The NCIS Exit That Left David McCallum Baffled

"NCIS" has had a few messy exits over its very long network run  — if you know anything regarding the real story about Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette's relationship, you're well aware of that. But show business vet David McCallum — who passed away on September 25, 2023, at age 90 — expressed his confusion and dismay about one particular star's exit from the series.

During an AMA on Reddit in January 2016, McCallum spoke about his reaction to Cote de Pablo's then-recent exit from the program and her role as Ziva David. "At the time, I was astonished when Cote left, but in retrospect, it seems that she was not up to handling the demands that the character put upon her. I still don't understand her deeper motives," he said.

McCallum previously expounded on his thoughts in an interview with Digital Spy in 2014. "I just don't understand how a leading lady in a show that's worldwide, who ostensibly wants to have a career as an actress, suddenly walks away from such a gem and just vanishes a couple of days before we start production." De Pablo unexpectedly quit "NCIS" before shooting for Season 11 began, which required several quick rewrites and may explain McCallum's strong feelings on the topic.

While Ziva's emotional arc was undeniably high-octane stuff, de Pablo would later explain that it was not the toughness of Ziva's sometimes-violent storyline that made her leave.

While emotions have shifted and reasons have changed, Cote de Pablo has consistently pointed to the quality of the writing on "NCIS" to explain her abrupt departure from the series.

"Unfortunately, because of political things and scripts not being good enough, I chose not to [return to 'NCIS']," she told Hello! in 2016. In a 2013 interview with TV Guide, as archived by CBS News, she said it was not an easy decision or one she had planned. She was, however, determined to bring about a proper resolution to the romance between Ziva and Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly).

De Pablo had major issues with how the writers planned to continue Ziva's arc, which encouraged her to depart "NCIS." "They were going to send [Ziva] back to Israel and make her an unfortunate, miserable woman. I didn't think it was fair. I told them until someone can write something really fantastic for Ziva I won't come back," she said.

While Ziva is initially killed off in an offscreen explosion during Season 11, viewers later learn she's alive. Her presence factors into Anthony's Season 13 exit; he leaves NCIS to care for the daughter she secretly gave birth to while on the run. Ziva returns during a Season 16 cliffhanger, alive and well. She is a recurring character during Season 17, appearing in four episodes before ultimately returning to Tony and her daughter. By then, the conflict between the actress and the show seemed to have melted away. Hopefully, the tension between de Pablo and McCallum also came to a happy resolution.