Fans were shocked when Cote de Pablo announced that she would not be returning for Season 11 of the CBS show "NCIS." Producers and writers were also stunned by the news and spent all summer trying to figure out how Ziva David would exit the show.
Not much has been revealed about how the character's exit or if she will be replaced but producer Gary Glasberg has penned an open letter to fans promising that the exit will "make TV history," Hollywood Gossip reports.
"The amazing resolution you're going to see is pretty damn heart-wrenching and we're incredibly proud of it. Prepare yourselves for a moment in television history," Glasberg wrote. "Images that will end up in the archives. I couldn't be happier with how my NCIS family stepped up and did some of the most emotional work we've ever done."
De Pablo announced she was leaving back in July without ever really giving an explanation. Executives tried to offer de Pablo a lot of money in hopes of changing her mind but she "didn't want to do the show anymore."
"I've had 8 great years with NCIS and Ziva David," the actress said in a statement TV Fanatic reports. "I have huge respect and affection for Mark, Gary, Michael, David, Rocky, Pauley, Brian, Sean, all of the them and CBS. I look forward to finishing Ziva's story."
Her contract ran out at the end of Season 10 but her character will return for the first two episodes of the new season, which begins Sept. 24. De Pablo joined the cast in Season 3 following the exit of Sasha Alexander.
Her character quickly became a fan-favorite and one of the strongest leads on the show. Glasberg concluded his letter saying that besides seeing Ziva leave the series fans will also see Tony (Michael Weatherly) go back to his roots in Baltimore to learn about his past, new agents will be introduced, Gibbs (Mark Harmon) will start to build a connection with his father and on a lighter note McGee (Sean Murray) will be the given the challenging task of trying to explain to Gibbs what a "hashtag" is.
The new season of "NCIS" begins Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. on CBS. To read the full letter click here.
