What does the end of the WGA strike imply for the resumption of scripted television? When does CBS’ NCIS Season 21 debut?
The TV industry will not be the same in the fall of 2023. The strike action has caused all of this to change. The writers and actors wanted it to be understood that the studios had to begin seriously negotiating. The WGA strike has ended, which is wonderful news. The SAG-AFTRA union members should now speak with the studios. We remain in the same situation as we have been for a while until that occurs.
We don’t expect NCIS Season 21 this month. We don’t expect it at all in 2023, but are we a step closer to getting episodes?
When will NCIS Season 21 premiere on CBS?
Although a release date hasn’t been set, we’re currently anticipating some time in 2024. We might get episodes in the first half of 2024, but that will depend on when the SAG-AFTRA strike ends. Even if the scripts are being created, nothing will happen until the commencement of the production. The deadline for filming the majority of the episodes for January 2024 is approaching Thanksgiving. For a number of shows, like NCIS, which doesn’t require a lot of graphics in post-production, this may mean a March 2024 premiere date.
We did get some sad news on NCIS Day. David McCallum passed away at the age of 90, which means that we won’t get any more Ducky in the show. With some hope, the series will handle this loss in a way where art imitates life. It would be possible to write off Ducky as dying from natural causes as well, allowing the team to grieve in their own ways and for fans to grieve the loss of an amazing character and actor.
NCIS: What was David McCallum’s salary per episode?
David McCallum is going to be the biggest talking point heading into NCIS season 21. The actor was slated to return to the procedural drama before his death, and there will lots of speculation about how the writers plan to address his character’s absence. In the interim, of course, there’s been lots of reflection on McCallum, what he brought to NCIS, and in some cases, how much he was paid to steal every scene he was in. Here’s a quick rundown of the actor’s salary over the course of his two decades on the show.
What is David McCallum’s net worth?
McCallum made an estimated $75,000 per episode of NCIS, according to Tuko. Given that he wasn’t one of the show’s primary characters, this corresponds to $1.5 million for a 20 episode season. For example, former star Mark Harmon made an estimated $575K each episode, while Pauley Perrette, who was more prominently featured in stories, earned $200K.
Even though that’s a sizable sum of money over 20 years, McCallum was already a very successful actor when he joined NCIS in 2003. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968) was where the actor first gained notoriety; he later starred in Colditz (1972–1974) and Sapphire & Steel (1979–1982). Not to mention notable guest spots on the first season of Law & Order (1997), Sex and the City (1999), and the Ben 10 cartoon series.
McCallum’s estimated net worth at the time of his passing was $15 million. His TV work accounts for the majority of this, while Celebrity Net Worth claims that supporting parts in successful movies and video games also contributed to its growth.
McCallum’s last NCIS episode was the season 20 finale, “Black Sky.” The recent oral history on the show revealed that the actor was slated to appear in 4-5 episodes, but production on season 21 was not able to resume before his death.