With a strong cast and compelling storylines, it's no wonder why "NCIS" has managed to become
one of the longest-running scripted series in television history.
The CBS megahit just wrapped up its 18th season, and the series shows no signs of slowing down
any time soon.
There will be plenty more crimes that require solving for at least a bit longer, as the
network has already picked up the police procedural for Season 19.
But just because the show is coming back doesn't mean that there aren't going to be some major
shake-ups along the way.
The main cast members tend to stick around for a while, with actors like Mark Harmon
and Sean Murray being there from the beginning.
However, other actors have jumped ship over the course of the show's long run, with their
characters moving on with their lives to do something else beyond investigating crimes
-- and that appears to be what's transpiring with Emily Wickersham, who's played fan-favorite
character Eleanor Bishop since Season 11.
The Season 18 finale saw Eleanor undertake a secret mission, but it was unclear to some
fans whether she would return or if this was the end.
The actress took to Instagram to confirm her departure from the series, writing,
"Hangin this hat and jacket up.
What a great ride it's been."
"It's awesome.
It's been -- it's been really wonderful and fun."
She genuinely seems to have enjoyed her time on "NCIS," and there doesn't appear to be
any bad blood between her and any other cast members.
In other words, this doesn't seem to be the kind of falling out that's alleged to occur
at the time of Pauley Perrette's exit from the series.
Given the fact Eleanor tells Nick Torres she won't be back for a long time, it doesn't
seem likely that Bishop will be coming back for any cameos anytime soon.
With that unfortunate news in mind, here's everything you need to know about why Emily
Wickersham is leaving "NCIS."
The actress announced her departure from the series with an Instagram post on May 26, 2021.
Throughout Wickersham's lengthy comments on the matter, she doesn't mention anything about
why she chose to leave after Season 18 of "NCIS."
The most likely explanation is that she merely wanted to pursue other opportunities after
playing the same character across eight seasons and 172 episodes.
"I mean if we worked, like, regular 9-to-5 jobs, things could be different."
Being free from the rigors of a network show's shooting schedule would give her flexibility
in choosing other jobs, or even just taking a break for a while and enjoying her hard-earned
success.
But what's most important for fans of "NCIS" is that it appears as though she's leaving
on good terms with everyone she worked with over the last decade.
"They're loose.
Like the whole cast and crew is, like, loosey-goosey, which makes for such a nice work environment.
It really does."
As she mentions on Instagram,
"I've been lucky enough to be a part of a show where I got to show up and act and laugh
and learn with wonderful people.
A moment in time I surely won't forget.
Thank you CBS and NCIS for including me in a part of television history."
As you go down her post, you can see a slew of comments from her many followers have already
come in, including one from the official CBS Instagram account, which posted,
"Thanks for making history with us."
Wickersham's co-stars, including Maria Bello and Brian Dietzen, also use their accounts
to express their pleasure of getting to work with her for so many years.
Wickersham's now free to pursue whatever projects interest her the most from here on out.
While it's still unclear where she'll end up, bright things are inevitably in-store
for the talented actress.
Wickersham's co-stars aren't the only ones sad we won't see any more of Ellie Bishop
eating snacks while putting clues together.
"NCIS" fans took to Twitter in droves to express their sadness at the Season 18 finale spelling
the end of Ellie -- as well as the much-loved relationship between Ellie and Nick.
Ellie Bishop served as an inspiration to plenty of viewers, including one user who raved about
both her favorite character, and the talented actor who plays her, writing,
"Maybe some people will never understand why I'm so devastated but I'm 31 years old, I
grew up with #NCIS but I just connected with ONE FEMALE CHARACTER!
Emily Wickersham played Ellie Bishop, a powerful, talented, persevering and empowered woman!"
Others talked about how Ellie had impacted their lives beyond the small screen, influencing
the real world in a very real way.
One person wrote,
"Thank you @EmilyWickersham for creating such an amazing character — one that inspired
me to pursue a career in intelligence myself.
Fans will miss you, but I think I speak for all of us when I say there's only one Ellie
Bishop."
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