'NCIS' Cast Member Spots Bittersweet Reminder of David McCallum in Wake of His Passing
David McCallum passed away in September at 90 years old.
NCIS said goodbye to David McCallum and Ducky in its latest episode, and Diona Reasonover coincidentally spotted a bittersweet callback to her late co-star on set. McCallum had passed away in September at age 90, and the NCIS cast was quick to share tributes. Due to the strikes, filming hadn't started yet, meaning that when production for Season 21 finally kicked off in November, things were different. Not surprisingly, there are still some remnants of McCallum and Ducky sprinkled throughout the set, and Diona Reasonover shared a very sweet one.
Reasonover joined NCIS in Season 15 as Kasie Hines, initially as Ducky's assistant after being a graduate student at the medical school he was a guest teacher at. After Pauley Perrette departed, Hines was brought on full-time in Season 16 as the new forensic scientist. The actress took to Instagram and shared some photos from wardrobe, most notably Ducky's section. One of those pictures was of a red elephant tie, which just so happened to be the tie McCallum was wearing in Reasonover's very first NCIS scene.
To make things even more emotional and sentimental, Brian Dietzen confirmed that the tie is from McCallum's personal collection. Having that tie still in wardrobe and likely other items from his personal collection is making it like he is still around, and he always will be. It is pretty remarkable that Reasonover spotted the tie and remembered when he wore it. She has that little piece of him, and even more so since it personally belonged to him.
The tribute episode was as emotional as ever, yet it was probably healing for people. It saw the team taking on a case that Ducky had been working on up until his death and even brought back a major NCIS star to say goodbye to the beloved M.E. It wouldn't be surprising if more tributes to McCallum and Ducky were sprinkled throughout the remainder of the show's run or at least references to him. Even if a different actor almost played Ducky, it's hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role. He was a huge part of the series, and already, it's hard to watch without him.
The tribute episode is currently streaming on Paramount+ along with every single episode of NCIS if fans want to go back and watch their favorite Ducky episodes. New episodes of NCIS air on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.