‘NCIS’ season 12 spoilers: Emily Wickersham hints at potential character death
A character is almost surely going to die on “NCIS” before season 12 comes to a close. At this point, this is no secret to anyone. We’ve seen it mentioned in synopses, and we’ve heard it fluttered about in the process. It could be a recurring character who we’ve come to know in spurts, or it could be a series regular, and the biggest shakeup that we’ve seen on the show since the start of season 11. Of course, no one is saying now, and they most likely will not for a while. What we can at least tell you is that Tuesday night’s “Troll” is the beginning of a three-episode arc that will take us through until the end of the story … at least for now.
While it may not be much of a revealing tease, we do think the comments from Emily Wickersham (Bishop) to TVLine are enough to convince us that the death will be a pretty devastating one, regardless of who the character is:
“The significant loss is someone who everyone loves, I think, and it will be a very sad, shocking thing — but, at the same time, it becomes a motivator for the team, to kind of figure things out….”
At some point, maybe we will do an article speculating on who this death could be, provided that it does not happen as soon as tomorrow night. We do feel like it is certainly possible for someone who has been around for a long time to exit; working procedural TV is a tiring job, after all. While you are compensated very well for your work, doing 12-hour work days for at least three-quarters of the year can be tough. (Sometimes, they’re even longer than that.) With a spoiler warning for “Grey’s Anatomy” fans who are a little behind, it is easy to juxtapose the situation to what happened with Patrick Dempsey last week. Maybe it isn’t a regular who goes, but you have to consider all possibilities.
If you do want to get some other “NCIS” coverage, be sure to head over to the link here right now! Also, sign up to score some further TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)
Christopher
April 28, 2015 @ 8:59 am
A beloved character! So sadly it’s not Bishop! She’s the worst character on TV these days played by someone who shouldn’t be considered an actress!
Beverly
April 28, 2015 @ 1:06 am
Okay my guess is Gibbs. (wink wink) Everyone loves Gibbs and Mark Harmon has not made any references to signing a new contract or appearing on Season 13. It has been such a crazy season I wouldn’t be a bit surprised. lol In any case I think it will be a regular. Saw a post on Michael Weatherly’s twitter commenting on the Patrick Dempsey death and a fan’s comment that at least NCIS hasn’t done this to fans. It makes me think that NCIS is indeed going to do this to fans. Thought it interesting that he retweeted that particular tweet. GG’s love of killing people off will be his legacy for this particular show. He has made the show so organic that long time fans no longer recognize it. I never would have believed in a million years that such a strong show would end like this.
Pat
April 28, 2015 @ 2:24 am
Hmm. So do you really think that the plan might be to end the series?
Beverly
April 28, 2015 @ 4:04 am
I really think Season 13 will be the last. The numbers are still good compared to other shows but have been dropping steadily for quite a while. Losing a million or more viewers from one episode to the next more than once this season is very telling. Fans are not embracing the changes and are turning the channel. I just don’t think TPTB care to invest any more resources in this 12 year old show and are allowing it to die a quiet death. Killing off regular and favorite characters is clearing out a lot of the older fans that are a huge part of the ratings numbers as I think they have lost patience with the show, I don’t foresee them coming up with a plot to draw in younger fans either. They tried that with EW but the demos dropped since she joined the team. What the fans want doesn’t seem to matter which is why I think the upcoming season will be the last. GG seems more determined than ever to make a show that he likes as opposed to making a show that fans enjoy.
liz laughlin
April 28, 2015 @ 6:12 pm
Losing a million or more viewers from one episode to the next is pretty much usual for NCIS. The problem for NCIS is that their average total viewership for the season is the lowest since season 6.
Season 6 had an average viewership of 17.7 million viewers per episode. season 12 has an average of 17.6 million so far. with a 2.49 demo. Compare that with season 10, the last strong season, 19.3 million viewers per episode and a 3.3 18-49 demo.
When people see the difference between 17.7 million and 17.6 million, that looks pretty small, only 0.1 but that represents 100.000 viewers per episode. Over an entire 25 episode season for season 6 and a 24 episode season for season 12, that is a drop of 2.4 million viewers total for the whole season.
