Television news has been dropping rapidly since the SAG-AFTRA strike ended, and we can’t wait to mark our calendars! The television schedule for every returning series on CBS was revealed, and NCIS will premiere earlier than anticipated.
Season 21’s premiere episode is scheduled to premiere on Monday, February 12, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET. For the first time, actor David McCallum will not be playing Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard in this season. September 2023 saw the passing of the seasoned actor. We’re interested to see how the program honors him when they return, even if it’s unclear if there will be a memorial episode for him.
Would a memorial episode for Ducky mean we’ll see Gibbs return? In a recent interview, Mark Harmon mentioned the possibility of returning, but at the moment, it doesn’t seem like we will see him in season 21. But in this instance, it would make for a touching episode to get a Gibbs mention regarding his late friend, depending on what they decide with Ducky.
So far, we do know that returning cast members include Gary Cole, Sean Murray, Rocky Carroll, Katrina Law, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, and Wilmer Valderrama. Season 20 ended on a cliffhanger with Valderrama’s character Nick Torres, so we will be looking forward to seeing how that is resolved!
Could Gibbs return in NCIS Season 21 to say goodbye to Ducky?
Each season, there are questions about whether Gibbs will return. For NCIS Season 21, the question is all about saying goodbye to Ducky.
Back on Sept. 25, NCIS fans heard the terrible news. David McCallum had died at the age of 90. Of course, fans of the show immediately looked at how the series may handle that.
There arguably is only one way to deal with the loss. That loss needs to be written into the series, offering fans, cast, and crew a chance to grieve the loss of the actor and the character. That has led to questions about who could return for some sort of memorial episode to say goodbye to Ducky.
Will Mark Harmon be in NCIS Season 21?
Naturally, people are constantly wondering if Gibbs will make a comeback. There’s a little more going on here than just fans wanting to see Gibbs again. It doesn’t seem appropriate to have an episode where some characters, like Gibbs, are absent at Ducky’s farewell?
Gibbs is currently in Alaska. After Fornell informed him that Gibbs was a suitable candidate to be put out to dry, that is where Gary Cole’s Alden Parker abandoned him. Unless something happens to bring Gibbs back, it appears that’s where he will remain.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Harmon has no idea if there are plans to bring him back to the series. It’s not that he has ruled it out; just that he doesn’t know if there are plans to bring him back. Someone just needs to ask him about it.
Of course, there is a chance that the memorial episode hasn’t been written just yet. There may be talks of it, but this is something that needs to be handled at the right time. A season premiere or the earlier episodes of the season aren’t quite the right time for something like that.