Jennifer Esposito Says Working on ‘NCIS’ Was a “Great Experience” Despite Her Exit After One Season

Agent Alexandra “Alex” Quinn quickly became a fan-favorite on the beloved hit crime series NCIS — so, why would Jennifer Esposito, the actress who effortlessly played the role for 24 episodes, decide to leave NCIS after only one season? Turns out, there was no drama with the network or her co-stars, she was just looking for different career opportunities. Nothing wrong with that!

“It was a great experience,” Jennifer once said in a statement to Deadline about her departure. “I could not have asked for a better opportunity than to work with the NCIS cast and producers.” Shortly after leaving NCIS, the 45-year-old actress went on to land a co-starring role in the feature Speed Kills alongside John Travolta.

Speed Kills, according to IMDb, describes the story of speedboat racing champion and multimillionaire, Ben Aronoff, who leads a double life that lands him in trouble with the law and drug lords. The film is now in post-production and will be premiering in theaters on Aug. 16.

Jennifer, who began working on NCIS right at the start of Season 14, is still sorely missed by the crime show’s fanbase. Her character was once an experienced field agent who retired to work as an instructor at the Law Enforcement Training Center. Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon) convinced Agent Quinn to get back into the field and join his team. She soon fulfilled the role as the reliable, quick-witted agent and NCIS die-hards adored her. During her final episode “Rendezvous,” it was announced that Alex would be taking a leave of absence to take care of her mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s.

NCIS airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.