NCIS: Los Angeles ran for 14 seasons before ending in 2023. It was the first spinoff and second-longest-running series in the NCIS franchise, just behind the Mothership, even though Daniela Ruah didn’t think the show would get picked up. So, with all that in mind, it's hard to imagine the franchise without NCIS: LA, and it’s even harder to picture different actors starring in the series. So, yeah, I can't believe the cast almost didn’t include Eric Christian Olsen as Marty Deeks.
Olsen joined NCIS: LA towards the end of Season 1, and officially came on as a series regular in Season 2. He was often the comedic relief, and he was one-half of fan-favorite couple Densi. Deeks is arguably one of the best characters on NCIS: LA, and it’s definitely because of the way Olsen played him. Which makes me even more shocked to hear that he wasn’t the first choice, as Olsen recalled on the NCIS: Partners & Probies podcast:
They didn’t want me as Deeks…. They just didn’t want me, period.
Considering how beloved Deeks is by fans, it blows my mind that executives didn’t initially want Olsen in the role. He explained to hosts and NCIS stars Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover that he had done a development deal at Fox, and he was also doing pilots at ABC while juggling a handful of movies. But, echoing what Dietzen had said earlier, he wanted to be in Los Angeles and do a steady TV show. Naturally, he called his agent, who told him about NCIS: LA:
They were like, ‘We have a show that’s looking for a series regular. It’s to play like a street cop. I was like, ‘OK, what is it?’ They said, ‘It’s already on the air.’ And I was like, ‘OK, what’s it called?’ And they were like, ‘NCIS: Los Angeles.’ And I was like, ‘I’ve never heard of it.’ They’re like, ‘It’s the number two show on TV.’ And I go, ‘What’s the number one show on TV?’ And they said, ‘NCIS.’ I go, ‘I’ve never heard of that.’ And they were like, ‘Just take the meeting.'
Despite hilariously never having heard of NCIS: LA or the Mothership, Olsen ended up listening to his agent and going to the meeting. He met with creator Shane Brennan, who was a writer and executive producer on NCIS, and the meeting included some fake action scenes involving finger guns and some big discussions about partnering with Ruah’s Kensi Blye. Not knowing the vibe of the relationship, Olsen tried out a few different scenarios:
He just kind of talked about the character, and he’s like, ‘You want to try some stuff?' And I was like, ‘Sure.’ Literally, it was me and him and a finger gun in a scene, with just casting and Shane in the office, and he had scripted a page and a half of dialogue. And he’s like, ‘I feel like you want to try some stuff,’ and I was like, ‘Well, what’s the goal of the relationship? Let’s talk about the relationship.’ They were trying to find a partner for Kensi, which is Daniela Ruah, and I was like, ‘Is it flirty? And I’m like, I’m just going to make fun of her.'
Deeks and Kensi’s relationship was a mixture of flirty and sarcastic with a lot of back-and-forth between them, and that’s why it worked so well. It’s all because Olsen improvised during this meeting, making fun of Kensi. While their playfulness may have been a highlight for fans, it wasn’t so much for the executives, at least not at first. Olsen admitted that they weren’t too fond of what he did, but Brennan wasn’t willing to give up so easily:
They sent that tape, evidently, to the executives that are no longer at CBS, and they’re like, ‘Let’s keep looking.’ They’re like, ‘Cool. What else you got?' And Shane fought for me.
Olsen was only supposed to do a few episodes until Brennan fought to bring him back for Season 2, and the rest is history.
Deeks went from LAPD detective to NCIS/LAPD liaison officer to NCIS Investigator throughout NCIS: LA’s run. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Olsen's journey with the show began with executives passing on him to joining the cast as a series regular to now serving as an executive producer on NCIS: Origins. So, now I am as grateful as ever that things worked out, because the show would have been entirely different without Eric Christian Olsen.
