NCIS season 15: Will David McCallum return after Ducky surprise? Here’s the evidence…
With that being said, we don’t think that there are major signs that the episode tonight is going to be the last one for McCallum or the Ducky character. For one, consider this — CBS recently confirmed that Pauley Perrette is leaving at the end of the show after being a part of it from the beginning. With McCallum, they made no advance announcement and you figure that they would for a beloved performer. The ending here was also somewhat abrupt and without much of a proper goodbye when it comes to the vast majority of the cast. He deserves that in the way that all longtime characters on the show do.
In terms of the story, there are also some things to consider here. For one, his lecturer gig only seems to be a temporary one with a defined end date at the end of it. Maybe that changes down the road, but signs do point towards an eventual return. This could also just mean that we do see David here and there, but a little less than in the past. It would make some sense to do this, given that this is a character who clearly does have a lot of interests and there’s only so much time that he can continue to pursue all of them while within the confines of a lab.
As for whether or not there is a precedent to actors taking a hiatus from CBS shows, there is. For example, Matthew Gray Gubler has taken a few breaks in Criminal Minds over the years, and there are certainly plenty of people who have taken family leave over the years. There are obviously going to be many different opportunities in order to see the character back down the road — for now, we do know that he is still listed as a cast member, so there is no definite evidence that McCallum is leaving.
If that ever does happen or more information is released, we’ll be sure to let you know. For the time being, though, we don’t believe this is the last that you’ll of Ducky. Consider this more of a temporary scaling back if anything else, but we still have to wait until the show returns next week to even know if that is going to happen. Beyond just this, we do know that we’re going to see a new cast member next week in Maria Bello. Head over here in the event you want to get a preview here at CarterMatt for what is coming up next.
Update: Here’s more proof that Ducky will return — see the tweet below via Brian Dietzen.
Do you think David McCallum will return to NCIS?
Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the comments! Also, you can head over to the link here in the event you do want to read our full review of tonight’s installment. Like us on Facebook to get more news on everything we cover. (Photo: CBS.)
Tre
October 19, 2017 @ 1:11 am
There’s a small part of me that wonders whether part of McCallum being absent for a fair amount of this season is to do with him being a strong supporter of Trump whilst Perrette has since the elections loudly voiced her distaste for Trump and no doubt is continuing to do so.
Maybe she has been planning to leave and move on to other things, or maybe she just doesn’t want to work with McCallum any more, which is a shame given how well they appeared to get on with each other before the previous election.
Still, this is just something I ponder that could be completely incorrect.
Matt Carter
October 19, 2017 @ 2:40 pm
I think it’s fair to wonder, but I think by and large social media tends to overstate acrimony due to politics. While there are extreme examples I do think most ordinary people get along with one another okay even if they have different views. I don’t know enough about McCallum’s to speak for him or know what they are.
Suzan
October 11, 2017 @ 6:23 pm
What happened to Jennifer Esposito , is she still on the show?? I didn’t see her name on the cast list last night.
Audifan
October 12, 2017 @ 1:14 am
One season and gone. Can’t say why, but back in June, it was announced she’s not coming back.
Tre
October 19, 2017 @ 1:08 am
Jennifer left as filming a movie was going to clash with NCIS filming and she had to choose between them. The call her character received from her mother in the last episode of the previous season is part of the excuse for her absence.
Bob
October 11, 2017 @ 5:19 pm
I’ve seen comments that your going to leave because Abby’s leaving. Now Ducky. Well we’ve lost Kate Jennie the shows goes on. If you leave your not a loyal watcher.
Janet Furcello
October 11, 2017 @ 5:21 am
Ducky will definitely continue to appear in NCIS. The NCIS writer of this episode Christopher J Waild posted after this episode that it is “Not even close to the end” of Ducky on the show. Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer) posted that he and David McCallum have just finished filming a new scene–“..BTW it isn’t an either/or scenario-what if we get to have Ducky back and more Palmer too?…”
Jerry Baustian
October 11, 2017 @ 1:33 am
If this episode had aired at the end of the season, I’d say that he wouldn’t be back. But this way my guess is that he will make occasional appearances for another season or maybe two. David McCallum is 84 years old.