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Sean Murray on returning for NCIS season 21: It’s a ‘blast’

By Danilo Castro

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: (L-R) Sean Murray, Katrina Law, and Wilmer Valderrama attend a salute to the NCIS universe celebrating "NCIS" "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "NCIS: Hawai'i" during the 39th Annual PaleyFest LA at Dolby Theatre on April 10, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: (L-R) Sean Murray, Katrina Law, and Wilmer Valderrama attend a salute to the NCIS universe celebrating "NCIS" "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "NCIS: Hawai'i" during the 39th Annual PaleyFest LA at Dolby Theatre on April 10, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) /
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Timothy McGee has been a part of NCIS from the very start. The character was introduced in the season 1 episode “Sub Rosa”, and has pretty much been an integral part of the team ever since. That’s a heck of a run, and it’s one we hope to see continue into the foreseeable future.

Granted, NCIS has seen some major cast departures in the past few seasons, including franchise anchor (and executive producer) Mark Harmon. This has led some fans to question whether other longtime actors like Sean Murray, the man who plays McGee, will also be leaving.

Is Sean Murray leaving NCIS?

Fortunately, there’s nothing to worry about in Murray’s case. The actor will be coming back in season 21, and is enthusiastic about the places the show will go in the future. He actually talked about the impressive longevity of NCIS during a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, and attributed it largely to the friendship between cast members.

“You know, a lot of these procedurals, everyone takes themselves very seriously, it seems. And we have a little more fun”, Murray opined. “The longer we’ve been around, the longer people have kind of really gotten to know these characters and like these characters, have become very protective of them.”

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“And I know people love to say this but I actually mean it: we have a blast on set”, the actor added. “We really do. We work hard, but we have a lot of fun, and a lot of us spend time with each other outside of the set. We’re all very close friends, and I think that that shows.”

Murray is in rare company when it comes to NCIS longevity. He’s been in 442 episodes to date, not counting crossover appearances. This puts him next to some of the heaviest hitters in franchise history, including Harmon, who appeared in 435 episodes, and David McCallum, who appeared in 457 episodes. The latter is the actor who holds the record, but given his untimely passing, he will be surpassed by Murray in 2024.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MARCH 11: (L-R) Actors Rocky Carroll, David McCallum, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette and Michael Weatherly attends the Television Academy’s 22nd Annual Hall Of Fame Induction Gala held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 11, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MARCH 11: (L-R) Actors Rocky Carroll, David McCallum, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette and Michael Weatherly attends the Television Academy’s 22nd Annual Hall Of Fame Induction Gala held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 11, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage) /

There’s something fitting about a character less splashy than Gibbs (Harmon) or Ducky (McCallum) or Abby (Pauley Perette) holding the belt when it comes to most episodes, and based on Murray’s warm feelings toward the cast and crew, we don’t anticipate him leaving anytime soon.

NCIS: Los Angeles may have recently ended its run, but the NCIS franchise continues to flourish. In addition to the main show, NCIS: Hawaii has been renewed for another season and NCIS: Sydney is slated for release in the fall. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for both Murray and the franchise!

Next. 3 NCIS characters who probably won’t be back for season 21. dark

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