Fans Are Noticing This Trend In NCIS, And They Are Not Happy About It

In a recent post titled "Seriously?", Reddit user u/youngclarky asked, "Is anyone else getting bored of NCIS doing the same thing, killing off women?" Some fans agreed, saying that the show is past its prime. "Doing this just a few episodes after killing of Palmer's wife offscreen, plus Sloan leaving, makes the whole thing just seem stupid, like the entire show is collapsing," one wrote.

Later, the original poster clarified their opinion in response to a snarky comment, saying, "There [are] still men that [are] killed off, it's just that most of the women's deaths were unnecessary."

On the flip side, others pointed out while the deaths in NCIS might have seemed unnecessary, that didn't mean that actors didn't have good reason to leave, or that writers didn't have good reason to kill them off. For example, Breena's death was designed to jerk the team into the reality of the pandemic without the loss of a major character. As Dr. Jimmy Palmer actor Brian Dietzen told Entertainment Tonight, "The prospect of having Jimmy lose his wife, the most optimistic team member lose someone, came to the table and they thought it would be a great storytelling mechanic — albeit very, very sad. So they went ahead with it. I was notified ahead of time and prepared for it, I suppose, emotionally."

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with Juliette Angelo, who had been starring on NCIS since she was 13, although her character's death does also seem a result of storyline considerations. Angelo said in an Instagram Story that she found out about her character's death at the same time as fans — via text. "Lots of emotions about this. Just wanted to pop by in the midst of my social media break and say thanks for all the love these past years," she posted (via The Daily Express).

Still, NCIS is well-known for not allowing happy, stable relationships of any kind to flourish. In a 2016 interview with CBS (via Showbiz Cheatsheet), Abby Sciuto actress Pauley Perrette said, "[There are] relationship problems with the characters of NCIS. No one can ever get it right." So, as long as the show is on the air, fans can probably expect more tear-jerking moments involving all kinds of characters.