What’s going to happen to Torres? Will CBS’s long-running NCIS ever stop? Nope. Season 21 is about to kick off, but it seems like the Naval Criminal Investigative Service can go on for another 21 seasons without a problem.
NCIS, a television series created by Don McGill and Donald P. Bellisario, centers on a group of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service who look into high-profile crimes involving the Navy, the Marines, and other armed forces. The JAG spin-off series, which is led by Sean Murray, Katrina Law, and Wilmer Valderrama, has produced three spin-offs: NCIS: Los Angeles, which concluded in May 2023; NCIS: New Orleans, which concluded in 2021; and NCIS: Hawaii, which is set to begin its third season. This year, NCIS: Sydney, the franchise’s first foreign installment, was also included.
Although formal details on the upcoming season of NCIS have not been disclosed, there is cause for concern regarding the fate of Valderrama’s Nick Torres, given how the Season 20 finale concluded. Due to the strikes by actors and writers, Season 21 never made its anticipated fall 2023 comeback; however, we will keep you informed of any new information as it becomes available, including the release date and returning cast members.
NCIS Season 21 latest news
Our long national nightmare is over! Following the tentative resolution of the actors strike, CBS announced the premiere dates for its returning series. NCIS will be back for Season 21 on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, the day after CBS airs the Super Bowl. We’re still waiting word on how many episodes Season 21 will be, but expect it to be either 10 or 13 episodes long, as that’s the target for most CBS shows returning in 2024.
NCIS Season 21 release date prediction
CBS renewed the long-running scripted series for Season 21 in February 2023 with the intention of having it premiere in the fall, as it was originally part of the network’s line-up. But the writers and actors strikes for fair compensation delayed the show’s return. However, following the resolution of the actors strike in November 2023, CBS announced that NCIS would be returning on Feb. 12, 2024.
Previously, CBS scheduled a workaround during the strikes and make sure the NCIS drought was barely felt. It aired a special encore episode on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 8/7c, before running a marathon of back-to-back-to-back NCIS episodes on Monday, Sept. 25 at 8/7c to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary. (It premiered Sept. 23, 2003 on CBS.) It then settles into its Mondays at 10/9c time slot with weekly re-airings of classic NCIS episodes beginning Oct. 2.
What will NCIS Season 21 be about?
As Season 20 came to a finish, Torres found himself reunited with an enigmatic guy from his past (Al Sapienza). After going undercover as a prisoner working on a case for the first part of the finale episode, Torres’ plans were altered when he spotted the man in the cell. The NCIS special agent was intrigued and called his sister to inform her that he had “found him” and that the man was “still alive,” implying that he and his sister had a turbulent past.
At the end of the hour, Torres had a big surprise up his sleeve for the man as he waited in a darkened corner in a house somewhere. When the man entered the room and turned on the lights, he was shocked to see Torres, calmly seated in a chair — gun in hand, ready to pull the trigger. Torres asked the man whether he recognized him. A few seconds passed before the man finally put two and two together: “Nicky.” When the man asked Torres what he wanted, the NCIS special agent snarled, “What I always wanted: to watch you die.” Just as Torres lifts the gun up, the screen cut to black.
It’s rare for anyone on the NCIS team to cross the line morally and ethically, but there are a handful of extenuating circumstances that have led an agent down that path. Consider Gibbs, who killed the guy responsible for murdering his first wife and daughter. The question is: Will Torres follow suit? And will he begin the new season in an even darker place than before? We’ll have to wait for Season 21 to find out.
Who will be in NCIS Season 21?
None of the major characters on NCIS, notably Nick Torres of Valderamma, who had a thrilling ending to Season 20’s final episode, have given any indication that they will be leaving before Season 21. We believe it’s reasonable to presume that every character from the previous season will return in the same role until we hear differently. The primary cast members of Season 20 are as follows:
Sean Murray as Timothy McGee
Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres
Katrina Law as Jessica Knight
Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer
Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines
David McCallum as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard
Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance
Gary Cole as Alden Parker
Will Mark Harmon and other NCIS vets return for Season 21?
It’s unlikely, but never say never. Longtime NCIS star Mark Harmon, who played team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs since the series debuted in 2003, departed the veteran CBS procedural during Season 19 with a fond farewell episode in October 2021. In Harmon’s final on-screen appearance, Gibbs decided not to return to the job. Instead, he handed the reins to his mentee, McGee, in a bittersweet passing of the torch.
“As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show. Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go,” executive producer and showrunner Steven D. Binder said in an official statement after Harmon’s last episode aired. “So regarding the future of Gibbs, as longtime fans of the show may have noticed over the years… never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out.”
Harmon later addressed his decision to leave the series after nearly two decades, alluding to the fact that it was time to close this chapter of his career for now in a Season 19 DVD featurette. “What has always drawn me here is the character I play and to keep it fresh and to keep it challenging,” he said. “Plot-wise, this character has taken the path that it did. I thought it was honest and [I was] OK with [it].” His name eventually was taken off the opening credits starting with the Season 20 premiere.
It’s also unclear if former NCIS stars Michael Weatherly and Pauley Perrette, who portrayed forensic expert Abby Sciuto and senior field agent Anthony DiNozzo, respectively, will return for the forthcoming season. When responding to a fan in January 2023 who begged for a reunion between DiNozzo and Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David—who made many appearances in Seasons 16 and 17—Weatherly, who departed in 2016, left the door open for a potential return. “Stay tuned… for this may be the year for such ‘moments’!” In July 2020, Perrette, who left the series in 2018, reminded her followers on Twitter that she was “retired” from acting.
Shows like NCIS
Looking for shows like NCIS as we wait for Season 21? Check out our list of military and crime dramas to binge-watch.
Where can I watch NCIS?
All 20 seasons of NCIS are available to stream on Paramount+, while the first 15 seasons are available for your viewing pleasure on Netflix. The most recent 20th season is available on Pluto TV.
CBS will be re-airing episodes of NCIS Mondays this fall on CBS starting with a three-hour 20th anniversary mini-marathon on Sept. 25, followed by weekly encore episodes beginning Oct. 2 at 10/9c.