Mark Harmon, best known for his role as Leroy “Jethro” Gibbs on the hit CBS show NCIS, has signed on for two more seasons (15 and 16) of the show. CBS announced earlier this week it extended the show for two more seasons, with Mark Harmon signing a two-year deal of his own.
NCIS will undergo a huge change at the end of this season with the departure of Michael Weatherly. He has played the role of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo since the show’s first season, back in 2003.
CBS Renew/Cancel standings, week 23: ‘NCIS’ is forever, or as long as Mark Harmon wants it to be https://t.co/kWZKqCJ47w
— TVbytheNumbers.com (@TVbytheNumbers) March 1, 2016
In addition to Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly, NCIS stars Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, and Rocky Carroll.
Are you an NCIS fan? Do you believe the show would survive if Mark Harmon hadn’t signed a new contract?
It will be difficult enough for fans to watch NCIS without Michael Weatherly’s character. A Mark Harmon departure would likely mean the end of the show.
Michael Weatherly confirmed on Tuesday a rumor fans hoped against hope wasn’t true. The actor known for his role as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on CBS’s NCIS is leaving the show.
“After 13 years on NCIS, Michael Weatherly is leaving the show at the end of this season,” the statement reads. “He is a valued part of the CBS family, and the immense charm and talent he brings to the screen as ‘Very’ Special Agent Tony DiNozzo has helped make NCIS what it is today–the No. 1 drama in the world.”
“We thank Michael for all of his contributions to this successful franchise,” the statement continues, “and look forward to continuing to develop projects with him as part of our ongoing development deal.”
Michael Weatherly responded to reports about his upcoming depature via Twitter.
DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character & I couldn't have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons pic.twitter.com/GR7YSsmsKJ
It was Michael Weatherly’s costar, David McCallum (Ducky), who allegedly let the cat out of its proverbial bag about the actor’s end-of-season departure. During an interview withVulture Hound magazine, he let word slip.
“DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, we’ve told people a long time ago, is leaving at the end of the season. So the writers have to decide what to do when one of the four members of the original cast leaves,” he said.
In addition to Michael Weatherly and David McCallum, NCIS stars Mark Harmon, Pauley Perrette, and Sean Murray.
Weatherly’s departure will mark the second blow to fans’ hearts in two years. When Cote de Pablo, who played the role of Ziva David, left the show in 2013, viewers’ hearts ached for Tony DiNozzo.
Can NCIS continue without Special Agent Tony DiNozzo?
Are you shocked that Michael Weatherly is kissing this fabulous role goodbye?
Michael Weatherly is no doubt breaking the hearts of countless fans. He is leaving NCIS–and character Special Agent Tony DiNozzo–at the end of this season.
“After 13 years on NCIS, Michael Weatherly is leaving the show at the end of this season,” the statement reads. “He is a valued part of the CBS family, and the immense charm and talent he brings to the screen as ‘Very’ Special Agent Tony DiNozzo has helped make NCIS what it is today–the No. 1 drama in the world.”
“We thank Michael for all of his contributions to this successful franchise,” the statement continues, “and look forward to continuing to develop projects with him as part of our ongoing development deal.”
Michael Weatherly is leaving NCIS of his own choosing. He responded to a report from TVLine via Twitter.
DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character & I couldn't have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons pic.twitter.com/GR7YSsmsKJ
It was Michael Weatherly’s costar, David McCallum (Ducky), who let the cat out of the bag about the actor’s end-of-season departure. It was during an interview withVulture Hound magazine that he let it slip.
“DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, we’ve told people a long time ago, is leaving at the end of the season. So the writers have to decide what to do when one of the four members of the original cast leaves,” he said.
In addition to Michael Weatherly and David McCallum, NCIS stars Mark Harmon, Pauley Perrette, and Sean Murray.
Are you shocked to learn that Michael Weatherly is leaving NCIS? Can the show continue without Tony DiNozzo?
Cote de Pablo–best known for her role as Ziva David on NCIS, played alongside Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly–is making her TV return on Tuesday and Wednesday this week in a CBS four-hour miniseries called The Dovekeepers.
