Cote De Pablo Is Still Leaving NCIS, But Her Character Won’t Die

Cote de Pablo disappointed NCIS fans around the world when she announced her departure from the hit series. However, showrunners insist that they have no intention of killing off her character.

Executive producer Gary Glasberg told the folks at TVLine that Ziva won’t take a dirt nap when she bids farewell to the show. This could leave the door wide open for de Pablo to return down the road.

“It’s not what this character deserves. Also, [we killed off] Sasha Alexander’s Kate character [back in Season 2] and I like the idea of doing this one a little different and respecting who [Ziva] is,” Glasberg told the website.

The executive producer also stated that fans of the character will get a little insight into why Ziva is leaving in the two-part season premiere this September.

Cote de Pablo announced that she was parting ways with the series last month. The actress said that her decision wasn’t one that came easily.

“I feel like I am leaving my family. What I want to say most of all is thank you to the fans and to the people who have been so supportive of me and of the show, who have made the show the great success that it is,” she said in a statement.

Despite their best efforts, the suits at CBS couldn’t get Cote de Pablo to stick around. CEO Les Moonves said the network threw a stack of cash at the actress in hopes of changing her mind. At the end of the day, even a fat paycheck couldn’t reverse her decision.

“We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money, and then we offered her even more money. We didn’t want to lose her. We obviously were in discussions. Ultimately, she decided she didn’t want to do the show. We did everything humanly possible [to keep her],” he explained.

Are you disappointed that Cote de Pablo is leaving NCIS?

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]