Actor Rocky Carroll, who has portrayed Leon Vance on CBS's "NCIS" since 2008, confirmed that his character died in the show's 500th episode. Vance, the director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, appeared in 18 of the show's 23 seasons. Carroll revealed in an interview with Variety that he was informed of his character's impending death in November 2023, with his final scene filmed on December 11, 2023.
The show managed to keep Vance's death a secret until the episode aired, a feat Carroll described as "pretty cool" given the era of social media leaks. He noted that the show wanted to "do something spectacular" for its milestone episode, resulting in a nonlinear storyline for Vance's departure. Screen Rant praised the send-off as one of the best in the show's history, comparing it favorably to the exit of series lead Mark Harmon's character, Jethro Gibbs, who retired to Alaska in 2021.
Carroll expressed curiosity about the finality of Vance's death, contrasting it with other characters who left the show but remained in the narrative. He questioned why the show chose to make Vance's departure permanent when others were simply relocated. Despite this, Carroll acknowledged the significance of the 500th episode and the impact of his character's long tenure on the series.