Mark Harmon’s Candid Reaction To NCIS’ Latest Major Death Revealed By Exiting Star

Mark Harmon wasn’t happy with NCIS‘s latest major death.

Premiering in 2003, the long-running TV institution has gone through a lot of phases throughout those years. On the heels of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ retirement in NCIS season 19, the show entered a period of rebranding, as it had to reinvent itself without its original poster character. The process has had its ups and downs, which included a slip in viewership, but it has been on the road to reestablishing itself during the 2025-2026 TV cycle.

The CBS series recently celebrated a major and ultra-rare milestone, with NCIS hitting its 500th episode in March 2026. Coming into the episode, there was already an expectation that its story would be more special compared to the series’ weekly fare. Instead of just a major case, “All Good Things” also marked a turning point in the show’s future, as it saw the death of Director Leon Vance. While Rocky Carroll Jr. was accepting of his character’s fate, Harmon’s reaction was the opposite when he was informed of what would happen.

During a conversation for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Carroll recalled Harmon’s response when he found out about Vance’s death in NCIS’s 500th episode, revealing that the show’s pioneer wasn’t thrilled about it. In fact, he didn’t like the idea of the twist demise that the Gibbs actor offered to do something to stop it. Read Carroll’s full quote below:

He wasn’t as on board with the idea as I was. Let’s just put it that way. He just felt like, “Hey, man, what you brought to this role… almost two decades at this role.” I think he was speaking from the heart, just like my other cast members too. They just like, “No, we don’t we don’t want this to happen! We don’t want this to end! What can we do to make this [go away]?” I felt like the character who was talking to Vance. It’s like, “Come on, it is what it is, but it’s time to move on.” And it’s a really good episode. It’s a good story. So, we’ve talked and he knows it’s like, “You’re going to live your life.”

It’s difficult not to share Harmon’s sentiment in the immediate aftermath of learning about Vance’s fate in “All Good Things.” Carroll’s character was one of the longest-serving members of the cast and had been an anchor of NCIS since it underwent a string of changes. Losing him was difficult, especially since the show is in the final stage of its evolution to this new era.

As sad as Vance’s death is, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone not liking NCIS‘s 500th episode from a storytelling perspective. It’s one of the most, if not the most creative outings for the show in quite a long time, and for it to be the show’s send-off for Vance makes it extra special. It may be bold, but this was the best character swan song for a character that NCIS has ever done — even better than Gibbs’ retiring in Alaska. It was emotional, innovative, and most importantly, impactful. Vance’s death changes NCIS forever.

The departure of Carroll Jr. from the series will result in a series of big developments for MCRT moving forward. While the show skipped showing his funeral, it’s possible that his kids could be involved in the procedural moving forward for a special case — something that NCIS is known to do. Right now, however, Vance’s death sets up a major milestone for the series, as it is poised to choose the agency’s next director.