SUMMARY
- Sasha Alexander clarifies the real reason she left NCIS , citing the gruesome filming schedule that led her to exit as Kate Todd.
- Alexander’s exit as Kate on NCIS led to the introduction of Ziva David, shaping the show’s future dynamics and love story.
- Kate’s death had a lasting impact on NCIS , paving the way for new character dynamics and storylines in the long-running series.
Sasha Alexander explains why she decided to exit NCIS as Caitlin Todd after two seasons. While Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ team was already established when they first appeared in JAG, the events of the police procedural were kickstarted by the introduction of Kate. Originally working with the Secret Service, she was booted from her job after she came clean about sleeping with a co-worker. This case was recently revisited in the NCIS‘ 1000th episode. Despite the tragedy, it led to her joining the Major Case Response Team (MCRT), where she served for just a couple of years.
Alexander’s departure was unexpected, especially since Kate was brutally murdered in the NCIS season 2 finale. The actor opened up about her decision to walk away from the police procedural in her appearance in a new episode of Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast hosted by Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo.
Yeah, it did. It did [no work/life balance]. I mean I think before NCIS, the shows that I did somehow had more of a balance like they were either true ensembles. But if in this particular case, I mean normally, if you’re like one or two, like Rizolli and Isles, I worked all the time, but there were moments where we could throw the ball back and forth to each other. NCIS, Mark, Michael, and I, and you later were on every single scene.
How Kate’s Death Changed NCIS Forever
The Aftermath Of Her Death Is Still Being Felt
NCIS is used to losing cast members, which is the norm for long-running TV shows. That said, Kate’s death was arguably the most impactful on the show. Aside from being brutal, especially with the way Ari’s assassination played out, it also led to a series of changes that defined NCIS’ next decade. Admittedly, it’s impossible to know how exactly NCIS would be different if Alexander stayed on as Kate. However, the biggest change would be the show now bringing in Cote de Pablo as Ziva David as her replacement.
As Ari’s half-sister, Ziva was initially recruited as a Mossad liaison officer who was supposed to deal with his rogue brother. Ultimately, however, she became an official member of MCRT after she realized the atrocious crimes that he had committed. If Gibbs’ original team hadn’t lost Kate, NCIS wouldn’t have had any reason to introduce a new female agent. Ziva’s non-existence would have resulted in the erasure of perhaps the most prominent love story in the police procedural — something that will be further explored in the upcoming spinoff, NCIS: Tony and Ziva.
