As much as fans would love to see Pauley Perrette return to NCIS as Abby, it’s highly unlikely to happen. This is despite Mark Harmon no longer being on the series.
Perrette left the series at the end of the 15th season. Fans knew that she was exiting the series, but not how, and the finale saw a potential permanent exit for the character. In the end, Abby pulled through the attack that put her in a coma, but the character still chose to step away from the team.
This was a personal choice. Perrette was the one who decided to leave the show, and it wasn’t under the best circumstances.
Pauley Perrette left NCIS due to Mark Harmon
During the 15th season, there was a huge falling out between Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette. Harmon brought his dog to set and that dog bit a crew member. The crew member ended up needing 15 stitches, and Perrette was angry that it was all allowed to happen.
Perrette never initially spoke out about the reasons to leave the series. She did share a series of cryptic tweets afterward, which hinted to some sort of problem on set. She shared how she was protecting crew members, and she talked about how she supported anti-bullying programs.
It all linked back to the situation with the dog, which EP Charles Floyd Johnson confirmed. It turned out that despite the initial attack, Harmon kept bringing the dog to set and Perrette didn’t feel like it was safe for anyone. Harmon disagreed, and Perrette decided that if she was being ignored that it wasn’t the right environment for her.
Pauley Perrette will not return to NCIS
Eventually, Perrette shared that she would never come back to the series. She’s asked fans to stop asking her this.
While this was initially stated while Harmon was still on the show, it looks like things aren’t changing even with him gone. After all, Harmon is still involved in the series despite no longer being on set. He is also involved in the origin story, NCIS: Origins.
Perrette shared that she was “terrified” of Harmon and that she had nightmares about the situation and of Harmon attacking her. It’s not a safe place for her, and she values her mental health.