NCIS season 21 is coming to CBS, and this is everything you need to know about the NCIS characters, storylines, and more news for the new season.
Twenty years after two episodes of the CBS military legal drama JAG served as a covert pilot for a spin-off series in 2003, NCIS remains one of the most watched scripted dramas worldwide, with excitement for NCIS season 21 news growing daily. All of NCIS’s criminal investigations are connected to the military, giving it a distinctive edge over other crime procedurals. It has had three successful spin-off series of its own since its premiere and one that didn’t work out. NCIS: Sydney, the first episode of the show’s foreign spin-off, premieres in 2023.
There have been many character changes over the course of NCIS’s two decades of episodes, but the majority of the primary cast viewers are familiar with from the show’s first two seasons is anticipated to return for season 21. Storylines are anticipated to deepen the background and connections of those people, some of whom have only recently joined the NCIS family. The slight delay in NCIS season 21 will only increase interest from viewers in what the show has in store for those characters.
The Latest NCIS Season 21 News
Characters have left NCIS during the course of the show’s two decades of episodes, but for season 21, most of the major cast that fans have grown accustomed to will likely remain. Some of those individuals, who have only recently joined the NCIS family, are expected to have their backstories and interpersonal connections expanded through stories. Although NCIS season 21 is currently experiencing a slight delay, this will only increase interest from viewers in what the show has in store for those characters.
McCallum will be sorely missed by both fans of the show and the NCIS cast and crew. Executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North released an official statement on behalf of the show (via Deadline):
SFor over 20 years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard. But as much as his fans may have loved him, those who worked side by side with David loved him that much more. He was a scholar and a gentleman, always gracious, a consummate professional, and never one to pass up a joke. From day one, it was an honor to work with him, and he never let us down. He was, quite simply, a legend. He was also family and will be deeply missed.
NCIS Season 21 Is Confirmed
Though NCIS season 21 has been delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it is still confirmed to be renewed by CBS. CBS announced a renewal for NCIS season 21 in February 2023 alongside a renewal announcement for NCIS: Hawai’i season 3.
NCIS Season 21 Release Date Prediction
The current release date for NCIS season 21 is unknown, despite the fact that its fall premiere date was initially set. If the show is able to start production in late 2023, it might be conceivable for it to premiere in early 2024 with a small number of episodes, but that seems doubtful.
NCIS season 21 is more likely to be postponed until the 2024–2025 TV season, providing the writers and actors more time to resume their jobs after the strikes are over and ensuring that there will still be a full season of the series. The first year the show won’t be on that schedule is 2023.
Where To Watch NCIS Season 21
NCIS season 21 will be available to watch live on CBS when it debuts and available to stream on Paramount+ the next day. Originally, CBS had included NCIS season 21 as part of its Monday night lineup, airing at 9 PM ahead of NCIS Hawai’i season 3. It’s not clear if the series will retain that night and time slot when it returns to television.
The first 20 seasons of NCIS, as well as the rest of the franchise, are available to watch on Paramount+ while fans wait for the debut of NCIS season 21.
NCIS Season 21 Cast
It is anticipated that the NCIS season 21 cast will be the same as the previous one. At the conclusion of season 20, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres was the only cast member still in a hazardous situation. His character’s plot was left on a cliffhanger as he engaged a foe from his past while drawing a gun. Despite this, there have been no reports of cast members leaving the show to suggest that Valderrama won’t be joining the cast of NCIS season 21.
The NCIS season 21 cast is expected to stay intact from the previous season. The only cast member left in a precarious position at the end of season 20 was Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres. His character’s storyline was left on a cliffhanger as he faced off against someone from his past with his gun drawn. That being said, there have been no announcements of departures from the series to indicate that Valderrama won’t be returning for the NCIS season 21 cast.
The NCIS season 21 cast should include all the main cast members from season 20:
Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee
Katrina Law as Special Agent Jessica Knight
Gary Cole as Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker
Brian Dietzen as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer
Diona Reasonover as Forensic Specialist Kasie Hines
Rocky Carroll as NCIS Director Leon Vance
Though Mark Harmon left the series four episodes into season 19, long-time fans are sure to be wondering if Harmon’s Gibbs could return in a guest capacity to the NCIS season 21 cast. With the possibility of a shorter season for the show and the likelihood of the season facing nearly a one-year delay, it does seem unlikely that Harmon would return for NCIS season 21. The series, however, simply had the character leave his job rather than killing him off, so it’s always possible Harmon could return to the series in the future.
Sadly, the NCIS season 21 cast will be missing a series mainstay – David McCallum as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, the team’s historian and go-to for expert advice. McCallum passed away in September 2023 aged 90, leaving behind him a storied career spanning decades that includes roles in shows like The Man From U.N.C.L.E., among others. McCallum played Ducky from NCIS seasons 1 through 20, and his absence from the NCIS season 21 cast will be felt.
NCIS Season 21 Crew
Though Donald P. Bellisario was the original showrunner and his production company is still involved in producing the series, he hasn’t been involved in the day-to-day production since 2007, and the NCIS Season 21 crew is expected to be largely the same as the ones that have been running the series since. Shane Brennan and Chas. Floyd Johnson have been sharing much of the showrunning duties since. Mark Horowitz and Steven D. Binder also share producer duties and have directed and written for the show series, respectively, in the past. They will likely both be involved in the story directions for NCIS season 21 as well. No other directors or writers have been announced for the new season.
NCIS Season 21 Story
Like other crime procedurals, NCIS follows a case-of-the-week style, but it also frequently features larger season plot arcs. The NCIS season 21 story should continue some of the threads from the season before. The cliffhanger concerning Agent Torres is one of them. Torres is a persona that has worked extensively covertly in the past and has withheld a great deal of information about himself and his former activities from the team throughout the years. NCIS season 21 will undoubtedly be revealing more layers for the character by having him go undercover in a prison in the season 20 finale and encounter someone from his history directly while being held at gunpoint.
The NCIS season 21 plot will probably see more development in Palmer and Knight’s relationship after they confessed their love to each other in a less sinister narrative in season 20. Although that won’t likely take center stage while the crew is focused on investigations, NCIS season 21 will continue the show’s tradition of weaving romance plotlines amid the bigger mysteries.
What the big arcs of NCIS season 21 are won’t be evident until the series is back in production.