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Given its long-standing history in the realm of TV, theNCISfranchise has been subject to numerous controversies over the years. After debuting in season 11 as agent Meredith Brody, Zoe McLellan, who cemented herself as a series regular in the spin-off seriesNew Orleans, was surprisingly shown the exit in 2016.
Her departure spilled a whole new can of worms regardingNCIS‘s alleged mistreatment of the female crew. Reflecting on the drama, former showrunner Jeffrey Lieber alleged that he was forced to fire McLellan.
The Top Brass at CBS Allegedly Wanted Zoe McLellan Out From the Get-Go
Despite the warm reception among critics and audiences, Zoe McLellan’s agent Brody didn’t return for season 3, and shortly after her departure, original showrunner Jeffrey Lieber also parted ways with the spin-off. Shedding light on McLellan’s surprising exit, Lieber claimed (viaVulture) that the top brass at CBS wanted to get rid of theStar Trek: Voyagerstar from the get-go.
Pauley Perrette Vows to Never Return to Acting after Unceremonious NCIS Exit: “It’s like a drug”
Although he pushed back as the audience was connecting with her character, at last, Lieber was allegedly told that the top brass at CBS“didn’t find her ‘f***able’ enough.”
Finally, one powerful man putting pressure on me just admitted to me that the problem was that Les didn’t find her ‘fuckable’ enough, and that he had felt that way from day one.
Shortly after, the showrunner himself parted ways with the spin-off over creative differences, and Brad Kern was brought in to fill his shoes. However, given the abuse allegations surrounding Kern, who was accused (viaTHR) of mistreating his female colleagues, Kern was also shown the door.
OneNCISReplacement Initially Worried Mark Harmon
This wasn’t the first time a series regular in theNCISwas replaced, as back in the mid-2000s, Sasha Alexander exited the show due to scheduling conflicts, which opened the door for Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David. Although the replacement invoked concerns among the main cast, especiallyMark Harmon, the show lead’s doubts were put to rest after he witnessed her work ethic (viaCMT).
Before I ever knew her, I remember seeing her in the squad room set, and I watched her walk from Point A to Point B after a shot. I watched her tousle the head of the dolly grip and hug the director of photography and continue right on. It’s just what she does, who she is. Cote did nothing other than what she’d do every day.
While things have been rocky for theNCISIP behind the curtains, the franchise is still going strong to this date with Harmonmarking his returnin the show’s prequel,NCIS: Origins.
“I was a v-rgin”: The NCIS Star Jessica Alba Hinted She Slept With When She Was 18 Made Her Take a Vow to Never Date Actors Again
NCIS: New Orleansis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
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Mark Harmon
