Eric Christian Olsen at the EMA Awards Gala held at Sunset Las Palmas Studios on October 8, 2022 in Los Angeles, California© Getty

NCIS: LA star Eric Christian Olsen leaves fans heartbroken with tear-inducing tribute following series finale

Eric's tenure as NCIS mainstay Marty Deeks ran from 2009 to until 2023

Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
May 22, 2023

Sundays will be looking much more different for Eric Christian Olsen and fans of NCIS: Los Angeles, as the final episode of the long-running series aired on May 21st.

NCIS: LA was the very first spin-off for the fan-favorite CBS procedural, and at 14 seasons spanning 14 years, it was also its longest-running of its several spin-offs, which include NCIS: Hawai'i, NCIS: New Orleans, and soon, NCIS: Sydney.

Eric was part of the NCIS: LA family since its very beginnings back in 2009, starring as Marty Deeks, whose love interest, Kensi Blye, was played by his off-screen sister-in-law, Daniela Ruah.

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In honor of the show's bittersweet conclusion, the actor took to Instagram to pay tribute to the show and his beloved character, and his fans couldn't be more devastated to have to say goodbye to both the show and Marty Deeks.

His post centered around a photo with the NCIS: LA cast taken at their Los Angeles wrap party back in March 3, which featured him and Daniela, plus Medalion Rahimi (Fatima Namazi), LL Cool J (Sam Hanna), Chris O'Donnell (G. Callen), Gerald McRaney (Hollace Kilbride) and Caleb Castille (Devin Rountree.)

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In his caption, he wrote: "Series Finale Tonight. A beautiful chapter comes to a close," adding: "I celebrate this episode, but more importantly I celebrate every moment and person that got us here."

He continued: "The writers, the cast, the crew, the studio, the network. This is a herculean effort," impressively noting: "14 years. 324 episodes. 2425 days of shooting. 27,871 hours of filming."

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The actor added: "It's completely surreal. A dream. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Most of all I want to say thank you to everybody that watched the show and invited us into their homes."

© Getty

Eric and Daniela star as a married couple

He concluded: "None of this would be possible without your unending support. You collectively gave this show life, and I celebrate you all."

Fans did not hesitate to express their sadness over the show coming to an end, writing in his comments section under the post: "I'm so sad!!" and: "Big shoes to fit in your slot, going to miss y'all," as well as: "Congratulations but I'm sad, I will miss watching this every week," while another fan added a hopeful note: "Looking forward to your next project!"

© Getty Images

Eric and LL back in 2016

While Eric does not appear to have any upcoming films or television shows in the works as an actor – his last role outside of NCIS was a fantasy movie titled The Place of No Words in 2019 – he instead is focusing his time on producing as opposed to acting. He has a long slate of upcoming projects he is serving as executive producer of, including Matlock, This is Me, Rescue: MIA, First Lady, Dadholes, Codependent, and more.

Scroll below for more photos of Eric and the NCIS: Los Angeles family through the years.

© CBS Photo Archive

Deeks and Blye wed earlier in the show's run

© Getty Images

Eric starred as Deeks for all 14 seasons

© Getty

NCIS: Los Angeles came to an end May 21

© Getty Images

The cast appears to be tight-knit

© Getty Images

Off-screen, Eric is married to Sarah Wright and they share three kids together

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