NCIS Season 23: Who’s Back, Who’s Gone, and What’s Next?

NCIS season 23 is full of chaos, change, and important choices. Parker wants to get even. McGee might not be with the team anymore. Finally, romance is a big deal. Some fan favorites are back, but others aren’t there.

The first episode is set to air this October 14, 2025, and Vance and the team will be going through big changes. This article tells you who’s back, who’s gone, and what’s coming next.

What’s the Big Update for NCIS Season 23?

Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres in tense

Big changes are coming to the long-running Naval Criminal Investigative Service series, NCIS, in season 23. The NICS team is facing tough personal and work problems. Special agent Alden Parker goes rogue after a tragedy in his family, and the show finally shows more romance than ever before.

Steven D. Binder, the show’s executive producer, says that season 23 is all about turning up the heat for all the main NCIS characters.

Parker’s Revenge Shakes the Team

Parker’s life is in danger after his father is killed. Mob boss Carla Marino is thought to have killed the man. Through flashbacks, the show will dive into Parker’s past and show how tense his relationship is with Parker’s sister.

Parker’s Past Revealed: In flashbacks to 1977, Parker is a young boy who is having trouble with his family.
Family Dynamics Matter: Parker’s sister, Nancy Travis, joins the cast, which makes things more tense.
Going Rogue: In his quest for justice, Alden Parker breaks the rules, which puts the NCIS team to the test.
Not Business as Usual: This time, Director Leon Vance won’t stand in for Parker.

Romance Gets Real This Season

Season 23 of NCIS puts romance front and center for the first time. Most of the time, old love stories were in the background. These parts are now important to the story.

Palmer and Knight: Chief medical examiner Jimmy Palmer and Special Agent Jessica Knight are going through a tough time emotionally.
Torres’ Love Life: Nick Torres starts dating again, which makes things tense.
New Era of Love: The show changes from the closed-off time of Leroy Jethro Gibbs to a time when everything is more open.

When Will NCIS Season 23 Premiere?

Katrina Law as Jessica Knight reacting to briefing

CBS has confirmed that NCIS will be back for a 23rd season. This fall, fans can look forward to new episodes. The show goes back to its roots by airing on Tuesday nights, when it used to. This season sets the tone for the next two shows.

Premiere Details and Time Change

The date for the start of season 23 has been set in stone. The change from Monday nights to Tuesday nights is a return to the norm.

Premiere Date: October 14, 2025, at 8/7c on CBS.
New Time Slot: The show will now air on Tuesdays.
Lineup Change: Along with NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney, it leads the way.
Renewed Focus: NCIS was picked up for another season in February 2025 as one of CBS’s best shows.

Vance’s Mystery Shift

It goes in a strange direction with director Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll. He used to help agents break the rules, but now he does everything by the book.

No More Winks: Vance won’t let people skip the rules like they did before.
Mysterious Reasons: Binder says the shift has a secret to it.
Team Impact: It’s hard for the group to get used to this change.
Long-Term Effects: This could change more than just Parker’s story.

Why Is McGee Leaving NCIS?

Sean Murray as Timothy McGee shows concern

In season 23, Sean Murray’s character, NCIS Special Agent McGee, doesn’t know what will happen next. He’s been an actor for the longest time on the current NCIS team, but he can’t move up in the agency. The series regular might finally be leaving.

Career Stalled for McGee

McGee turned down the chance to replace Gibbs when it came up. He later tried to get the job of Deputy Director but wasn’t successful.

Turned Down Promotion: McGee turned down the top job to spend time with his family.
Failed Bid: Deputy Director LaRoche of the DOJ took the job from him.
Feeling Stuck: He doesn’t know what to do next.
Team Outgrowing Him: Some have major plots, but McGee’s seems to be over.

New Tech Path with Bandium

McGee might be able to get out of trouble by using an old skill: technology. Something big might happen because of his new link to Fletcher Voss.

New Connection: Voss, who is the CEO, thinks McGee’s tech skills are useful.
Career Reboot: McGee might join Bandium and help the NCIS team from the outside.
Still Involved: He could show up as a guest even though he wasn’t on the team.
Personal Growth: This change meets the needs of both his family and his job.

