'NCIS' Season 18 Spoilers: Maria Bello Officially Wraps Up Filming

NCIS season 18 marks the final installment for Maria Bello's Jack Sloane in the police procedural drama. She has been a series regular since season 15, but her story is now coming to an end. Just recently, the actress officially wrapped up her part on the CBS show.

Prior to the release of NCIS season 18, it has been confirmed that Bello will be leaving the series. The actress is done filming her final scenes, and it looks like some behind the scenes moments were quite emotional. In her recent Instagram post, she shared a message about her exit.

Bello wrote that she learned "many things on this journey" for the past three and a half years -- including commitment and community. She added that she learned to enjoy "process over product." The actress also thanked the cast, crew, and fans who supported her while being part of the series.

Her departure seemed to be amicable, and both parties agreed to it. Reportedly, one of the major reasons for Bello's exit is that she may have wanted to pursue other opportunities. Meanwhile, it looks like her final episode will air in early 2021 as the series is on a break at the moment.

It remains to be seen how Sloane will be written out in NCIS season 18. The series is keeping things under wrap, though some fans have speculations on how the character will depart. The theories range from something related to a case, or she might be hiding a medical condition.

Another speculation is that Sloane's decision to leave is rooted in a family-related reason. It can be recalled that she has a daughter whom she gave up for adoption. They reconnected and started to build a good relationship. She likely chose to step away from her job to spend more time with her daughter.

In a previous interview with TVLine, co-showrunner Frank Cardea hinted that they're planning to make Sloane's departure worthwhile in NCIS season 18. He explained that whenever they think about a certain character's exit, they always consider what does that character deserves.

Cardea described Sloane as a "very strong and passionate" character, so they try to figure out how to give her something worthy of that. When it comes to her relationship with Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), the co-showrunner made it clear that everything will be resolved between them before she leaves.

NCIS season 18 is airing every Tuesday on CBS.