Did NCIS Star Mark Harmon Really Get The Show's Creator Fired?

It's no exaggeration to say that "NCIS" stands as one of the pinnacles of the TV procedural drama genre. However, even though the show continues to boast massive popularity and success to this very day, it has not been completely smooth sailing behind the scenes of its 20-year-plus run, with the most well-known example of real-life drama getting in the way being when longtime cast member Pauley Perrette left "NCIS" due to a falling out with series star Mark Harmon. 

One of the juiciest details to have come out of the series is the idea that Harmon actually got the original "NCIS" co-creator fired from his own show.

In 2007, around the time that "NCIS" was moving from its fourth season into its fifth, "NCIS" creator Donald P. Bellisario abruptly stepped down from working on the series. At the time, a report from TV Guide alleged that the split was not amicable, and that Harmon and Bellisario had begun feuding over the latter's management style. Ultimately, rumors suggest that Harmon forced CBS' hand in removing Bellisario from the show, as their dynamic became unsustainable.

The idea that Harmon himself potentially played a role in ousting the original creator of "NCIS" is a pretty intriguing rumor, and some fans may wonder whether this idea is a bit too sensational to be true. Thankfully, some fresh interviews with those involved with the series reveal a clearer picture of what actually happened.

Based on the various accounts that have covered the situation of Donald P. Bellisario's exit from "NCIS," one thing is clear: it's absolutely true that Mark Harmon and Bellisario had an ugly split in their working relationship due to disagreements over the intensity of the on-set working conditions. Whether Harmon actively moved to have Bellisario removed is a more nebulous question.

One of the biggest original proponents of the idea that Harmon worked to remove Bellisario is actually Bellisario himself. In a 2008 interview with the Los Angeles Times, the "NCIS" creator suggested that Harmon orchestrated what he called a "full-blown PR campaign" of leaks that painted him and his management style in an extremely negative light. While some elements of Bellisario's anecdote may be accurate, other "NCIS" executives have disputed the claim that Harmon himself held the knife in Bellisario's departure. In a 2023 oral history of "NCIS" from The Hollywood Reporter, series executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson defended Harmon. 

"He never said to anybody, 'Get rid of Don.' He just said, 'This is too hard to work this way,'" Johnson explained.

What's even more interesting is that, based on this fresh account, Bellisario actually wasn't fired from "NCIS," at all. Per Johnson's recounting, CBS only moved to lessen — but not sever — Bellisario's involvement with the show. As the producer elaborated, "Eventually, the network went to Bellisario and said, 'Maybe you should work from a distance from it and not be quite as involved in terms of the way you work."

Interestingly enough, Bellisario supports this version of events as well, as he clarified in the same article that he actually quit the series. "I had done enough on the show, so I stepped away," he noted. "It was my decision."

Based on recent interviews, there's one glaring issue with the rumor that Mark Harmon personally had Donald P. Bellisario fired from "NCIS," and that's the fact that Bellisario was actually never fired at all. Still, that doesn't completely eliminate the possibility that Harmon at least attempted to have Bellisario removed behind the scenes. Based on the information currently available, that's an idea that can't be definitively proven or disproven. Nonetheless, it's important to consider the fact that Harmon was not the only person involved with "NCIS" who had problems with Bellisario's management style.

In the oral history with THR, fellow "NCIS" co-creator Don McGill recalled that he actually had a falling out with Bellisario that resulted in him departing from the series after its first season. "Our relationship became strained," he said. "He saw things differently from me. Since he was the boss and a very successful producer, I thought it was best for me and the show that I leave and move on, which is what I did."

Even Harmon's fellow cast members had similar issues with Bellisario's "NCIS" working conditions, which, according to the actor's statement to the Los Angeles Times in 2008, allegedly had the team working for 17 to 18 hours a day. Charles Floyd Johnson revealed that the reason Sasha Alexander left "NCIS" was actually these difficult conditions, explaining, "In year two, Sasha went to Don and said, 'I love this show, but I just can't work this hard,'" he explained. "We were doing long hours. I don't think she wanted to leave the show — she just wanted a lighter workload. Bellisario was always a writer who went for the cataclysmic. He went, 'Well, what if we kill her off?'"

There are a couple blind spots when it comes to determining exactly what transpired with Donald P. Bellisario's exit from "NCIS." However, what is a lot more clear and straightforward is what happened to Bellisario after he left the show. While Bellisario has continued to be credited as an executive producer on "NCIS," he has had virtually no involvement with the series since his departure. In fact, Bellisario fully retired from the industry after leaving the show.

Unfortunately, the end of Bellisario's tenure on "NCIS" did not spell the end of controversies involving both him and the franchise. In 2011, Bellisario sued CBS over "NCIS: Los Angeles," as he argued that his contract with the network originally indicated that he would be afforded the opportunity to develop the first "NCIS" spin-off or otherwise be financially compensated. The lawsuit was settled privately in court in 2013. 

After the settlement, CBS offered the following statement on Bellisario: "Although we differed in opinion on this matter, our admiration, appreciation and respect for Mr. Bellisario has never wavered throughout. We consider him one of the best creative talents of his time and a valued member of the CBS family, whose shows, both past and present, have played an important role in CBS' success."

Based on accounts from Bellisario's time working on "NCIS," it might seem to some that his fractured relationship with the "NCIS" cast and crew and his ultimate departure was something of an inevitability. Nonetheless, the "NCIS" co-creator has admitted that he is left with some regrets regarding the situation. As he put it succinctly in his 2008 interview with the Los Angeles Times: "I do wish it hadn't ended the way it did."