Actress Jennifer Esposito’s NCIS exit in 2017 left fans divided on possible reasons her character was written out. Although Esposito wasn’t the first cast member to leave the show, her exit made the show’s history books. With the show currently airing season 21, NCIS is one of the longest-running primetime TV series on American television.
However, Jennifer Esposito joined NCIS in season 14, much to the delight of fans and audiences. Esposito wasn’t entirely a stranger to police procedural series, having guest-starred in a few episodes of Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the past. Also, she was one of the main cast on CBS’ Blue Bloods. With her character receiving high ratings on NCIS, there was more than enough space to accommodate it. Here’s all about Jennifer Esposito’s NCIS exit and the reasons she might not return.
Who Was Jennifer Esposito in NCIS
Jennifer Esposito made her NCIS debut in episode 1 (“Rogue”) in season 14. Before her arrival at the Naval yard, NCIS Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) had earned a reputation for rejecting new agents to his team. As team leader of the NCIS Major Case Response Team, the no-nonsense Special Agent Gibbs had rejected eight agents in three months.
Esposito quickly made an impression on audiences when she sarcastically congratulated Agent Gibbs for his record with rejects. Jennifer Esposito played NCIS Special Agent Alexandra Quinn on NCIS. It was easy to see why she quickly earned the respect of the other teammates, as well as the audience. As a new team member, Alex Quinn was far from a rookie. Before joining the NCIS Major Case Response Team, Quinn spent 15 years assigned to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
As such, she trained a few members of Special Agent Gibbs’ team. Alex Quinn trained NCIS Senior Field Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), NCIS Special Agent Eleanor Bishop (Emily Wickersham), and NCIS Special Agent Nicholas Torres (Wilmer Valderrama). Besides being an asset to the team, the pretty-faced character stood out for audiences with her sharp wit and mind.
Jennifer Esposito’s Last Appearance on NCIS
Jennifer Esposito last appeared on NCIS in the season 14’s finale (“Rendezvous”). Esposito made her shocking NCIS exit without immediately providing reasons after appearing in all 24 episodes of that season. However, her character, Alex Quinn, had a few backstories during her time on NCIS. Quinn was a former field agent who chose to leave the field after the death of her partner. While blaming herself and dealing with the trauma, Quinn’s mother was later revealed to have developed Alzheimer’s.
Although she made peace with her later partner’s widow and now 13-year-old son, Quinn’s mother’s Alzheimer’s was the plot used for her exit. In the “Rendezvous” episode, Quinn receives two calls from her mother. Although their conversation wasn’t revealed to the NCIS audience. It served as a backdrop for her exit. By the premiere episode (“House Divided”) of season 15, Alex Quinn’s absence is explained as resigning to take care of her mother with Alzheimer’s.
Why Jennifer Esposito Left NCIS
NCIS has seen several cast members exit the show in the past. So, with Jennifer Esposito’s sudden NCIS exit, it was understandable why the show’s audiences were speculating several reasons and theories. Despite several speculated reasons for her exit, Jennifer Esposito Left NCIS because the producers wanted to explore a new creative direction. Television writer and producer Gary Glasberg had been one of NCIS showrunners before his death in 2016. Glasberg was one of NCIS’ producers who wrote the character of Alex Quinn. With his death, producers decided to proceed with a new direction rather than struggle to complete Glasberg’s direction.
If it’s any consolation, Jennifer Esposito’s character exit was the first not to be killed off the show. Jennifer Esposito’s NCIS exit may have stood out for several reasons, but none was as surprising as knowing she had the shortest stay on the show. No other NCIS main cast member had stayed on the show for a single single. Besides Esposito, the only other cast member with a shorter stay on NCIS was actress Sasha Alexander, who played NCIS Special Agent Caitlin Todd. Introduced in season 1 as one of the main cast, she stayed on until season 3, when she appeared as a guest before exiting.
However, there was no bad blood between Esposito and the NCIS showrunners. She considered it a privilege to be a part of one of America’s top, longest-running primetime shows. Although her appearance was short-lived, Esposito was well aware her character wasn’t expected to last long. Responding to a tweet about her exit, a month after season 14’s finale, Esposito tweeted, “Was not meant to be there long but happy I was. Met some great new friends!” Knowing Jennifer Esposito’s NCIS exit reasons, here are 9 reasons Mark Harmon left his role as Gibbs in NCIS.
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