5 NCIS character deaths that left us heartbroken after watching

After 20 seasons on NCIS, there have been plenty of characters who have come and gone that we have grown to know and love. While some characters left for new opportunities, such as the case with Emily Wickersham’s Agent Eleanor Bishop, we’ve also had to say goodbye to other characters whose deaths left us surprised and heartbroken. While we can’t possibly name all of them, here are the 5 NCIS character deaths that left us heartbroken.

Over the years, we have seen many NCIS agents die and other supporting characters. It would take quite a while to go over every single person the show has lost over the years.

We broke down just some of the most surprising losses that we still think about years later.

From characters who had been with the show since the beginning to ones we met as side characters but who still served an important purposes, here are NCIS character deaths that left us heartbroken after watching them through the years.

NCIS character deaths we still think about

Agent Caitlin “Kate” Todd

The first major death that completely took viewers by surprise was the murder of Special Agent Caitlin “Kate” Todd (Sasha Alexander), who joined Agent Gibbs’s team after leaving the Secret Service when the series began. Her death at the hands of Ari Haswari would continue to cause ripple effects, including when we met Ziva David, who would become an important and beloved character herself.

Mi6 Officer and Liason Clayton Reeves

While he did not last long on the show, Reeves, played by actor Duane Henry, was an MI6 officer who joined the show in season 13 as a liaison between the NCIS office and MI6, which is the UK’s intelligence secret service branch. He unfortunately lost his life two seasons later after trying to protect Abby Sciuto from a mugger. It was so much fun to watch him on screen and we still miss him.

Jackie Vance

Leon Vance’s wife, Jackie (Paula Newsome), made her debut in season 6 and we may not have seen her as much as the agents, we grew to love her as much as the Director of NCIS did. Unfortunately, she lost her life during dinner with Ziva David and her father, Mossad Director Eli David, who was targeted and killed. Jackie’s death continues to be one that Vance struggles with and we recently got to see him provide comfort to Jimmy after he himself lost his wife, Breena.

Breena Palmer

What made Breena’s (Michelle Pierce) death hard was mainly the fact that it was so sudden and felt so cruel, especially since it happened off screen. She was not a character we saw often and knowing Jimmy and their daughter lost her to COVID was gut wrenching. Jimmy continues to deal with the aftermath on the series while also finding love again with Agent Jessica Knight. But it doesn’t mean we don’t wish we could have had more time with Breena.

Emily Fornell

Emily Fornell (Juliette Angelo), the daughter of Gibbs’s ex-wife Diane Sterling and her ex-husband former FBI agent Tobias Fornell, was a recurring character throughout the show and we basically got to see her grow up. Unfortunately, Emily would become addicted to drugs and she overdosed after weeks of recovery from her addiction. Her death hit very hard and was such an unexpected loss. Season 18 certainly gave us some shocking exits that we’re still struggling to understand.

We’re giving an honorary shoutout to Ziva David, who was presumed dead until we eventually find out she had actually gone into hiding. She is still one of our favorite characters who we miss and would love to see again one day.

NCIS season 21 will be airing on CBS, although details of its release are sparse in the wake of the ongoing writer’s strike. Keep an eye on Hidden Remote for more updates! In the meantime, you can rewatch previous episodes on Paramount+.