NCIS fans are still debating one shocking decision

After 18 seasons, the show wrote out Leon Vance, the longtime director played by Rocky Carroll — a move some viewers say changed the series more than expected.

Reports suggest the episode triggered a noticeable drop in viewership, with many fans questioning whether removing such a cornerstone character was the right call.

Now the internet is split… was it a bold storytelling choice, or a mistake the show might regret? 👀

👇 See why fans are still arguing about it

“NCIS” Huge Mistake: Show Lost 500,000 Viewers By Killing off Rocky Carroll Character Director Leon Vance After 18 Seasons

“NCIS” made a huge mistake last week, and now they’re paying for it.

The long running procedural killed off character Leon Vance, who ran the NCIS and was beloved.

Producers let go actor Rocky Carroll for no reason other than budget. They said it was to celebrate the 500th episode with a bang.

They were wrong, of course. Grossly. This past Tuesday’s follow up episode dropped by 500,000 viewers. Total viewing was off by 9.32%. Even worse, in the key demo, viewership fell by a whopping almost 23%.

The viewers have voted, especially the ones between 18 and 49. They were disgusted, and did not return to see what happened next. Black viewers may have left since Carroll was the ONLY Black actor on the show.

The drop in total viewers was the largest so far this season.

Carroll can take some solace that the show’s fans were sorry to see him go. After 23 seasons, “NCIS” is down to just one original actor, Sean Murray, who plays McGee. All the others who made the show a hit — from Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette to David McCallum, et al — are gone.

It remains to be seen if the ratings will continue to drop between now and the show’s May finale. It’s been renewed already for another season.