“I was just tired”: The Brutal NCIS Schedule That Made Mark Harmon Work for 22 Hours in the First Day Definitely Played a Part in His Decision to Quit

Mark Harmon originally joined NCIS in the hopes of finding a better work-life balance. Although the procedural show did contribute to his growing stardom in the 2000s, with the show itself being voted America’s favorite television show in the 2010s, this success came at the cost of his work-life balance.

Mark Harmon couldn’t have been more wrong with his initial intuitions about NCIS, especially during its first four years, which proved to be a grueling experience for Harmon and his costars. Considering how heavily the core cast was featured in most of the scenes, oftentimes Harmon and the crew had to resort to long working hours, which sometimes even exceeded the 20-hour mark.