"I guess they ended up choosing to go in another direction," he said.ĭemmings expressed his exit was certainly nothing he asked for and even told the outlet he would still be willing to reprise his character to provide "closure" to Jackson's storyline. Demmings noted otherwise when his brief resurgence ended after his two-episode arc in Season 3. He further added, "Initially, I think they were looking at extending my storyline," when the show brought his character back in Season 3 after not appearing in Season 2. In 2020, Demmings told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that his character was put on "hiatus" after his 13-episode run in Season 1. Ask Demmings, and it looks like fans are in the same boat with Demmings when it comes to this mystery. The abandoned storyline is one of NCIS's biggest unanswered questions that has fans wondering what happened to Jackson. Craig reprised his character once more in the 21st episode of Season 1 titled "Found" only to be killed off before the episode's conclusion. The character appeared on back-to-back Season 1 episodes before becoming Vail's permanent replacement at the start of Season 2. During Vail's absence, Marty Deeks (played by Eric Christian Olsen) was introduced. The character was gone for months before finally reappearing on the show. But I have complete trust and respect in Shane's vision for the characters and the world he created."
In January 2010, executive producer Shane Brennan told Entertainment Weekly he wanted to send a message that no one is safe and admitted he likes "playing with the audience's expectations." Like the show's audience, it turns out cast members were also on their heels as series regular Daniella Rush told TV Guide that season, "For, it can be a little scary here and there." But it definitely stings when the actor plays the character that takes the hit, as Craig told Entertainment Weekly, "I had big hopes for Agent Vail, so, naturally, it took me by surprise. As he told TVLine, his character sacrificing his life for Abby (Pauley Perrette) was an honor as Perrette took him in when he was homeless during the production of NCIS. Henry posted a heartfelt message on social media, mentioning that leaving the show was one of the "toughest things ever had to deal with" because he liked the character along with the "great cast and incredible crew." He stated the entire team at NCIS was a pleasure to work with during a tumultuous time in his personal life. He recalled then wondering, "What's going to happen now with the character ?" He went on to note that because of the "you never know" nature of the industry, he's "always prepared for everything." Perhaps the two years felt like a bonus as Henry told CBS he was grateful for his character's exit to come in "historic" fashion and echoed similar sentiments on social media. In 2018, Henry revealed to TVLine that his character was the creation of former showrunner Gary Glasberg, who died in 2016. Perrette tweeted about the "great reporting" and went on to add that she testified that she heard "racist," "misogynistic," and "homophobic" slurs on set that was "hurtful." She continued, "And y'all wondered why I quit? Those producers are still there. In July 2020, Perrette fired off numerous tweets backing a Vanity Fair article that exposed CBS showrunner Peter Lenkov, who was sacked due to misconduct. I have nightmares about it." According to TV Guide , when asked about the allegations at the 2019 TCAs, CBS President of Entertainment Kelly Kahl told reporters, "We immediately investigated it and we resolved it to everyone's satisfaction." Over the years, Perrette tweeted a number of accusations regarding her time on the show, and in June 2019, TMZreported she alleged Harmon "body checked her on set in 2017." That same month, she tweeted, "I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. As The Wrapreported, after Mark Harmon's dog bit a crew member in 2016, his relationship with Perrette soured. Apparently, there was a lot going on behind the scenes.