There are three episodes to go in season 12 It would take a three episode average of about 18.5 million viewers to pull up to season 6’s average. That is possible but not likely. If you wanted to get back to season 11’s average of 18.5 million, then you would need the last three episodes to average about 24.75 million viewers per episode and NCIS has never had even one episode that high in it’s history.
Another way to look at it is that season 11 had 2 episodes over 20 million viewers. Season 12 has 0 over 20 million. Compare with season 10. It had 8 episodes over 20 million. CBS has tried to explain this drop in live viewership by saying that it’s all about DVR usage. Maybe some of it is but before DVRs we had VCRs.
Dana Jo jGraslie
April 28, 2015 @ 11:34 pm
I too, think Season 13 will be their last and that’s how they’re setting themselves up for. This show has been dropping and bad the last two years but nothing like this year. The Demo Ratings are the lowest they’ve ever been and that will have a big impact for Season 13. Glasberg no longer knows what this show needs and during interviews, when he’s talking about an idea he’s had, he’s always saying how much fun it is for the show and the actors but not that it’s fun for the viewers. It’s all about him and what he thinks works for this show. It’s not working anymore, though. Don’t expect Mark Harmon or Glasberg to admit to any of this because they won’t. I could see Mark Harmon calling it quits and if that happens, maybe that’s the big decisions MW was talking about that Tony would have to make. He said it would start at the end of this season but it would work into Season 13 and he seemed pretty chipper about Tony in Season 13 so…who knows?? The whole PD thing happening on Grey’s proves that shockers happen all the time. Again…if they do decide to kill off Ziva, that’s another reason to believe Season 13 will be their last.
sadtonyfan
April 29, 2015 @ 1:39 am
I think that Glasburg thinks if he keeps Mr. Harmon happy that is pretty much all that matters. I’m not sure he’s realistic about CBS’s agenda and seems strangely oblivious to the tastes of a fairly significant percentage of faithful and fairly invested viewers. I do think that season 13, if it happens, will be the last and they all know this. I don’t recall MW saying anything about Tony thinking about big decisions for Tony, but maybe I just missed it. I frankly can’t imagine the current PTB writing anything worthy of Tony’s potential. They’ve proven time and time again that they’ve simply written him off as comic distraction so that they can give drama to the actors’ characters who are less complicated and easier to write for.
Dana Jo jGraslie
April 29, 2015 @ 4:49 am
The interview was on someone’s tumblr. I don’t know exactly when it was but MW was already talking about about Zoe and Senior so it must of been pretty recent. He aslo was talking about some big decisions that might be talked about at the end of Season 12 but would go into Season 13. Some people think it might be because Gibbs might retire and he will be taking over Gibbs position at NCIS but that’s highly doubtful. Still, MH has yet to announce if he will be back next season so…who knows?? He seemed genuinely excited about Season 13 but It could be many reasons why this is. I can’t imagine it’s work related based on how this season has gone for him. Yes, it’s very obvious that Glasberg only cares about what MH wants but that’s exactly what’s doing this show in. Season 13 will be their last. I would bed major money on it.
sadtonyfan
April 29, 2015 @ 11:40 am
I always get this feeling that tptb dangle potential interesting business for Tony to MW to get him to hype the show but have no sincere intention of following through in anymore than the most perfunctory way. It’s clear that the only character they really want to flatter is almighty Gibbs and I guess since McGee could never really outshine Gibbs, it’s safe to give him drama, danger, flattery, and angst too. Tony’s so called episodes are generally tensionless (unless Tony is somehow being “comically” humiliated) affairs where Tony’s so called dramas are poorly written C plots. Gibbs and McGee have been featured as much or more prominently in the two Senior episodes that we had this year while Tony was made to look somewhat stupid and ineffectual again.
