Over the years, as stars left the hit CBS procedural dramedy NCIS, longtime fans had to endure the loss of several characters, and each one seemed more devastating than the last.
There was one death that occurred off-screen, though, which alludes to the numerous real-life tragedies that people have faced both nationally and globally.
Viewers will not be seeing Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), the team’s sunny-natured medical examiner, and his wife Breena (Michelle Pierce) together any longer because their sweet relationship was short-lived. Her character passed away, though it was not shown to the public, in a recent episode.
So what exactly happened to poor Breena? To help fill you in on how this development will affect the storyline, we’ve got the truth about why Jimmy Palmer’s wife died on NCIS.
What happened to Breena on NCIS?
Jimmy Palmer’s wife on NCIS died because of COVID-19. Dietzen continued, “The NCIS showrunners wanted to include the destruction caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the real world into the show without having to lose a key character.”
In the end, Jimmy’s constant optimism and the impact of Breena’s death will drive the plot for the entire team.
The actor told the outlet, “The producers let me know that we want the advent of COVID to hit our team. We nevertheless do not want to lose a member of the team. When the idea of Jimmy losing his wife—the most upbeat team member—arose, they thought it would make for an excellent narrative device, even though it would be extremely depressing. Thus, they carried it out. I was informed in advance and ready for it.”
In which episode does Jimmy’s wife die on NCIS?
Many people have fallen in love with NCIS because of its captivating characters and surprising plots.
The premise of the series, as previously reported, centers on the major case response team of Washington, D.C., led by Leroy Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, as they solve a variety of cases.
Fans of the CBS network were enthralled with Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) when NCIS made its premiere in 2003.
Prior to joining the team as the new medical examiner after Donald “Ducky” Mallard retired, Palmer served as a small-time assistant to Mallard in the first season of the show.
Distractify claims that Palmer informed his coworkers on season 18, episode 7, which aired in 2021, that his wife Breena had passed away from Covid-19.
While Breena’s passing was not made evident on screen, Palmer said that he and his family were making every effort to cope with the sad incident.
Brian Dietzen Spilled Some Beans!
In response to the shocking news that same year, actor Brian Dietzen, who portrays Palmer on NCIS, shared some details about how he learned of Breena’s passing in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
According to Dietzen, who spoke with the publication at the time, the producers aimed to raise awareness about COVID-19 at the time by showing how dangerous the virus can be by having one of the characters get it and tragically die from it.
However, the producers came up with a different plan and ran it by Dietzen because they did not want a well-known cast member to meet an untimely end. The man said, “I knew this was going to happen—that Jimmy was going to lose his wife before I even got this script.”
“The producers informed me that we want COVID-19 to affect our team. We nevertheless do not want to lose a member of the team. They therefore considered that it would be a fantastic storytelling device to have Jimmy lose his wife, the most upbeat team member, when this possibility arose.”
Dietzen revealed that Palmer tried his best to maintain a positive attitude despite the tragedy, particularly since he was aware that the couple had a child.
Dietzen continued, saying that despite Palmer’s upbeat outlook, the character would eventually reach breaking point.