The project is based on an Alice Hoffman novel, and in addition to Cote de Pablo, stars Rachel Brosnahan, Sam Neill, and Kathryn Prescott. The story focuses on the women at the center of a group of Jewish refugees who make a brave stand against the Romans from the ancient mountaintop fortress of Masada.
The Dovekeepers is produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, who produced The Bible in 2013.
Cote de Pablo visited Masada prior to playing this role.
“I had a chance to go to Masada a couple of years ago when I was first doing NCIS. You are on top of a mountain (where) on one end you’ve got the desert and on the other, the Dead Sea. It’s a remarkable story of survival, never giving up hope or faith and holding up to what you believe are important values, principles and dignity,” she explained.
Rachel Brosnahan, Kathryn Prescott, and Cote de Pablo play the roles of Yael, Aziza, and Shirah, respectively, and they are the women known as the dovekeepers.
“What these women do is ahead of its time, even for today. They live so connected to their hearts that they can’t possibly betray the thing they feel. … You have these women who have gone through the mill, who have given up everything they love to tell their story. (If) the Romans write it, they will inevitably be the heroes of their story. (Shirah) needs to tell this story of what really happened, the story of her people,” de Pablo says.
Call it coincidence or call it good planning on behalf of CBS, but just prior to The Dovekeepers premiere on Tuesday is the weekly airing of NCIS. And something fans are undoubtedly wondering is whether or not Cote de Pablo will ever reprise her role as Ziva David.
“I think it could absolutely be explored,” de Pablo says. “I felt (character Ziva’s departure) was a little rushed but, given how it all played out, I think it was beautiful. I had three beautiful scenes with Michael (Weatherly), who I love dearly. Any time I get the chance to be with him, there’s something kind of magical that happens. It’s been such a love story in many ways.”
And then she talked about the doves.
“We had very little time to prepare. It was sort of like, ‘OK, you have two hours to handle birds. And then in two hours, you’ll be in front of the camera with the birds.’ We had to learn really quickly. If you’re holding the birds with anxiety, they will be anxious. We would approach the birds in a more loving manner, like we’d been doing it forever. They just immediately let go and weren’t so fussy. They’re incredibly intuitive beings,” she said.
Fans of NCIS’s Ziva David can tune in to see Cote de Pablo in The Dovekeepers both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, March 31st and April 1st, on CBS at 9:00 PM ET.
Do you think Michael Weatherly, Mark Harmon, Pauley Perrette, and Sean Murray will watch?
Scott Bakula walked the red carpet at the Emmy Awards back in September and he will soon walk a new crew of NCIS agents straight to New Orleans with a spinoff of the beloved hit show, NCIS. In other words, Scott Bakula will soon become the Mark Harmon of NCIS set in New Orleans.
The Quantam Leap star will play NCIS Special Agent Pride, and will portray a man who “embodies New Orleans.” Not driven by pride, however, Pride has the “need to do what’s right and does it all with warmth, passion, strength and humor. He’s a unique federal agent working in one of this country’s most unique cities.”
And like NCIS star Mark Harmon, it in no way hurts to see that Scott Bakula in his role as Special Agent Pride lends himself to the subtle sexy undertones the original show and it’s first spinoff–NCIS: Los Angeles exude. Oh, yes–Special Agent Pride is a handsome and very sexy man.
The spinoff will air as a two part special this spring. And if you think that’s exciting, just see what CBS has to say about this impending hit show.
“The NCIS New Orleans office handles cases from Pensacola through Mississippi and Louisiana to the Texas panhandle. New Orleans with its rich setting of music, fun and debauchery is a magnet for military personnel on-leave. And with fun comes trouble. It is a natural backdrop for a unique character driven spin-off.”
Add Scott Bakula to that mix, and CBS has another huge hit on its hands.
Scott Bakula is, of course, known for his role on Quantum Leap, but also starred in the HBO biopic about Liberace–Beyond the Candelabra. He is presently performing a recurring role in HBO’s hit show Looking.
Is there enough excitement and intrigue put forth by Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Sean Murray and the rest of the NCIS gang to spark regular interest in Scott Bakula’s role in New Orleans as Special Agent Pride? Will LL Cool J and his gang in L.A. keep fans tuning in as well?
