there was one particular day that felt almost impossible to finish. We had very limited time to shoot, and there was a ton of action. There was a company move, which means you move the entire crew and machinery to a different location. It felt like an impossible day to complete." Fortunately, she got a pep talk from LL Cool J, who played Sam Hanna on "NCIS: Los Angeles," and persevered. Hopefully, she remembers those words of wisdom for all her future directorial endeavors.