The Naval Criminal Investigative Service television series – , an action police procedural TV show is one of the longest-running shows on American television. The series has since it premiered in the year 2003 brought together a good number of actors and actresses that have portrayed various characters either in main roles or recurring roles in all of the shows captivating seasons and intriguing episodes. However, as it is the norm in every other television series, actors and actresses playing various characters on NCIS have at one time or the other left the show for various reasons. Such departures get fans of the show at their wits’ end whenever rumors start making rounds about actors leaving NCIS.
A new season of the popular action series is upon us and the possibility of actors leaving NCIS can hardly ever be ruled out. This is hinged mainly on the revelations (who acted as Abby Sciuto) made after she left the show in Season 15 episode “One Step Forward” and “Two Steps Back” in May 2018. Pauley claimed that she was a victim of several physical assaults and in fact stated then that she is terrified of her oppressor – who plays the character of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. A lot of us are perplexed if there are others who had or are suffering similar assaults or something entirely different and are thus considering quitting the TV series.
Before we tell you what we know about which actors and actresses will be leaving the show in the present or coming seasons, let’s take a quick look at some of the main cast members who left NCIS in the past.
Main Actors And Actresses That Have Left The Show In The Past
Sasha Alexander (Special Agent Caitlin Todd) Seasons 1–2 main role; Seasons 3, 8–9, and 12 as a guest.
was with NCIS from the very beginning. She was also the first actors that left NCIS at a time when the show wasn’t getting much press coverage. She starred in the first 2 seasons of the show before the workload became daunting for her, prompting her to ask to be written out of the series, thus the reason why we saw her get killed on the show.
That was, however, not the last she would have something to do with the series as she came back to play several guest spots for her character in Season 8, 9 and 12.
Lauren Holly (Director Jenny Shepard) Seasons 3–5 main role; Season 3 recurring; Seasons 9 and 12 guest
began starring in a main role on NCIS in Season 3 as the new head of NCIS. Her character was also the former partner and lover of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). As the series went on, her character was diagnosed to be suffering from a degenerative disease, therefore, she was always going to leave the show at one point or the other. Her departure came in the 5th Season when she got killed in a shootout. Nevertheless, Jenny had guest appearances in Seasons 9 and 12.
Cote de Pablo (Special Agent Ziva David) Season 3-11 main roles and Season 16 as guest
Ziva came in as a replacement for Caitlin Todd. She played the character of an Isreali Mossad agent who helped the NCIS team track down Todd’s assassin Ari Haswari (played by Rudolf Martin). , however, left the show after starring in Season 3-11 because she didn’t like the direction her character was headed in the series. However, in Season 16, she made a comeback.
Michael Weatherly (Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo) Season 1-13
At the time left, there were hardly any actors leaving NCIS or had left in the past. His reason for leaving the longest-running television series was said to be hinged on his desire to devote more time to his family and also pursue other interests as a producer.
Jennifer Esposito (Special Agent Alexandra Quinn) Season 14
is another actress whose departure from the action police procedural television series raised concerns about the number of actors leaving NCIS. However, in contrast to the personal reasons why some other cast members left, her’s was different as her character wasn’t meant to last long in the series. Also, the death of Gary Glasberg who created her character in Season 14 also meant that Quinn will be written off. Thus she left as quickly as she joined in the same season.
Duane Henry (Clayton Reeves, MI6 Officer) Seasons 14–15 main; Season 13 guest
Another one of the number of actors leaving NCIS due to Gary Glasberg’s death is Duane Henry, who was written off the series at the same time Abby Scuito left. According to the storyline, The MI6 agent took a bullet for Abby after when she was shot at by Robert King (played by Tom Reese) who was hired to kill her. More details about Duane Henry’s departure can be found .
Pauley Perrette’s (Abby Sciuto) Season 1-15
Perrette’s departure from NCIS was one that generated lots of questions. On the show, her character was a delight to watch and even more, she was loved by everyone in her team. When rumors broke out that she was leaving the series there were many questions than the available facts could provide answers to. However, in the course of time, we gained more insight into what prompted her decision. Read all about it .
Who Is Leaving NCIS?
Seeing the list of main actors and actresses that have left the action police procedural television series, a question that begs for an immediate answer, if not answers, is whether or not more actors will be leaving NCIS.
In this regard, the most probable cast that might leave the series soon is who plays the character of Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. We have seen the character make fewer appearances in the series and more to this, he was assigned a new role in the series as NCIS historian. This will obviously see him have less interaction with the rest of the team which is probably in preparation for his final exit from NCIS.
Other actors rumored to be leaving NCIS are (Special Agent Nicholas Torres), Mark Harmon (Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs), and (Senior Field Agent, NCIS Major Case Response Team member Timothy McGee). However, a look at the contracts of these actors, the characters they play and the direction they are headed in the television series suggests otherwise. Thus, in contrast to rumors, they will still be very much part of NCIS.
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