Photo courtesy of TV Fanatic

On Sunday, Nov. 8, CBS’s “NCIS: New Orleans” (also known as “NCIS: NOLA”) premiered its seventh season after a slightly shortened sixth season. In a time when people are trying to escape the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic through television, “NCIS: NOLA” tackled it head on by including the pandemic in its storyline.

The premiere episode follows the team as they try to solve the murder of a lieutenant who was onboard a medical ship set to deliver supplies to a port in New Orleans. While onboard the ship, Agent Tammy Gregorio (Vanessa Ferlito) and Agent Quentin Carter (Charles Michael Davis) are forced to quarantine after coming into contact with sick crew members. They think those sick crew members could possibly be linked to the lieutenant’s death, because the ship would be responsible for adding to the city’s rising case numbers if it became public knowledge that there were active cases onboard. The ship would be prohibited from docking, providing the perfect motive for murder.

While “NCIS: NOLA” is not the only television show incorporating the pandemic into its storylines, it certainly shows the hardships and anxiety people are feeling because of COVID-19. Loretta Wade (CCH Pounder) deals with the deaths the virus has caused for hours on end while working in the morgue. Agent Hannah Khoury (Necar Zadegan) is coping with the fact that her daughter is across the ocean with her father and it doesn’t look like she will be able to get her back home to New Orleans anytime soon. Agent Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula) is dealing with the impact COVID-19 has had on bars and restaurants, with his bar being forced to close down per the mayor’s order. To provide some hope, Pride and his brother make food kits with the leftover food they have to give to restaurant workers who need them.

An important aspect the show included was mask-wearing. With the exception of being at headquarters, the characters wear masks when around other people. It may have taken other characters to remind each other of the importance of wearing a mask, but all of the team members wear them. Fan favorite Sebastian Lund (Ron Kerkovich) even makes each member of the team a pandemic survival kit which includes masks, face shields and hand sanitizer.

When the premiere starts off, the virus is in its early stages, as it has only been a few weeks since Mardi Gras, a big event in New Orleans. It will be interesting to see if the writers will continue to include all of the death and destruction that COVID-19 has caused throughout the world. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, so next week’s episode will hopefully see the case closed.

Other television shows that are incorporating COVID-19 into their storylines include ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” “Black-ish” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Chicago Med” are also incorporating COVID-19 into their newest seasons.