This forgotten NCIS character deserved so much better, 16 years after his death

NCIS introduced tons of characters over the years, but one in particular NCIS character deserved much better, even 16 years after his death. NCIS is known for its dramatic plots and character endings. The program has been on air for over 20 years and recently celebrated its 1,000th anniversary. NCIS episode. Given its long runtime and numerous character exits, some characters are doomed to have more tragic endings than others. Even so, there is one important player who deserved much more.

In the last two decades, NCIS created intense season finales to eliminate characters from the series. Given its dramatic, police procedural nature, it makes sense to move characters around to keep the show exciting. However, some characters receive more disturbing endings than others. NCIS featured a particularly tragic ending for one of its characters in season 5, 16 years before the next NCIS season 22. After all this time, its ending still irritates.

Jenny Shepard was an underrated NCIS character

Jenny’s appearances were small but lasting

Jenny Shepard, played by Lauren Holly, was the director of NCIS from seasons 3 to 5. She acquired this position following the resignation of Thomas Morrow following the death of Caitlin Todd in NCIS season 2 finale. Although Jenny was director for only three seasons, her effect on the series was lasting. For one, she was the first and only female director of NCIS and his relationship with Gibbs did much to reveal his character and personality.

Jenny was an ambitious and highly qualified person NCIS agentwhich gave her the boost she needed to succeed. Her obsession with capturing René Benoit for his alleged involvement in her father’s murder also added to her intrigue and made her an impressive character. Her obsessive nature was largely a result of Jenny being driven by grief and revenge after her father’s death, and this gave her character a slight edge that separated her from the others. NCIS team members. These qualities made Jenny a great NCIS character – that’s why his death still hurts, 16 years later.

Jenny’s story ended abruptly

Jenny’s impulsiveness led to her death

Jenny was a great director, but her time NCIS was cut short when she was killed in a shootout in the season 5 finale, “Judgment Day Part 1”. Season 4 of NCIS set up Jenny’s death by showing the extent of her obsession with René, and it was this fixation on catching him that ultimately led to her death. While chasing René, Jenny was assigned to kill the fiancé of a Russian arms dealer in an undercover operation. Her failure to complete her mission and be honest with her teammates is what killed her in 2008.

However, even without her violent death, Jenny would still have left the show differently. Season 5 revealed that Jenny was sick, but it wasn’t until Ducky was about to begin Jenny’s autopsy in Season 5 that he revealed to Gibbs that she had been diagnosed with a debilitating terminal illness. Jenny’s departure from the show would have been abrupt anyway. She is one of many NCIS characters who left the series, but in a way, Jenny’s death occurred on her own terms.

But Jenny didn’t need a terminal illness to begin with. She could have been written out of the show due to a career change due to work stress. She could also have left satisfied with René’s death. After Jenny was diagnosed, she seemed to have become more impulsive, putting the safety of her teammates at risk. She deserved a better ending because she worked hard to get where she was and to have it taken away from her so quickly was disappointing.

Why Lauren Holly Exited as Jenny Shepard NCIS in Season 5

Holly wanted to leave the CBS show

Many reasons can explain the departure of actors from TV series, from the desire to pursue other projects to creative decisions that the writers and producers made to improve the said series. In Lauren Holly’s case, it was apparently a combination of both. According to Digital SpyHolly explained her departure from the original NCIS show on his official website in 2009, a year after his departure. Based on the actress’s comments, it appears that Jenny’s death was a result of Holly’s boredom playing the character and the writers wanting to move forward with Jenny’s story. Holly wrote:

“To be honest, now that the work bug has bitten me again, I’ve gotten bored with my ‘Director’ part. So the decision was made to kill me, and boy did they do it five different ways!

So it seems that the decision to kill off Jenny in the first TV show NCIS The shared universe was mutual between the writers/producers and Holly. The actress just wanted to leave so she could explore other avenues in her acting career. Meanwhile, the writers thought the perfect way to oust her character would be to kill her during a shootout in NCIS Season 5, Episode 18, the first part of the Season 5 finale. Holly finally decided to leave NCIS, joining the countless actors who have exited the Military Police procedural series throughout its 22 seasons on CBS.

Jenny could return on NCIS: Origins

The prequel is Jenny’s only hope

Although Jenny died 16 years ago, she could appear in the new NCIS prequel, NCIS: Originswhich will take place at the beginning of NCIS‘Jethro Gibbs’ Career. NCIS already established Jenny as a NCIS special agent and Gibb’s former partner, so it would make sense for her to appear. It would also be exciting to see how Jenny and Gibbs’ relationship began, as most of it happened off-screen and before NCIS.

Jenny is one of many dead NCIS characters that could appear in NCIS: Origins. His past with Gibbs gives him even more potential to appear, as his quest to capture René coincided with his time with Gibbs. Jenny’s story in NCIS: Origins would likely focus on their time together on the covert operation in Paris regarding the Russian arms dealer and his fiancée. Since Jenny died 16 years ago, her only hope of reappearing in NCIS the franchise is through the prequel.

What Lauren Holly Has Done Since NCIS

Holly continued working in film and television

Lauren Holly had a long career in Hollywood before becoming Jenny Shepard in NCIS, including memorable parts in films like Dumb and dumber, beautiful girls, and Turbulence. Not surprisingly, after leaving NCISShe continued to land big roles in film and television, with her career still going strong more than a decade after leaving the hit series.

The first NCIS actress starred in the Netflix TV show Little pretty things in 2020 and also had guest roles in several series, from Lucifer to Designated Survivor to Alphas. Holly also began working more frequently on Canadian television, taking roles in the police procedural Reason as well as the legal drama Family Law. She also appeared in the horror film The Blackcoat’s Daughter. Holly will be seen next in Netflix’s holiday comedy Hot coldstarring Lacey Chabert, Craig Robinson and Dustin Milligan.

Source: Digital Spy