Does Gibbs Return in Season 23?

A big question for fans this season is whether Leroy Jethro Gibbs will come back to NCIS. Mark Harmon played the famous NCIS Special agent, and we last saw him in season 19.

Even though the crew keeps talking about him, there has been no official word that he will be back for season 23. Today, the attention is on Alden Parker and the rest of the team as they face new problems.

Mark Harmon’s Return Status

CBS hasn’t said for sure that Mark Harmon will come back as Gibbs. His presence still has an effect on the characters, but now the focus is on the cast led by Gary Cole. The events of season 23 are based on what happened after Parker’s father was killed by Carla Marino, the boss of the mob.

No Return Announced: Mark Harmon is not going to be in any episodes this season.
Character Legacy: Gibbs is still an important mentor to the NCIS team.
Possible Cameo: It’s not likely, but a guest appearance later in the fall is not impossible.
Shifted Focus: The show’s executive producer wants to focus on making Parker and the other main NCIS stars better.

The Symbolic Role of Gibbs in Season 23

Gibbs isn’t on screen anymore, but the team still talks about the decisions he made and how he led them in the past. Gibbs’ struggles after losing someone close to him are similar to Parker’s current mission to catch Carla Marino.

Emotional Mirror: Like Gibbs, Parker is acting out because he is sad about the death of his father, Francis McCarthy.
Moral Questions: Like in Gibbs’ early seasons, the team is now struggling with truth and loyalty.
Legacy Structure: The show still honors Gibbs without needing spinoff cast members or flashbacks.

Are Ziva and Tony Coming Back to NCIS?

Fans of NCIS have been waiting years for Tony and Ziva to return to the show. They are coming back in the fall, but it will be in a different show than NCIS season 23. The show NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which stars Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, is about their life outside of the main team.

Their Return Is Happening, but Not in Season 23

No, Tony and Ziva are not part of the main cast in season 23. They are just back on. Their new show started in September and is now being streamed every week.

Streaming Only: You can watch the new spinoff on Paramount+ instead of CBS.
Separate Storyline: There isn’t a crossover between the two shows right now.
Release Schedule: From now until October, new episodes come out every Thursday.
No Backdoor Pilot: They didn’t come back through a backdoor pilot in season 23 of NCIS.

What This Means for the Main Show

Tony and Ziva are now in charge of their own spinoff, but season 23 of NCIS is still mostly about Parker, Jimmy Palmer, Nick Torres, Kasie Hines, and other characters. The main goal is to solve crimes while also looking into deeper character arcs.

Expanding Universe: Other games in the series, like Origins and Tony & Ziva, help it grow.
Main Cast Development: Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, Sean Murray, and Brian Dietzen all have big parts in the movie.
No Crossover Plans: There is no news of crossovers with LL Cool J or Vanessa Lachey.
Building New Legacy: The show’s executive producer wants to focus on new characters rather than old ones coming back.

Final Thoughts

This season, every NCIS agent has to deal with big changes and sad stories. In the present day, forensic scientist Kasie Hines and chief medical examiner Jimmy Palmer are in the cast. Nancy Travis has joined the cast. LL Cool J and Sam Hanna guest-starred on other episodes. Pauley Perrette is no longer with us, but her work will live on.

CBS is still running two shows, and NCIS has honored Donald Bellisario’s history and every file that changed a family since it began.

FAQs

Does Gibbs come back to NCIS?

No, Gibbs does not return in NCIS season 23, but the NCIS team still feels his influence. Binder confirmed there is no current episode for the NCIS special agent Gibbs, even after his past murder arcs.

Is NCIS coming back in 2025?

Yes, NCIS is back on CBS in October 2025 with season 23 featuring NCIS stars like Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, and Brian Dietzen.

Is LL Cool J coming back to NCIS?

LL Cool J is not in NCIS season 23 but the actor had a crossover episode in another group series, not with the main characters.

What happened to McGee’s wife Delilah on NCIS?

Delilah is not seen in season 23 but is mentioned by the NCIS team and still part of law connections with special agent McGee.

Is there a season 23 on NCIS?

Yes, CBS announced NCIS season 23 in July and it is airing in October with Tony, Ducky, Binder, and all main characters.

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