Here's why Lauren Holly departed NCIS during its fifth season. NCIS has certainly come far following the team's introduction during an episode of JAG. NCIS - short for Naval Criminal Investigative Service - made its solo debut in 2003 and while it was initially slow to build a following, it soon became one of the biggest series on television. It's showing no real signs of slowing down either, with NCIS season 18 being greenlit in May 2020.
NCIS has become its very own franchise too, with the first spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles arriving in 2009. The series paired LL Cool J (Deep Blue Sea) with Chris O'Donnell and like it's parent show it proved hugely popular and will return for a twelfth season. NCIS: New Orleans' main character Dwayne Cassius Pride was first introduced during an episode of NCIS, with the spinoff later arriving in 2014 and running for seven seasons thus far.
Considering NCIS has been running for close to 20 years now, it's no surprise some major characters have come and gone. High-profile departures include Pauley Perrette's Abby and Cote de Pablo's Ziva, though the latter made a brief return for a major season 17 storyline. One shocking exit came during season 5, where Lauren Holly's NCIS director Jennifer Shepard was killed during an off-screen gunfight.
Jenny Shepard arrived on NCIS during season 3 and was revealed to be a former love of Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon). The two sparred regularly during her time as director, but Gibbs and the team still had nothing but respect for Shepard. Holly made a great addition to the cast but several factors led to her exit. The actress has since admitted she was initially reluctant to sign on and became somewhat bored with the role towards the end of her run. It appears the decision to kill the character was made independently, as Sheperd was first diagnosed with a terminal illness in NCIS season 5 before being killed in an offscreen gunfight in the season finale.
Fans missed the Jenny Shepard character and her death is still one of NCIS' most surprising exits. It was also another reminder - following the season 2 death of Caitlin Todd - that not even the main characters are safe, which fans would come to know very well in later seasons. In recent years, Lauren Holly has cropped up in indie horror The Blackcoat's Daughter, had a recurring role on Designated Survivor and will next be seen in upcoming ballet drama Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix.