An ‘NCIS’ executive producer recently gave further light on the departure of Abby Sciuto star Pauley Perrette from the CBS program.
When a fan favorite actor quits a beloved show, it’s always a heartbreak. Loyal viewers will most likely speculate on the true reasons for a cast member’s leaving. When tales of workplace strife emerge, the issue becomes even more intriguing. Take, for example, CBS’s mega-hit NCIS. Several notable stars have left the show during its 20-season span. None, however, have garnered as much attention as Abby Sciuto actor Pauley Perrette’s 2017 decision not to return to the procedural program.
‘NCIS’ co-star Mark Harmon’s dog worried Pauley Perrette.
Several NCIS insiders spoke with The Hollywood Reporter recently for an oral history of the JAG spinoff. Along with the surprising actors considered for the program, including Andrew McCarthy and Jennifer Aniston, there were some new details concerning numerous high-profile cast changes.
Perrette was fired from NCIS at the end of season 15. Reports of on-set tension between her and series star Mark Harmon, who played Gibbs, arose soon after her last episode aired. Harmon, according to The Wrap, brought his dog to the site, where it bit a staff worker. Perrette spoke up for NCIS employees who were worried about the dog’s continuing presence on site.
This appears to have caused a squabble with Harmon. The end result? During her final season on the show, Perrette never shared the screen with Harmon, as the performers shot their sequences on separate days.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, NCIS executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson discussed the circumstances surrounding Perrette’s resignation.
“In Pauley Perrette’s case, there was an incident with the show with a dog,” she stated. “The dog was Harmon’s, and the dog apparently bit someone.” Pauley was an avid SPCA [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] supporter. The dog kept following Harmon, and she felt it wasn’t safe for the presentation.”
‘NCIS’ Abby Sciuto actress decided it was ‘time to move on.’
According to Johnson’s statements, Perrette’s decision to leave NCIS was influenced by the incident with Harmon’s dog.
He recalled that by the end of that year, she just felt like it wasn’t working for her longer, and it was time to go on.
Abby Sciuto was one of the most beloved characters on television at the time, and her absence was felt deeply by all involved with the show. Although NCIS introduced a new character, Kasie Hines (played by Diona Reasonover), to replace Abby as the NCIS forensic scientist, it wasn’t the same.
“Diona Reasonover is fantastic and brilliant, and her work is fantastic.” “But you walk onto that set and you miss Pauley,” said NCIS director James Whitmore Jr.
“Pauley Perrette made Abby one of the most beloved characters on television in the twenty-first century,” remarked Glenn Geller, former CBS Entertainment president.
What is Pauley Perrette up to these days?
Perrette went on to star in the CBS sitcom Broke after leaving NCIS. It debuted in 2020 and ran for one season.
The actor announced she’d had a stroke a year earlier in September 2022.
“It’s been one year since I had a stroke. “And I’m still here,” she said in a video posted on X, the app that replaced Twitter.
“Yes, I’m still here, again,” she continued, before recounting other horrible occurrences. “How many times have I avoided d3ath?” As if I nearly perished from a hair dye allergy. I have dietary sensitivities and have been a v1ctim of domestic violence and rape. I was att4cked by a wild homeless person and nearly d1ed, yet I’m still alive. I’m feeling extra thankful for all of my rescue dogs who are over there. And I’m here, I’m still here, and I’m fine. In the last two years, I’ve been through a lot.”
Related News – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to NCIS.