NCIS Season 21 Marks First Without Any Original Cast Members
By Movieguide® Contributor
Season 21 of NCIS will be the show’s first season to air without any of the original five cast members.
When NCIS first aired in 2003, it had five recurring characters: Gibbs (Mark Harmon), Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander), Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrett) and Ducky Mallard (David McCallum).
Each of these characters has stepped away from the show in the 20 years since, with the most recent departures being Gibbs’ retirement in season 19 and Ducky’s shift from being the head medical examiner to the show’s resident historian. McCallum, however, would return a few times a season to make a cameo.
However, following McCallum’s death last September, there are no longer any original cast members on the show.
Some fans may wonder about Sean Murray’s Timothy McGee, who has also been a part of the show since the first season. While he was a recurring character, he did not become a series regular until Season 2, when Gibbs promoted him to become a probational member of the team.
Not all is lost, however, as Season 21 provides multiple occasions for a reunion with one or more of the original cast members. Harmon and Weatherly have both expressed interest in returning to the show in the past, and a tribute to McCallum or the 1000th NCIS episodes may be the excuse they need to reprise their roles.
Harmon already has plans to return to the NCIS universe in NCIS: ORIGINS. He’ll serve as an executive producer and the series’ narrator.
Weatherly, in particular, is interested in wrapping up storylines he feels are still unfinished, potentially enticing his co-star Cote de Pablo (Ziva) to return as well.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Michael Weatherly wants to revisit his NCIS character, Tony DiNozzo.
Weatherly said, “There will be more DiNozzo someday because he is the one character that felt unfinished… that’s my plan! We shall see…”
The actor played DiNozzo for 13 years before leaving the show in 2016.
Per Hello Magazine, “Michael stepped down from his role in NCIS in 2016, with the season 13 finale marking his final appearance. Speaking about his departure at the time, he said: ‘It came about at the right time. I was burnt out by NCIS and I was ready for a new challenge. Sometimes change is as good as a rest.’”
