Truth be told, i have stopped watching NCIS since Tony DiNozzo Jr. Left the team. When Caitlin/Kate died, i was devastated. I always thought Sasha Alexander's Kate had much better chemistry with Tony in her short time on the show than Cote de Pablo's Ziva ever did. But Ziva grew on me because she was a complex character. And because they made her Tony's love interest, that means her exit would inevitably be followed by Tony's. That was the last straw for me. Gibbs was the serious father figure and Tony was the clown, but his witty remarks and antics worked well with the team's dynamics-something that Wilmer Valderrama's Nick Torres couldn't replace.
I came back to check NCIS twice: when Ziva made an emergence and now when i heard Gibbs was retiring. It's only a matter of time before NCIS falls into obscurity. They should've made Gibbs' farewell the end of the series: sad but hopeful. Michael Weatherly (Tony) has said that Mark Harmon (Gibbs) is/was the spine of the show, and that's true. Let's face it, NCIS is anchored heavily on Gibbs rather than the team. His departure will greatly change the tone and feel of the show and who knows if fans will accept that.