#Will CBS promote Maria Bello’s exit?

At this point, all signs point towards NCIS season 18 episode 8 as the final one for Maria Bello as Jack Sloane. There is no evidence to the contrary. Her exit has been teased already in the story, and we know that Bello wrapped filming the CBS show months ago. The plan entering the season was eight episodes and that’s all — it’s hard to imagine that changing.

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Unfortunately, NCIS is not airing new episodes until we get around to March 2, and there are a lot of questions we’re set to wonder in the interim. Take, for example, how in the world the network is going to promote what lies ahead. Will they acknowledge ahead of time that this is Bello’s last episode? Is that a way to convince more viewers to watch?

Ultimately, it’s hard to give a clear answer since we’ve seen shows go both ways on this: There are some out there that try to promote an exit in advance, whereas others tend to lean towards the element of surprise. Since NCIS has promoted impending exits before (think of Abby’s, for example), we lean in the direction that they will do this again. Since they’ve already addressed Sloane’s potential exit on the show already, there is no need for an element of surprise here.

Does NCIS necessarily need a ratings bump for an upcoming episode? Probably not, but they will take one at any opportunity that they can.

Related – Check out some more news when it comes to NCIS right now, including a first-look photo at what’s to come

What do you most want to see when it comes to Maria Bello’s final episode of NCIS?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! After you do that, remember to stick around — there are more updates coming. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.