NCIS' Leading Ladies Are Stunning In Real Life

To call "NCIS" a TV institution would be an understatement. The police procedural series premiered as a spinoff of "JAG" back in 2003, and had since lapped it several times over. At the time of writing, "NCIS" is in the midst of its 23rd season and is very rapidly closing in on 500 episodes, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. And that's not even taking into account its own collection of spinoffs that have joined it on the airwaves over the years. But longevity comes with its side effects, and it should come as no surprise that numerous main cast members have rotated in and out of the show over the years (never mind the ones who left due to behind-the-scenes drama).

With that in mind, while we certainly love the men of "NCIS," we wanted to take the time to give the show's leading ladies their due. After all, it's easy to look your best on a TV set with the help of the hair and makeup department. But the women who have graced "NCIS" over the years manage to be absolutely stunning behind the scenes as well. So, here's a look at the show's various female leads flaunting their face cards, plus some quick updates regarding what the ones who are no longer part of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are up to these days.

The original leading lady of "NCIS" was none other than Sasha Alexander, who starred as Special Agent Caitlin Todd throughout the show's first two seasons. Kate was killed off during the Season 2 finale in 2005, though Alexander made a couple of guest appearances on the show after the fact. In 2007, shortly after her time as a main cast member on "NCIS" came to an end, the actress married her husband, Edoardo Ponti. Alexander has kept steady acting work in the years since, most notably landing key roles on shows like "Rizzoli & Isles" and "Shameless."

You wouldn't think a police procedural would be the best place to find a goth TV crush, but that's exactly what "NCIS" viewers found in forensic specialist Abby Sciuto, played by Pauley Perrette. Perrette was one of the longest-tenured members of the show's main cast, playing her iconic role from Season 1 through Season 15. Perrette left "NCIS" in 2018, owing to an alleged on-set feud with then-series lead Mark Harmon. She went on to star in the sitcom "Broke" in 2020, though retired from acting later that year and made it clear that she has no plans to return to the screen.

Cote de Pablo joined the cast of "NCIS" as Special Agent Ziva David during Season 3 in 2005. She left the show after Season 11 before returning as a guest star in Season 16 and later re-joining the fray on a semi-permanent basis for Season 17 in 2019 and 2020. But she wasn't done just yet. After exiting the mothership series for the second time, de Pablo once again reprised her role as Ziva for the spinoff series "NCIS: Tony & Ziva," which premiered in 2025 and co-stars Michael Weatherly as Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo.

Much like Cote de Pablo, Lauren Holly joined the main cast of "NCIS" during Season 3. However, Holly had a much shorter run on the show, playing the role of NCIS Director Jenny Shepard through Season 5 in 2008. The actress would later explain her departure from the show, revealing that she had grown bored with her role and wasn't particularly excited by the show's creative direction in general. Since then, she has not only continued acting, but has aged like a fine wine, as well. Holly celebrated her 62nd birthday in October 2025.

The stunning Emily Wickersham breathed new life into "NCIS" when she joined the show's main cast as Special Agent Eleanor Bishop during Season 11 in 2013. Wickersham stuck around for close to a decade, though she ended up saying goodbye to "NCIS" after Season 18 in 2021. She welcomed her first child that same year. Contrary to popular belief, however, the actress did not actually leave the show due to her pregnancy. In fact, she didn't even know she was pregnant until after the fact. Rather, Wickersham says she simply needed a change of pace after playing Ellie for eight years.

Jennifer Esposito's time on "NCIS" was rather short lived. Esposito joined the police procedural's main cast as Special Agent Alexandra Quinn during Season 14 in 2016. But just as quickly, she was gone, departing the show when Season 14 came to an end in 2017. Not only did she go on to land recurring roles on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "The Boys," but Esposito has also made a name for herself behind the camera. In 2023, she made her directorial debut with the crime drama film "Fresh Kills," which she also wrote and starred in.

In 2017, Maria Bello joined the main cast of "NCIS" as Special Agent Dr. Jacqueline Sloane, who served as the forensic psychologist on call from Season 15 through Season 18. As for why Bello left the show, she had signed a three-year contract when she was first cast, and opted not to renew it when the time came. Hence, Dr. Sloane made the decision to embrace a new career path in 2021. But while she let her "NCIS" contract expire, Bello certainly hasn't stepped away from acting. She went on to appear in shows like "Beef" and "The Waterfront," as well serve as the producer on the film "The Woman King."

After Pauley Perrette left "NCIS" and the character of Abby Sciuto was written out of the show, there was obviously an opening for a forensic specialist. Enter the talented Diona Reasonover, who joined the fray as Kasie Hines during the latter half of Season 15 in 2018. She was officially upgraded to main-cast status when "NCIS" returned for Season 16 later that year, and is still a key player in the show at the time of writing. She also appeared in two episodes of the now-defunct spinoff series "NCIS: Hawai'i" in 2022.

Speaking of "NCIS" leading ladies who are actually still on the show, actress Katrina Law is one of the latest additions to the police procedural's main cast. However, while "NCIS" technically shares a universe with "Hawaii Five-0," Law did not reprise her role as Quinn Liu from the latter. Rather, she joined "NCIS" as Special Agent Jessica Knight in a guest-starring capacity during Season 18 in 2021 before being upped to a main cast member in Season 19 later that year. Like Diona Reasonover, Law remains a main cast member at the time of writing and has also guest-starred on "NCIS: Hawai'i."