NCIS: Los Angeles saw many stars leave over the years, but one character exit in the latter half of season 1 remains shocking so many years later. Adam Jamal Craig’s Dominic Vail left NCIS: Los Angeles in the final few episodes of season 1. While his exit was not in the season finale, it still left a shock that was felt well after season 1 ended.
The NCIS spinoff ran for 14 years after CBS canceled NCIS: Los Angeles season 15, and Dom’s exit remains one of the more memorable losses in the show. As NCIS: Los Angeles grew and several characters arrived and left, no one could truly replace Dom, who had served as an integral part of the NCIS Office of Special Projects Team in season 1.
Dominic Vail Was Killed Off In NCIS: LA Season 1, Episode 21 After A Kidnapping Storyline
Dominic Died Heroically After A Difficult Moment
Dom was an NCIS Special Agent with a vital role in the team. However, his commitment to his profession also acted as a liability. In NCIS: Los Angeles season 1, episode 12, Dom was kidnapped by religious militants, but his kidnapping goes unknown until the following episode when the team receives a distress signal from him. They tried to find him, but he remained missing until episode 21, “Found,” which also served as Adam Jamal Craig’s last appearance on the show.
Dom’s death in NCIS: Los Angeles season 1 was shocking because he was not only a main character, but he was also the first character in the cast to be written off the show.
After Dom was kidnapped by kidnappers hoping to orchestrate a hostage negotiation, he is finally found injured, but alive, by his team in the intense face-off. Unfortunately, the news that Dom was alive after eight episodes of not knowing what happened to him was quickly ruined. When a gunfight breaks out between the kidnappers and the NCIS: Los Angeles team, Dom jumped in front of the gunfire to save LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna, sacrificing himself for his safety.
Dom’s death in NCIS: Los Angeles season 1 was shocking because he was not only a main character, but he was also the first character in the cast to be written off the show. He died heroically, but his death did not technically need to happen in the first place. Craig wanted to stay in the show, unlike Sasha Alexander, hence why NCIS was forced to kill Kate Todd.
Why Was Adam Jamal Craig Written Out Of NCIS: LA?
The Writers Wanted To Shake Things Up
Craig’s exit was surprising, but the reason for his departure was even more disappointing. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, NCIS: Los Angeles’ executive producer, Shane Brennan, revealed why Craig’s character had to leave and it is not pleasant. Following the airing of “Missing,” when the team first started to worry about Dom, Brennan shared that “no one’s safe” in his show. As a result, Dom’s death was meant to add shock value to the series and to the NCIS: Los Angeles team. Read Brennan’s full quote below.
To my mind, particularly in the first season of a show, there is no main cast. The audience is meeting a whole bunch of characters, and you get the opportunity to play around with them. I’m a great believer in playing with the audience’s expectations. It’s about making it as different and fresh as often as you can. And I certainly took that approach with this first season… I want them to know that nothing is sacred. And the cast is aware that this is the game I play. No one’s safe.
Dom’s gruesome NCIS: Los Angeles exit is made worse by there not being a legitimate reason behind his death. Brennan’s explanation is that any character is in danger of leaving because that is the nature of the job, but that does not really make sense when NCIS: Los Angeles as a whole is taken into account. No other character received a send-off like Dom’s so soon after their introduction. This makes his death so much more surprising because the circumstances surrounding his death are unique.
What Has Adam Jamal Craig Done Since Leaving NCIS: LA
Craig Had A Guest Role On The Office
Since leaving NCIS: Los Angeles, Adam Jamal Craig has had limited roles, but he has played numerous characters in the early to mid-2010s. Shortly after his departure from NCIS: Los Angeles, Craig landed the role of Girard in the movie In Time and Marc Webber in the series Armed Response. He also played Rolando on the hit series The Office around the time of his portrayal of Dom in the NCIS universe. Besides these roles, Craig has largely appeared in shorts.
While Craig has limited appearances after his time on NCIS: Los Angeles, he also has notable appearances on hit series from the mid to late 2000s before he landed the role of Dom. These roles include playing Jack in The O.C. and Wellner in Heroes. His performances in these shows were great but secondary to his portrayal of Dom. Craig may have only appeared on NCIS: Los Angeles for 14 episodes, but his time on the show remains memorable, which makes it even more heartbreaking that his death made it so he could never return to reprise the role.
