The "why" in these cases is often hard to pin down, but fortunately it seems clear in this case that actor Lucas Black is leaving "NCIS: New Orleans" on good terms.

Black's character, Special Agent Christopher LaSalle, was killed off in early November. After the episode aired, showrunners Christopher Silber and Jan Nash issued a statement that was mostly about thanking the actor for his work since the launch of the show, but it also offered a clue about the reason for his departure. "We are sad to see him go, but happy he will have more time to spend with his family."

Black does indeed have a wife and three children, and a full-time role on a broadcast series doesn't leave a lot of time for a home life.

But Black may also have wanted to make room in his schedule for a different sort of family.

He had a major role in the 2006 action film "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," the third film in the franchise, and reprised it in a cameo in the seventh, released in 2015.

Those films are always banging on about the importance of family, and it seems that Black may now be a full-fledged member. Deadline.com reported that his cameo in "Fast & Furious 7" was the first in a three-film deal.

He didn't appear in the eighth sequel, but there are rumors he will be back for the ninth, which is being directed by the guy who introduced Black to the franchise: "Tokyo Drift" helmer Justin Lin.

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