The bosses of NCIS have opened up about David McCallum's future on the long-running CBS show.
The actor, who turned 90 earlier this month, has played medical examiner Ducky Mallard since the very first episode, which aired 20 years ago in September 2003.
To celebrate the show's 20th anniversary, the show's creative forces, including executive producers Charles Floyd Johnson and Mark Horowitz, as well as creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, spoke about the drama, and revealed just how much of David's Ducky fans can expect to see as the show moves forward.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson explained that David won't be appearing in as many episodes in the future. "David McCallum doesn't do that much in the series anymore," he said.
"David [just turned 90], and he lives in New York. He may come back and do four or five episodes. It's much too hard on him now, and I think he's ready to retire. But he was amazing from the day he came on."
The show's bosses also opened up about how much longer the popular procedural will remain on air.
Johnson revealed that there are no plans to bring the show to an end anytime soon. "We have not been told by the network, 'Wrap it up at the end of the 21st year.' So I think it's open-ended," he said, adding: "We are proceeding as if we're going to continue."
READ:NCIS's David McCallum's son's tragic death in his own words
The show's 20th anniversary comes as production on season 21 remains on hold due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
While the upcoming season was originally scheduled to air in the fall as usual, fans will most likely have to wait until 2024 to see the new episodes.
CBS has yet to announce an official release date. However, with the scripts not yet written and the cast yet to return to the set, it won't be anytime soon.
The cast of the show have been very open about their support for the strike in recent months.
Michelle Obama’s memorable TV appearance on NCIS divided fans for this reason
Katrina Law, who plays Jessica Knight, took to Instagram in August with a series of snaps showing her and her co-stars holding up signs on the picket lines in Los Angeles. She penned in the caption: "So proud of the #NCIS actors and writers coming out in support of each other and for providing a relief to the heat by sponsoring an Ice Cream Truck."
Why are the writers and actors on strike?
On 2 May, the WGA called on their members to strike due to ongoing labor disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios including Netflix and Disney, as well as television networks such as CBS, NBC and ABC.
The WGA is unhappy with how writers are compensated in the streaming era and has demanded a pay increase, a stable pay structure and guarantees that artificial intelligence won't be used in scriptwriting.
On July 14, SAG-AFTRA went on strike over a labor dispute with AMPTP, marking the first time in over 60 years that both writers and actors have gone on strike at the same time.