Cote de Pablo’s NCIS exit shocked the crew, but her reasons were completely understandable

Cote de Pablo’s NCIS exit is legendary. The actress embodied one of the most popular characters in the series, agent Ziva David. Recently, the main NCIS heads gave an interview in the Hollywood Reporter to mark the series’ 20th anniversary. It became clear how serious the actress’s exit really was.

“Couldn’t believe it”: How the NCIS crew reacted to Cote de Pablo’s exit

NCIS producer Charles Floyd Johnson Johnson had been trying to get the actress for years to dissuade her from her decision: “She was at a point where she wanted to move on. She had been on the show for eight years, and I had a conversation with her a year or two before she left where she said, ‘I don’t know if I can want to do forever.”

On Persuasion efforts How “Oh, Cote, please, come on. It’s such a successful show. What do you want to do?” The actress reacted rather coolly – and before the 10th season she finally decided to actually leave the series. A shock for the crew and the station management. Former CBS president Nina Tassler recalls her reaction:

When Cote left, there was one, literally Shock in the universe. But here too the show has found its way forward.

What was the reason for Cote de Pablo’s exit?

NCIS and Cote de Pablo did not part on good terms. In 2016, the actress justified her exit with, among other things, a lack of appreciation:

I worked on Ziva for eight years and then I felt like the character wasn’t treated with the respect she deserved. they wanted [Ziva] send back to Israel and making her an unhappy, miserable woman. I didn’t think that was fair. I told them I won’t come back until someone can write something really fantastic for Ziva.

At least this wish was fulfilled: after her exit, Cote de Pablo made various guest appearances in NCIS.

More on the subject:

Besides Cote de Pablo: These are the biggest NCIS exits

Over the course of its history, NCIS has regularly had to compensate for the departures of long-standing characters. Here is a selection:

The next new episode of NCIS will air next Tuesday, October 17th at 8:15 p.m. on Sat.1. This Friday there are repeats on Kabel 1.