Gary Cole, Wilmer Valderrama, and Sean Murray, NCIS
Sonja Flemming/CBS
If you think of police procedurals, NCIS is probably one of the first that comes to mind. The show, which transformed the genre over 20 years ago by focusing not just on cases, but on the dynamics of the team trying to solve those cases, has now become one of the longest-running shows on TV. Going on Season 23, and with six spin-offs sharing the same acronym, the NCIS franchise is more alive than ever. And that all starts with the “mothership,” NCIS.
That fact seems remarkable considering that the show has had to reinvent itself a couple of times. First, there was the departure of the characters who made up the show’s main ship, Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly). Then there was the face of the franchise, Mark Harmon‘s Leroy Jethro Gibbs, stepping away from the show. And yet, NCIS remains a fan favorite and a pretty consistent show all these years later. The numbers don’t lie, fans are still tuning in!
We’re still learning details about the upcoming NCIS Season 23, but we do have some information and a lot of questions. Questions like: When NCIS Season 23 will premiere, who is coming back for Season 23, and what will the season be about? Here’s all the information we have so far.
More on NCIS:
When does NCIS Season 23 premiere?
NCIS Season 23 will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 8/7c. Yes, that’s right, Tuesday. The show is returning to its original day, and it’s not doing so alone. NCIS will be followed by the second season of prequel NCIS: Origins, with the third season of the franchise’s first international spinoff, NCIS: Sydney, closing out the all-NCIS Tuesday night lineup. Head here for a look at CBS’s complete fall schedule, including when everything premieres.
NCIS Season 23 premiere news
The NCIS cast has been back at work for over a month, which means we already have some idea of what’s coming in Season 23, at least in the premiere. Season 22 ended with a cliffhanger that saw Parker’s nemesis, Carla Marino (Rebecca De Mornay), murder his father in Parker’s own house. Now, CBS has released the synopsis for the first episode of Season 23, and no surprise here, it’s all about Parker.
The synopsis reads: “Prodigal Son (Part 1)” – Reeling from his father’s murder, Parker goes to extreme lengths to hunt down the woman he holds responsible, mob boss Carla Marino, jeopardizing not only his own future but the team’s.” The episode, which will have a Part 2, will see Nancy Travis guest-star as Parker’s sister, Navy Vice Admiral Harriet Parker.
“We open with a lot of heat, a lot of action — and we’re hoping to not let up,” showrunner Steven D. Binder told TVLine. And though the Carla Marino plot is expected to take center stage to open the season, that doesn’t mean the show is forgetting about the Lily mystery or how she connects to Parker’s dead mother. Basically, there’s a lot of Parker coming.
And thankfully, according to Binder, also perhaps some hope for Jessica and Jimmy’s relationship, a new storyline for Kasie, and a promise to expand the “family of our characters in a way that will be shocking… and hopefully won’t be Jump the Shark-ing.” Could that mean a return from Tony and Ziva? If they survive their spin-off, that is.
What is NCIS about?
NCIS is a military police procedural, and the first show in a franchise that now includes eight different shows, including JAG, which originated NCIS, and six different spin-offs, three of which are still ongoing. NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, and NCIS: Hawai’i are already over, while NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney are set to air after NCIS this season. And then there’s NCIS: Tony & Ziva, a Paramount+ show focused on two characters who originated in the so-called “mothership,” Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David.
The show revolves around a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service — a real government agency, believe it or not. As of 2025, NCIS is the third-longest-running scripted, live-action U.S. prime-time TV series currently airing, surpassed only by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order.
Who stars in NCIS? 
Katrina Law, NCIS
Sonja Flemming/CBS
The answer to this question has, thankfully, not changed in a couple of years. But like any long-running show, NCIS has gone through a fair bit of cast turnover in 22 seasons. These days, the team is led by Gary Cole‘s SSA Alden Parker, who took over for the legendary Leroy Gethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon. The rest of the team includes Sean Murray‘s SSA Timothy McGee and Brian Dietzen‘s Chief Medical Examiner Jimmy Palmer, who have been around for all 22 seasons so far. Then there’s Rocky Carroll‘s Leon Vance, the NCIS Director, who has been with the show since Season 5, Wilmer Valderrama‘s Special Agent Nick Torres, who joined the team in Season 14, Diona Reasonover‘s Chief Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines, who joined the team in Season 15, and Katrina Law‘s Special Agent Jessica Knight, who joined the team in Season 18. There have been no major cast changes since Harmon left as Gibbs, back in Season 19.
NCIS cast:Gary Cole as Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker
Sean Murray as NCIS Senior Special Agent Timothy McGeeWilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nick TorresKatrina Law as Special Agent Jessica KnightBrian Dietzen as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy PalmerDiona Reasonover as Chief Forensic Scientist Kasie HinesRocky Carroll as NCIS Director Leon VanceIs NCIS crossing over with NCIS: Origins?
How can the mothership crossover with its own prequel when they don’t exist in the same time period? Well, we’re going to find out the answer soon, as the shows are set to have not one, but two crossovers this year. Sort of. First, Adam Campbell, who played young Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS, is set to reprise his role in a Season 2 episode of NCIS: Origins that will serve as a special tribute to the late David McCallum.
Then, the shows are doing an actual crossover, even if no actors are sharing the screen. The episode will feature a case that young Gibbs and the NCIS: Origins team investigated in the ’90s, popping up again in the present time for the NCIS team to investigate. The episodes are set for Tuesday, Nov. 11. On that week only, NCIS: Origins will air first, and open the crossover, with NCIS following right after. The synopsis for the crossover reads: “Gibbs and team investigate the small-town death of a naval officer in the ’90s,” and then on NCIS, airing at 9 pm, the same case is “unexpectedly re-opened in the present day.”Â
Does NCIS: Tony & Ziva tie into NCIS?
NCIS: Tony & Ziva is now streaming on Paramount+, and the main question fans of the mothership have is: Will the return of Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), two characters who originated on NCIS, tie into the mothership? The question seems to be yes… and no.
Michael Weatherly told TV Guide that there were no plans for a crossover in Season 1 of Tony & Ziva, but the door was open. “I think in the initial outing of [NCIS: Tony & Ziva], it was really important that it felt like they were in their own world and that we needed to sort of build and understand that world,” Weatherly explained. But, with the show putting up great numbers on Paramount+, and a second season feeling like a certainty, who says we won’t see it in the future? For now, the show has made sure to mention the characters’ NCIS past, and even an old friend we would love to see pop up, Timothy McGee.
More shows like NCIS
NCIS does have six spin-offs, and the show that originated it, JAG. Not all of those are still ongoing, but if you want more of the agency, you can start with JAG or the three NCIS shows that have already finished: NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, and NCIS: Hawai’i, and move onto the ongoing ones, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which is streaming now on Paramount+ or NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney, which will return the same night as NCIS.
If, however, you’re looking for a procedural that looks like NCIS but features some other letters in its title, check out our list of shows like NCIS, which includes military dramas and thrillers.
NCIS Season 23 trailer
There’s no trailer yet, but when it is released, we’ll have it for you right here.Â
Where can I watch NCIS?
NCIS can be streamed on Netflix, Paramount+, and PlutoTV.