NCIS Kills Off Major Character After 18 Years

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This story contains spoilers from the March 24 episode of NCIS.

NCIS is giving a farewell salute to a beloved character.

NCIS said farewell to Director Leon Vance, portrayed by Rocky Carroll, in its March 24th episode. The character had been a part of the show for 18 years, first appearing in season five. The 500th episode saw Vance killed in a shootout with a dishonest agent, where he was then reunited with the late Donald “Ducky” Mallard (played by Adam Campbell) in the afterlife.

How is Carroll feeling about leaving the show? He’s had several months to come to terms with it, ever since they filmed his last scene last year.

He explained to Variety in an interview published on March 24th that he’d had time to process the news, as he first learned about it in November. He specifically mentioned that the final scene, where Director Vance realizes he’s been speaking with a figure representing death and walks towards the light, was filmed on December 11th.

At this point, the 62-year-old feels he’s been able to “come full circle with it.”

“This is a truly fantastic episode,” Carroll said. “I’m not just saying that because I’m part of the team, but if you’re going to write a character off a show, this is the perfect way to do it.”

He praised executive producer Steven D. Binder for crafting a fitting conclusion to Vance’s storyline, describing the episode as a heartfelt tribute that perfectly captured the character’s development and significance to the series.

Carroll confessed he was initially puzzled by the decision to kill off Vance, wondering if there were other options.

I reacted immediately, and one of the first things I told our executive producers was that we often write characters off the show, but with Gibbs, it felt different. Characters like Tony, Ziva, and Bishop all left with the understanding they weren’t necessarily dead, just gone. So, if the intention was to simply remove this character from the story, I questioned why we were making it seem so permanent when others were allowed to leave and potentially return.

So, after he finally got to share his side of the story, the show’s producers let me know they were planning something huge for the 500th episode. As a long-time fan, I was thrilled to hear they were going all out!

Everyone involved with the show agreed they didn’t need to make it popular—it already was—but they wanted to remind viewers why it had been a long-running hit. They decided to do something special for the 500th episode, and this was the result, according to Carroll. After reading the script, he realized it was a genuinely good idea, with a compelling story. He added with a laugh that actors often enjoy filming their character’s death scenes.

I’m hearing from Mark Harmon that while he’s stepping away from acting on NCIS, he’s not saying goodbye completely! He’s confirmed he’ll be returning to direct some episodes, which is fantastic news for fans and keeps him connected to the show we all love.

In the meantime, read on to see what other shows are hitting TV screens soon.

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2026-03-25 06:20