Making a series of about 24 episodes a season is not an easy task. And in the case of NCIS, it’s been going on for 20 years! A true goose that lays golden eggs for CBS, the series continues despite the fact that all but one of the main cast has decided to leave. While some said goodbye to their iconic character due to creative differences, others couldn’t handle the workload.
This is the case of Sasha Alexander, one of the original actors NCIS who decided to leave the successful show in 2005 after only two seasons. In 2012, the actor confided the topic to TVGuide (via SensaCine ).
People don’t realize that on a network series you do 24 episodes a year, which is 10 and a half months a year, 17 hours a day. It is a heavy core. Also, people loved the character so much and the way they did it was really shocking… it was an attack, you know?
When asked if he regrets it, the actor answers:I really, really believe in my heart that I wouldn’t be where I am today – happy and married with two kids, doing the creative things I want – if I had stayed. I didn’t want to wake up and be in my 40s and be like, “Oh my God!” But people don’t understand.“
Departure and a new start
when the show started Sasha Alexander It quickly found its place in fiction. Introduced in the first episode, while a member of the President’s Secret Service, he was instrumental in uncovering a plot by Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) to assassinate the nation’s leader. Appreciating her methods, Gibbs offered her a job alongside him, and so Kate joined the NCIS team and became one of the main characters before being killed by a terrorist in the second season finale, with a bullet to the head. After his assassination, the character received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The actor’s departure from the series was also kept a secret until the episode aired, with two scenes being filmed: one where he survived and one where he died.
over the next few years, Sasha Alexander He found his way to the small screen by playing small roles in such famous series as Prison Break, Dr House or Shameless. In 2010, he signed on to star in Isles in Rizzoli & Isles, a series he would star in for six years.
And he’s not the only one who mentioned the workload on set. easily Mark Harmon He also spoke, sometimes, about the intense days that the actors and crew spend on the set. In a 2017 interview with The Talk, he revealed that the first day of filming lasted 21 hours. Fortunately, their schedules have since eased, but the work remains heavy, leaving little time for the artists involved to explore other career options.
Watch NCIS: Special Investigations streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
