NCIS star David McCallum was beloved by fans for his portrayal of Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard though he struggled with the decision to leave the show

For decades, a fan favorite character on NCIS has been Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard.

Played by David McCallum, the bow-tied coroner was a staple on the beloved television show ever since its inception. Though he never officially left the show, David made the decision to scale back his character.

The now late actor hoped to leave the show, thinking there was no where for the beloved medical examiner’s storyline to go. But the producers had an idea, which David spoke about in an interview.

“Now he’s retired. I sort of realized the character was becoming a little redundant,” he said, “I sort of decided to leave the show, and they said, ‘No, we’d like to make you the historian so you’re still a part of the show.'”

The show didn’t want to lose such a beloved character, so he became the historian of the squad. The chief medical examiner role was passed on to Jimmy Palmer, played by Brian Dietzen, in 2018.

David added that the producers were excited to give him a new role and a fresh storyline. “It meant that CBS liked that I was around,” he said.

“So I became the historian in a great episode,” he continued, “And one of the things Steven Binder did, an extraordinary writer, he actually at one point had Ducky imagining his younger self.”

Ducky’s storyline officially ended during season 21 of the hit show. In one of the first episodes of the season, Ducky passed away in his sleep.

In real life, David died in September 2023 at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City at the age of 90 from natural causes. So when NCIS aired a tribute episode, The Stories We Leave Behind, it was also a send off to the iconic Scottish actor.

The episode focused around the squad solving one of Ducky’s unsolved cases as a final send off. The next episode showed the squad struggle with what to do with Ducky’s old office.

After debates, the room is turned into the “Dr Donald Mallard Memorial Multi-Purpose Room” and is referred to throughout the show as “just Ducky’s.” At the time, fans took to social media to share their thoughts about the new room.

One fan remarked: “‘Meet me at Ducky’s Place…’ A perfect tribute to our beloved Dr Mallard.”

Another fan declared: “Ducky’s office is now a multi purpose room. I love it.”, and a third fan added: “They’re calling it Ducky’s! I’m obsessed.”