“NCIS” premiered on CBS in 2003, and the cr1me drama has lasted an unprecedented two decades. The show did have much lower ratings for its Season 20 premiere, with only 5.82 million viewers compared to 8.15 million for the first episode of Season 19. (per TV Insider).
Despite the departure of key characters such as Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), and Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), the series survives.
Before sadly departing “NCIS,” Harmon explained why he believes the show continues to resonate with audiences. “You’ve got a bunch of people who love what they do,” Harmon said on “Late Night with Stephen Colbert.” Harmon also discussed the cast’s camaraderie and how they all enjoy having dinner together after a long day at work.
Those close-knit working relationships translate into the chemistry between the characters, and they are an important part of “NCIS'” success.
There’s no doubt that “NCIS” continues to perform exceptionally well among diehard fans (according to Rotten Tomatoes), but Looper decided to poll fans about some of the beloved mainstays who have left the CBS procedural over the years — and the results are in. Can you guess which “NCIS” character fans did not want to see leave the show?
Fans of NCIS will miss Abby Sciuto.
In an exclusive Looper survey, fans of “NCIS” were asked: Which character do you wish had never left the show? Abby Sciuto was declared the winner after 601 CBS procedural fans voted. However, Abby won by the smallest of margins, squeezing into the top spot on the poll with 23.46% of the vote. Anthony DiNozzo, a special agent, finished second with 23.13%.
That’s right, while Gibbs may not have wanted to play favorites on the show, fans had a difficult time saying goodbye to both Abby and Tony, and Abby won the gold medal by a mere 0.33%. Do you think there would be an immediate call for a recount if this were the outcome of a presidential election?
Another long-running “NCIS” character, Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), came in third with 18.80% of the vote, while Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane (Maria Bello) came in fourth with 14.81%. Jennifer “Jenny” Shepard (Lauren Holly), the former NCIS Director, was k1lled off the show, and 11.98% of fans voted for her to finish fifth in the poll. Finally, Clayton Reeves (Duane Henry), the MI6 liaison who was fatally shot in Season 15, received 7.82% of the vote.
But one question remains: why was no love shown to Gibbs?
Related News – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to NCIS.