The latest episode of NCIS: Los Angeles was a joyous affair that finally allowed Kensi and Deeks to tie the knot as a culmination of nine years of a sunshine-and-gunpowder love story. Since this was still an episode of NCIS: LA, there were of course some complications involving mobsters, weapons, and kidnapping, but the longtime partners were married in Malibu. A big question was how many people would tune in to watch the much-hyped nuptials, and now the numbers are in. Apparently, plenty of people wanted the wedding!
The big wedding episode of NCIS: LA, fittingly called "Till Death Do Us Part," was watched by 8.3 million people and scored a 0.9 in the key 18-49 age demographic in Live+Same day calculations, which TVLine reports is nearly a five-month high in viewership. The demo ratings remained steady.
Those numbers put it on top of all the Sunday night competition in viewership, with the exception of 60 Minutes at 7 p.m. ET, according to TV By The Numbers. As for the ratings, NCIS: Los Angeles' wedding episode tied for third overall in the ratings, behind 60 Minutes on CBS and American Idol on ABC. It was the ratings winner in the 9 p.m. time slot, however, coming out on top of Family Guy on Fox and easily on top of Supergirl on The CW.
The question moving forward is whether the show can sustain its wedding episode ratings or if the boost was a one-off and the extra viewers will take off after seeing Kensi and Deeks drop their "I dos." Spoilers ahead for the "Till Death Do Us Part" episode of NCIS: Los Angeles.
The show probably won't change all the much with Kensi and Deeks as a married couple, and their honeymoon apparently won't take them out of the action. The next big game-changing development on the Densi front may be kid-related. Kensi told one of her bridesmaids that she couldn't wait to be pregnant, but her bridesmaid was also hugely pregnant and sobbing that she looked like a shopping cart at the time. Still, Kensi has softened on the idea of having kids someday, and Deeks wants them.
That may not come up for a while, though. The event that could be a big ratings-grabber from the wedding episode has to be the return of Hetty. In true Hetty style, she arrived on the scene just in time to save the day by plowing into a bunch of bad guys with a borrowed car and then officiate the wedding.
NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner R. Scott Gemmill has weighed in on whether more Hetty is on the way, and viewers who may have strayed from NCIS: LA may be inclined to stick around if there's reason to hope that the old school team could be back together. Personally, Hetty's arrival was exactly the mood booster I needed after Kensi mentioned that Granger wouldn't be able to walk her down the aisle, although I did get some laughs out of Kirkin's attempts to interfere with Deeks' wedding.
Plus, we found out what's in The Box! Honestly, "Till Death Do Us Part" was an episode designed for the fans, packed with nods to seasons past and even making some meta jokes about The Box. If NCIS: LA can keep up the quality, then perhaps the audience could even grow. The original NCIS is certainly going strong, and it has been running for six seasons longer than LA!
Tune in to CBS on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles in the midseason TV lineup.