Dana Jo jGraslie
April 30, 2015 @ 4:35 am
Just read that MW will be appearing in some episodes of NCIS: LA?? I’m not sure if it’s this season but I’m assuming it’s next season. That’s probably a big part of his big decisions that he has to make. LOL I guess NCIS: LA is really struggling right now so they are sending good o’ MW to help with the ratings. That’s all I think it is as of now. Maybe he’s excited about working with that cast because I think he’s good friends with them. I don’t watch NCIS: LA but that’s probably what he meant by big decisions in Season 13.
Beverly
April 29, 2015 @ 2:55 am
I challenge the writers to write a show full of suspense, action and drama without killing anyone. I’m a little tired of being “rattled”. So many terrorism shows. Where’s the good cases of the week that where written smart, interesting and still with humor. At this point I don’t think anything the writers do would faze me. They’ve used up their limited element of surprise by killing off too many favorites and allowing too many unlikeable characters to continue along their merry way.
Dana Jo jGraslie
April 29, 2015 @ 4:56 am
Seriously, this is all Glasberg has. This is his go to for storylines that will “rattle” the fans. You can rattle fans in may different ways. It doesn’t have to be killing off a character that fans enjoyed having around. I was pretty ticked when they killed off Diane this season. She was a spit fire but there was lots of likeable things about her but most importantly, she was someone’s mother. It just wasn’t necessary. Making that whole storyline about Gibbs and Fornell when it could of been more focused on Ziva…that was it for me. Like you said before, Glasberg is all about what he wants for this show, not about what the fans want and it’s starting to really impact the show. I can’t say that I even know who they will kill off in the finale, although I’m tilting more at Dorneget but that’s not even something that will rattle the fans, just upset them. I give this show 1 more season and also what you stated before, maybe that’s what they want. They know this show is doing terrible and at this point in it, why make things better??
Marie Whytsell
April 28, 2015 @ 3:37 am
I hope not. This is my favorite show. I’m still not over the sudden death of Kate!
Dana Jo jGraslie
April 29, 2015 @ 5:04 am
Yeah, but Kate died 10 years ago. It was sad and devastating but I have moved on and I immediately loved Ziva. Two years with her gone and I haven’t gotten over her leaving or how they wrote her off at all. I don’t think I will ever be over that. Kate was good but Ziva made the show #1 for 8 years, with the help of the others. It’s just not the same show anymore and no, I do not like Bishop. With the major dropping of the Demo Ratings, weak storylines, lame new characters, and absolutely no chemistry between the agents, I think the show is at it’s end and Season 13 will be their last.
Marie Whytsell
April 29, 2015 @ 5:40 pm
With Kate, it was the shock! I loved Ziva. She was my favorite lady. I really like the character of Bishop but am not sure she is being portrayed as well as she could be. I would hate to see NCIS end because I would miss Gibbs but the plots are becoming very similar. As for LA and NO, I watch them both and enjoy both.
liz laughlin
April 28, 2015 @ 5:23 pm
Okay, I know that you wrote your post “tongue in cheek.” But let”s suppose Harmon wants out. If Emily Wickersham has a contract for season 13, then it looks like the show will go another season. Do they make Tony the team leader or bring in someone else? With Harmon off the show, they free up some pretty big bucks for salaries but can the show survive without Harmon? There is a pretty significant part of the fan base that watch purely for Harmon. My former boss was one of them She practically swooned when she said his name. So, season 13 without Harmon would be a huge gamble.
I already have issues with the way CBS plays their hand. When they took NCIS:La from the 9:00 slot after NCIS, they almost killed the show. LA had an average viewership of over 16 million viewers per episode and a strong 18-49 demo. NOLA, the replacement at 9:00 will finish it’s first season under all of the viewership numbers for every season of LA because it appeals to an older audience. LA is now in a slot (10:00 Monday) that doesn’t work for it’s younger fan base. The 18-49 demo people are mostly in school or working. They don’t want to be up to almost midnight to watch LA if they have to be up early in the morning. Now LA is in danger of being cancelled because the schedule change caused a drop of nearly 7 million viewers. This is called a PTB made disaster. LA could survive with a different time slot but I doubt that NOLA will do very well without a lead in from NCIS. Even following NCIS it can’t pull LA’s numbers from season’s past.. .