After five years without one, NCIS is finally returning with a new Christmas-themed episode. The last winter holiday special from the series, Season 17, Episode 10, “The North Pole,” featured the return of Cote de Pablo’s fan-favorite Ziva David. Since that episode focused more on Ziva trying to tie up loose ends before reuniting with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and their daughter, Tali (Emelia Golfieri), NCIS has been long overdue for a traditional Christmas episode that takes a break from the overall connective story. While some series tend to use their winter finales to leave audiences with a cliffhanger to sit on until the show returns, NCIS typically tells one-and-done emotionally-driven stories.
NCIS Season 22, Episode 9 “Humbug” looks to do exactly that, as the team is tasked with stopping a shocking tell-all novel from publishing to protect a decorated Marine from a holiday disaster. With a show as dramatic and surrounded by death as NCIS, it’s nice when the show steps outside its procedure to tell a lighter story. Surprisingly, this procedural series didn’t have a single Christmas-themed episode for its first five seasons. Before the latest holiday special from the franchise premieres on December 16, grab a warm drink, and let’s revisit the first NCIS Christmas-themed installment, Season 6, Episode 11 “Silent Night,” to have a reminder of what makes these episodes so wonderful.
The First ‘NCIS’ Holiday Special Is Also Its Best
NCIS Season 6, Episode 11 takes place just a couple of days before Christmas as the team picks up a strange murder case where the suspect is a former petty officer who was declared dead decades ago by Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum). No one wants to work near Christmas, let alone on the day, but the case hits home for the team, especially Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). The former petty officer, Ned Quinn (Peter Coyote), faked his death as he was dealing with addiction and didn’t think he could raise his daughter the way she deserved.
As any NCIS fan should know, Gibbs had a young daughter who tragically died at a young age. Gibbs is so determined to reunite Quinn and his daughter because if Gibbs had the chance to spend one more minute with Kelly, he would do anything. Instead of passing off the case to the Metro Police Department, Gibbs and the team are determined to see if Quinn is innocent, even sacrificing their Christmas plans to work on the case. The episode ends on a sweet note as Gibbs vulnerably talks about Kelly to convince Quinn to see his daughter. As he smiles watching Quinn and his daughter, Gibbs calls his father, Jackson Gibbs (Ralph Waite), to wish him a Merry Christmas.
As for the rest of the team, Ziva asks Tony if he ever regrets not having a wife and kids, especially around the holiday season. He exits the conversation to avoid answering, but it’s interesting revisiting this scene knowing that Tony and Ziva have a daughter together. One can’t help but wonder what their winter traditions are. Meanwhile, the end of this episode sees Tony, Ziva, Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), and Ducky enjoying the DiNozzo Christmas tradition of watching It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s a nice reminder that one’s family isn’t just determined by blood, but by the people you love. Also, Tony is right in saying it’s the best Christmas film of all time.
‘NCIS’ Season 6, Episode 11 “Silent Night” Featured Notable Guests
From starring as the villain in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to playing Mandy Moore’s father in Adam Shankman’s A Walk to Remember, Coyote is a recognizable actor to have in NCIS. Along with Coyote’s heartbreaking performance as Quinn in NCIS’ “Silent Night,” the Christmas episode also features Eric Stonestreet, best known for his role as Cameron Tucker in Modern Family. This appearance wasn’t as huge as it seems now, since this NCIS episode aired just under a year before Modern Family premiered in 2009. But it is a fun surprise for those revisiting this show, especially considering his role in the story.
It’s been a long time since this ensemble has been together in NCIS, which makes revisiting this episode all the better. Not only is it the best Christmas episode of the series, it deserves a spot as one of the best NCIS episodes overall. NCIS Season 6, Episode 11 has a simple but heartfelt plot that highlights the main characters’ values and shows just how much of a family they are. “Silent Night” is a fitting title for this entry as the episode takes a break from the action and shootouts to tell a lighter story and develop these beloved characters further.
The latest NCIS holiday episode, Season 22, Episode 9 “Humbug,” premieres on CBS in the U.S. on Monday, December 16, at 9 p.m. ET. All previous episodes are available on Paramount+.