NCIS has been on the air since 2003 – and the fan favorite drama is still going strong.
The CBS series follows a group of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they investigate various different crimes.
NCIS season 1 began with lead actors Mark Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette and David McCallum, however, the cast has consistently changed over the 21 seasons as actors have come and gone.
Harmon – who played Leroy Jethro Gibbs – left NCIS after 18 seasons in October 2021.
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“What has always drawn me here is the character I play and to keep it fresh and to keep it challenging. Plot-wise, this character has taken the path that it did,” Harmon said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in August 2022 following his departure, adding that his character is still present in the NCIS universe. “I’m not retired. The character is living in Alaska as far as I know.”
Scroll through for an update on the former NCIS stars:
Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS
Mark Harmon
Harmon starred on the CBS series as Leroy Jethro Gibbs for 18 seasons until October 2021. After exiting the show, the network announced the prequel NCIS: Origins, which will follow the life of a young Gibbs. While Harmon is not playing Gibbs, CBS confirmed he will narrate the series and serve as an executive producer.
Credit: Best Possible Screen Grab/CBS
Sasha Alexander
Alexander appeared as Special Agent Caitlin Todd from 2003 to 2005 and returned as a guest star in 2012 and 2015. After her time on NCIS, Alexander went on to star in the TNT series Rizzoli & Isles from 2010 to 2016 and Shameless from 2015 to 2016.
Alexander married director Edoardo Ponti in 2007 and the couple welcomed daughter Lucia and son Leonardo.
Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Michael Weatherly
Weatherly left NCIS in May 2016 after 13 years as “Very” Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. The actor left to star in the legal drama Bull, which ran from 2016 to 2022.
In December 2018, the New York Times reported that Weatherly’s Bull costar Eliza Dushku was paid $9.5 million by CBS after she alleged Weatherly made several sexually suggestive comments and jokes to her on set. According to the report, shortly after she confronted Weatherly about his behavior, she was written off the show, despite believing she would become a series regular.
Weatherly later apologized for his comments to Dushku and the series continued on for three more seasons, despite producers Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey stepping down from their roles.
In February 2024, Weatherly returned to NCIS for one episode to do a tribute to the late actor David McCallum, who played Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the series. That same month, he also announced he will reprise his role as Tony in a new NCIS spinoff.
Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS
Pauley Perrette
Perrette left her role as Abby Sciuto in 2017 after 15 seasons. Following her exit, Perrette claimed she endured “multiple physical assaults” on the set of one her shows, though she didn’t specify which at the time.
“I refused to go low, that’s why I’ve never told publicly what happened,” Perrette tweeted in May 2018. “There is a ‘machine’ keeping me silent and feeding FALSE stories about me. A very rich, very powerful publicity ‘machine.’ No morals, no obligation to truth and I’m just left here, reading the lies, trying to protect my crew. Trying to remain calm. He did it.”
She continued: “I’ve been supporting anti-bullying programs forever. But now I know because it was ME! If it’s school or work, that you’re required to go to? It’s horrifying. I left. Multiple Physical Assaults. I REALLY get it now. Stay safe. Nothing is worth your safety. Tell someone.”
After her tweets, CBS responded in a statement to Us Weekly.
“Pauley Perrette had a terrific run on NCIS and we are all going to miss her,” the network said at the time. “Over a year ago, Pauley came to us with a workplace concern. We took the matter seriously and worked with her to find a resolution. We are committed to a safe work environment on all our shows.” Following the drama after leaving NCIS, Perrette began working on the 2020 sitcom Broke.
Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS
Cote de Pablo
De Pablo announced her departure from NCIS in 2013 after starring as Ziva David from season 3 to season 10. She later returned as a recurring character in season 17, which aired from 2019 to 2020. After NCIS, de Pablo starred in 2015’s The 33 and the miniseries The Dovekeepers.
In February 2024, de Pablo revealed she will be turning to the NCIS franchise for an unnamed spinoff series.
Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Emily Wickersham
Wickersham exited NCIS in 2021 after 8 seasons as NSA analyst Eleanor Bishop. Since her time on the series, Wickersham has taken a step back from acting and has been busy raising her son, Cassius, whom she welcomed with partner James Badge Dale in December 2021.
Credit: Patrick McElhenney/CBS
Jennifer Esposito
Esposito, who starred as Alexandra “Alex” Quinn, left NCIS after only one season in 2017. Since her exit, Esposito appeared on shows such as Blindspot, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Boys and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens. She also starred in several films including 2018’s Speed Kills, 2019’s Mary, 2019’s Mob Town, 2022’s Somewhere in Queens and 2023’s Fresh Kills.
Esposito tied the knot with Jesper Vesterstrøm in 2020. She was previously married to Bradley Cooper from 2006 to 2007 and Louis Dowler from 2014 to 2016.
Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS
Duane Henry
Henry, who played agent Henry Reeves on NCIS, left the show in 2018 after only two seasons. Henry later explained that his decision to leave the show came because neither he nor producers knew how to develop his character after NCIS showrunner Gary Glasberg’s death in September 2016. Following his departure, Henry has appeared in 2018’s A Gingerbread Romance and 2019’s Captain Marvel.
Credit: Patrick Wymore/CBS
Maria Bello
Bello, who played Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane, left NCIS in 2021 after four seasons. She recently starred in 2023’s Beef.
