The real reason why Sasha Alexander left NCIS after two seasons
Who would've thought NCIS would be as massive and influential of a series as it is now? Day-one viewers did, and even many of the actors, who dedicated themselves to their roles. When you become a supporter of a show, it's hard to see your favorite characters leave, especially when their deaths are gutwrenching.
Sasha Alexander played Caitlin "Kate" Todd, the NCIS Special Agent, and her character became an instant favorite after her first appearance in the pilot, "Yankee White." Her presence on the show was so impactful that even after her character's death in the season two finale "Twilight," fans still remember her fondly. In that episode, Todd was assassinated after she and the team had successfully cleared a warehouse housing a known terrorist cell. She was relieved of the protection detail that was assigned by Tom Morrow and got shot by a sniper and Mossad double-agent Ari Haswari.
The audience's emotional response to Todd's death was instant. Many were upset and struggled to understand why one of their beloved characters had to die. The reason: Sasha Alexander's desire for a better work-life balance.
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She talked about her time on the show during an appearance on the podcast Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, hosted by Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo.
"Yeah, it did. It did [no work/life balance]. I mean I think before NCIS, the shows that I did somehow had more of a balance like they were either true ensembles. But if in this particular case, I mean normally, if youre like one or two, like Rizolli & Isles, I worked all the time, but there were moments where we could throw the ball back and forth to each other. NCIS, Mark, Michael, and I, and you later were on every single scene."