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NCIS: What was David McCallum’s favorite Ducky episode?

By Danilo Castro

“Everything Starts Somewhere” – Flashbacks reveal the murder case that first introduced young Gibbs (Sean Harmon) to NCIS and his introduction to young, new-to-America Ducky (Adam Campbell), on the 400th episode of NCIS, Tuesday, Nov. 24 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: David McCallum as Medical Examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2020 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“Everything Starts Somewhere” – Flashbacks reveal the murder case that first introduced young Gibbs (Sean Harmon) to NCIS and his introduction to young, new-to-America Ducky (Adam Campbell), on the 400th episode of NCIS, Tuesday, Nov. 24 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: David McCallum as Medical Examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2020 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. /
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David McCallum will be missed. The veteran actor passed away last Monday, which happened to mark the twentieth anniversary of NCIS being on the air. Unsurprisingly, there was an outpouring of support for McCallum’s family and heartwarming posts from co-stars like Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette.

McCallum was a consistent force during the show’s two decade run, and his dry humor enabled him to generate chemistry with nearly everyone he encountered. Nearly every episode that had Donald “Ducky” Mallard in it was good, but only one proved to be McCallum’s favorite.

NCIS best Ducky episodes

During a 2018 interview with TV Insider, the actor opened up about NCIS episode he enjoyed the most. The answer? “My Left Foot”, which was the 12th episode of the first season. The episode sees Ducky and Abby (Perrette) team up to learn the identity of a man whose severed leg they found in a trash receptacle. The show was still getting its footing, but the characters are so developed, and their banter is so charming, that one can’t help but be won over.

But what made the episode so special for McCallum? Well, it was the humor. The actor was tickled by the one-liners that came out of the episode’s very bizarre scenario.

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“Ducky walks around the room with this leg, talking about his grandfather, art galleries and My Left Foot—nothing to do with the leg itself”, the actor recalled. “After this long dissertation, Gibbs says, ‘Ducky, that’s a right foot’.”

While aforementioned characters like Gibbs and Abby have long since left NCIS, Ducky was still a crucial part of the ensemble heading into the show’s 21st season. He was not able to film any scenes prior to his death, but there will undoubtedly be some tribute paid to the character (and the actor) when the show returns in 2024.

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