After saying goodbye to two cast members in Season 12, "NCIS: Los Angeles" will promote fan favorite guest star Gerald McRaney to a regular role in Season 13 As they say, when a door closes, another window opens

"NCIS: LA" saw longtime cast members Barrett Foa and Rene Ferris Smith exit the show, leaving technical consultant Eric Beale and intelligence operative Nell Jones to live in Japan They are replaced by retired Navy Admiral Hollis Kilbride, played by McRaney Kilbride provides advice and counsel to the LA Division of the NCIS Special Projects Unit during their undercover work

"When we have an actor of Gerald McRaney's caliber, we do our best to cast him as often as possible," executive producer R Scott Gemmill said in a statement" Admiral Kilbride has been an esteemed part of our world for seven years now, and we look forward to our viewers seeing him make an appearance and rock our NCIS: LA world"

Kilbride's no nonsense attitude and fluttering wit have endeared him to fans since his debut in 2014 McRaney's promotion will be of some comfort to fans stunned by the demotion of Fore and Smith The former has been on the show since its inception, while the latter joined in season two

The season 12 finale saw the return of key cast members Linda Hunt, who plays operations manager Hetty Lang, was absent for most of the season due to pandemic concerns However, Hetty has reappeared and may return more regularly in season 13 - which would put her at odds with Kilbride, who has publicly stated that he does not approve of her management style It is possible that she and Kilbride will share the workload, he will take over her role, or some other arrangement will be found [NCIS: LA" Season 13 will air this fall on CBS