Pauley Perrette has been a familiar face to TV viewers since 2003, stepping into the role of goth-attired forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on NCIS. While Abby dedicated years to helping the team apprehend fictional criminals, it’s ironic that Perrette herself earned a master’s degree in criminology with the intention of fighting real-life crime, as noted by Biography.
However, Perrette was drawn to the world of acting instead. After featuring in TV commercials for Volkswagen and Sprint, she secured a recurring role in the legal drama Murder One in 1996, going by the moniker Pauley P. at the time. This exposure paved the way for more TV opportunities, leading to her debut as a series regular in the short-lived sitcom That’s Life. Her diverse screen credits include roles in movies like Almost Famous and My First Mister, as well as another series regular role alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jennifer Garner in the Party of Five spinoff Time of Your Life, before ultimately landing her transformative role in NCIS.
Despite being a fixture on TV for well over a decade, there’s much about this versatile performer that fans may not be aware of. Let’s delve into the untold truth of Pauley Perrette.
For years, Pauley Perrette held the title of TV’s most-liked female star. Q Scores, which gauge the popularity of celebrities and products through consumer surveys, positioned Perrette as a standout. According to Entertainment Weekly’s January/February 2010 Performer Q study, she boasted an impressive score of 43 points. Even in 2018, her Q score had risen to 44, a remarkable feat given that the average score for a female television star was just 21. At that time, the next-highest score for a television actress was Empire’s Taraji P. Henson, with 36 points — a significant margin behind Perrette.
Perrette’s high Q score was undoubtedly influenced by NCIS being the world’s most-watched TV series for eight consecutive years. Ironically, her 2018 Q score was released after she had announced her departure from the show, just days before her final episode aired.