CBS didn’t let NCIS leading lady Cote de Pablo go without a fight.

“I really want to clarify: We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money — and then we offered her even more money,” CBS Corp. president and CEO Les Moonves shared Monday morning at the Television Critics Assoc. summer press tour in Beverly Hills. “We really didn’t want to lose her, we love her. We think she’s terrific. We obviously were in discussions… and ultimately she decided she didn’t want to do the show. It was her decision. We don’t like losing anybody. We did everything humanly possible [and] exhausted every opportunity, and she just decided she didn’t want to do the show.”

News of de Pablo’s imminent exit from TV’s most watched drama came on July 10, barely a week before NCIS began production on its upcoming season and two months after Criminal Minds actresses Kirsten Vangsness and A.J. Cook endured their own protracted contract talks, as they sought greater pay parity with their male costars.

At the time de Pablo tendered her decision, she issued a statement saying, “I’ve had eight great years with NCIS and Ziva David. I have huge respect and affection for Mark [Harmon], Gary [Glasberg], Michael [Weatherly], David [McCallum], Rocky [Carroll], Pauley [Perrette], Brian [Dietzen], Sean [Murray], all of the team and CBS. I look forward to finishing Ziva’s story.”

NCIS opens Season 11 on Tuesday, Sept. 24, where its new time slot rivals include ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The CW’s Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals.

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Question: I was soooo sad to hear Cote de Pablo is leaving NCIS. She has been so cute the way she interacts with Michael (Tony) and of course everyone else on the show. I will definitely miss her cute smile on the show. I just hope they don’t kill her off like they did Sasha Alexander (Kate). I hope they will leave the door open if she decides to come back in the future. A faithful fan of NCIS forever. — Cindy

Matt Roush: Again a popular topic in the e-mailbag this week. I would bet, especially in light of the way the Kate and Jenny characters left the show — violently — that even if Ziva’s exit isn’t peaceful, it will at least come with an open-door policy. The most popular suggestion among those writing in this week is for her to return to Israel as the new head of Mossad or some such position. (Sounds like a good idea to me.) Not everyone is so accepting, though.

Question: I’ve pretty much decided I’m done with NCIS because I get the feeling that Cote was not offered a good contract. I love this show, but I almost quit watching after they killed off Kate (Sasha Alexander) and I really can’t stand their (NCIS producers) way of killing off characters. Tell me that it is really true that Cote just wants to do other things and I will watch. Be truthful, because I have decided not to watch anything of this show (reruns included) ever again if they kill off Ziva and if this is just a money thing. — Robert

Matt Roush: I’ve seen at least one unconfirmed report that money had something to do with it — when a show is this successful for this long, contract negotiations never get easier — but by all accounts, the decision was hers, and until she gives an interview to elaborate on her reasons, we should at least be appreciative that the parting is amicable enough that she’ll stick around to play out her storyline. It seems a pretty universal opinion (at least in my mailbag) that she had better not be killed off, which would be a huge turn-off to fans. And finally …

Question: I have been a fan of NCIS since it began and I am a little sad that Cote de Pablo has decided to move on from the show, and I wish her continued success with her career. As a fan, the only possible ending the producers should consider is to have Ziva end her career as an NCIS agent and replace her father as director of Mossad. I seriously hope they do not “kill” her character off! My questions/comments to you: 1. Why can’t CBS just replace Cote with another actress? Ziva could go undercover, be presumed “dead,” then have another actress replace her, Ziva is so important to Team Gibbs. 2. Will we ever see Tony and Ziva share a kiss that we as viewers have waited to see? — DeDe

Matt Roush: The kiss I would hope is a given. As for recasting the role: I can think of no scenario that would be more likely to upset fans and disrespect the actor than having her appear so replaceable that they could just bring someone else in to play Ziva. (After what, an explosion forcing complete reconstructive surgery? This isn’t NCIS: Dynasty.) I would be surprised if this idea had even been floated. Better to bring a new female character on board, acknowledging the fact that Ziva’s will be some mighty big boots to fill.

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Do you think Cote de Pablo’s departure spells the end for NCIS? With Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. rivaling for No. 1, I don’t see NCIS staying at the top without her, and I know many Tiva shippers are leaving the show with Cote. –Mary Catherine
OK, for one, it’s not “the end of NCIS.” TV’s most watched program isn’t suddenly and abruptly going to crater because one member of a good-sized, top-notch ensemble leaves. Will its numbers get dinged? Maybe. A bit. But it’d have to lose 3 million viewers to fall behind Big Bang Theory and cease being the most watched (non-sports) program. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s more direct competition, I imagine, is The Originals, so those two will have to duke it out first before either start eating into Gibbs’ numbers.

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Question: I am completely shocked and saddened that Cote de Pablo is leaving NCIS. What is behind her departure? — Tina

Matt Roush: By all accounts, including her own statement, this was Cote de Pablo’s choice to depart the show after eight seasons, although she will appear in at least a few episodes in the upcoming season to wrap up the character’s story — and, one presumes, relationships with the core cast (let’s hope without a fatality, since that’s been done, literally to death). This is not uncommon for stars of long-running and successful shows — think ER, which lost just about every one of its original players over time — but it’s definitely an unfortunate development for this series and for fans, especially of the Tiva “shipper” variety. Which leads to this next question, which arrives in the mailbag before the news of de Pablo’s departure.

Question: About the Tiva issue [Tony and Ziva for the non-NCIS initiated]: A few seasons ago, Tony and Ziva were in Paris on agency business, where they had to share the last available hotel room. When Tiva returned stateside, Tony and Ziva casually tell different stories about who slept where. I believe Ziva says that she let Tony have the bed, or he would be complaining about his back for the next week. However, Tony says that he slept on the couch. I expected more to follow that season. But nada followed. I played back the episode several times after the season finale and failed to find total satisfactory closure on the issue. Rather than belabor the issue and diminish my viewing pleasures, I choose to believe that Tony and Ziva had a fantastically rewarding and very private romantic interlude in Paris, which they, thankfully, do not share with their fellow agents, colleagues or the viewing masses, unlike their mentors Jethro and Jenny. Would love to hear additional views or information on this particular episode/issue. — Claudette

Matt Roush: Ah yes, they’ll always have Paris, whatever did or didn’t transpire there, and the show’s producers were very cagey, purposefully so, about keeping the details a mystery, so as to stimulate the imaginations of fans and shippers to this very day. I’m sure you’re not alone in imagining what might have (and very possibly did) happen in the City of Light. One way for the producers to go as they bid Ziva farewell is to shed new light on this infamous incident, giving shippers the gift they’ve so long awaited. Even so, separating Ziva from Tony will not be a happy day for many of the fanbase.

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NCIS” star Cote de Pablo is leaving the cast of the CBS crime drama, the network confirmed.

The 33-year-old actress starred on the series for eight seasons, first joining the cast in 2005 during the show’s third season.

“We respect Cote’s decision, thank her for being an important part of the ‘NCIS’ team, and for eight terrific years playing Ziva David,” CBS said in a statement. “Cote and CBS share a great respect for the ‘NCIS’ audience, and we look forward to working with her and the producers on appropriate closure in this chapter of Ziva’s story.”

Her character, a former Israeli Mossad agent, was considered the most dangerous member of the team, even though de Pablo herself had never held a gun before taking on the role.

“The first day I ever went to the shooting range…they gave me the gun…and I thought ‘Oh God, be very strong because you don’t want to show them that you’re weak,’” de Pablo told Gayle King and John Miller on “CBS This Morning” in January.

“And I remember holding that gun and I was just trembling. And I just kept on saying just get it together.”

The Chilean-born actress has been seen as a positive role model for Latin Americans during her time on “NCIS.”

She won an Imagen Award in 2006 and an ALMA Award in 2011 for her work on the series.

De Pablo will make several guest appearances in the upcoming 11th season of the series in order to finish up the storyline of her tough-as-nails character.

“I’ve had 8 great years with NCIS and Ziva David,” de Pablo said in a statement. “I have huge respect and affection for Mark, Gary, Michael, David, Rocky, Pauley, Brian, Sean, all of the team and CBS. I look forward to finishing Ziva’s story.”

“NCIS” returns with new episodes on Sept. 24.

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I read that Karina Lombard will be reprising her role as Monique Lisson on NCIS — that’s fantastic! We have news of a returning character that is closely affiliated with Ziva. Now, can we please get some news about Cote de Pablo — preferably good news that she will be returning? –Claire
Given very recent developments, the best we can do is hope Ziva’s mentor isn’t back for a (gulp) funeral.

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The fans have created a Petition to fight for Cote de Pablo, help her get the money she deserves and get her back on NCIS. As we all know now it was announced yesterday that Cote would not be back for Season 11. She would finish out her storyline and then exit. We as fans don’t want to see that happen. Cote de Pablo as become part of the show and it just wouldn’t be the same without her. As Tony once said “Ziva David is not replaceable.”

Cote de Pablo is invoking Gibbs’ Rule No. 11 — “When the job is done, walk away” — and has decided to leave CBS’ NCIS.

The actress — whose contract expired at the end of Season 10 — will appear at the start of Season 11 (premiering Sept. 24) to conclude Ziva’s story.

“I’ve had eight great years with NCIS and Ziva David,” the actress shares. “I have huge respect and affection for Mark, Gary, Michael, David, Rocky, Pauley, Brian, Sean, all of the team and CBS. I look forward to finishing Ziva’s story.”

In a statement, CBS said, “We respect Cote’s decision, thank her for being an important part of the NCIS team, and for eight terrific years playing Ziva David. Cote and CBS share a great respect for the NCIS audience, and we look forward to working with her and the producers on appropriate closure in this chapter of Ziva’s story.”

News of De Pablo’s departure comes at the proverbial 11th hour, since NCIS is due to resume production next week. Her future with the show has been conspicuously in question since the spring, when her character of Ziva was steered into a dangerous mission of vengeance, at one point winding up in a (seemingly) brutal car crash.

After emerging from that episode-ending cliffhanger surprisingly unscathed, by season’s end Ziva and others had resigned from NCIS — and then the season ended with a four-month time jump, the disenfranchised agents thus far unaccounted for.
Show boss Gary Glasberg maintained back in April, when de Pablo stood as the only cast member unsigned for Season 11, “I’m confident that things will work out, and we’ll present the best finale that we can and go from there.”

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Question: Any NCIS tidbits to share on the new season? —Cheryl
Ausiello: There’s some serious WTF?! buzz surrounding the CBS smash’s Sept. 24 premiere, and here’s why: The episode is titled “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.” (Trend alert: This is the third instance in recent memory of an hour-long drama using this expression as an episode title, following Scandal and The Good Wife.) Maybe the title is a nod to the insane workload dropped on the desk of the I.T. department’s newest hire Ozzy, a towering figure who’s tasked with digging up information on an intruder and tracking down a potential hacker.

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