NCIS Officially Makes Franchise History by Confirming a Disappointing Major Trend

NCIS made franchise history on Tuesday night, offering two devastating midseason finales that confirm a disheartening trend throughout its shows. While the flagship and NCIS: Origins previously aired on CBS on Monday, the programs have moved to the following weeknight, with the network airing all its Navy procedurals back-to-back, ending with its international offering, NCIS: Sydney.

While Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs character is long gone in NCIS Season 23, the series is still one of the network’s most popular offerings, with its premiere averaging 8.6 million viewers. That said, its prequel series, NCIS: Origins, has just as much to offer, building on the rich history of Harmon’s character with Austin Stowell’s younger Gibbs.

NCIS Confirms Major Love Triangles for Origins and the Flagship

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With Episode 8 of NCIS and Origins, the franchise brought its most compelling love triangles to a head, delivering massive installments for both series. In NCIS Season 23, “Stolen Moments,” the flagship seemingly confirms that something romantic is happening between Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) with its focus on Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen).

The flagship effectively established a love triangle between three of the most prominent NCIS characters, with Jimmy finally realizing that he had missed something happening between two of his best friends. Jimmy admits that he doesn’t know why he and Knight broke up and tries to make up for lost time, only to realize that he’s now competing with Torres.

It’s the first time the flagship has delved into a love triangle between its leading characters, and the franchise is making it a trend. In NCIS: Origins Season 2, “End of the Road,” Gibbs and Diane (Kathleen Kenny) are going through a breakup, and the story inadvertently confirms Lala Dominguez’s feelings for Gibbs, solidifying the prequel’s love triangle.

The NCIS Franchise Makes History With Its Parallel Love Triangles

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With its parallel storylines in NCIS and prequel, both of which ride on the coattails of the legacy Harmon established as Leroy Jethro Gibbs before his Season 19 exit, the franchise created a historic offering. It’s the first time NCIS has dealt with two such formative romances for the franchise in one night, showcasing the full potential of NCIS Tuesdays.

It’s not the first time this TV cycle that the franchise has connected its best shows with stories that correspond, however. In November, the NCIS franchise released a crossover episode featuring a case spanning over 30 years. Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) and his team started the investigation in the 1990s, and Parker’s (Gary Cole) team reopened it in NCIS.

The special NCIS episode connected the series while showcasing each show’s different tone and style. It brought back franchise legends Harmon and Muse Watson, who played Gibbs and Mike Franks on NCIS, to the silver screen. Most importantly, it rewarded fans who tuned into both series, which NCIS also did in its midseason closer with its massive interpersonal developments.

How NCIS: Origins Can Preserve Lala and Gibbs’ Romance

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While it seems like the end of the road for Gibbs and Lala’s romance, there’s one way the franchise can preserve it. After Tuesday’s episode, which saw Gibbs and Diane tie the knot in Las Vegas after agreeing to do long-distance, there’s no way for NCIS: Origins to play out Gibbs and Lala’s romance now, not in 1992, anyway.

Speaking about Gibbs’ love triangle, NCIS: Origins executive producer Gina Lucita Monreal said that, at this phase in his life, Gibbs needs Diane. She noted that Diane was the right person at the right time, calling Gibbs’ feelings for her “strong” and “real.” Still, Monreal ultimately said their main character was still “torn” between Lala and Diane.

Some fans have devised a theory that Lala will be with Gibbs in Alaska when the series ends, giving Harmon’s character someone to spend his days and grow old alongside. If that’s the case, NCIS: Origins is a clever way to tell their love story, which would pay off in the long term, expanding beyond what the flagship established.

What Will Happen to Knight, Torres, and Palmer in NCIS

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There’s a much less straightforward answer about what will happen between Knight, Torres, and Palmer, since the story isn’t partially predetermined like it is in Origins. While Knight and Palmer dated in the past, they broke up at the end of NCIS Season 21, with Jimmy seemingly ending things when Knight took a job at Camp Pendleton in California.

When Jess returned, Jimmy didn’t rekindle their flame, and they both seemingly put the relationship behind them after some awkwardness. Palmer turns a corner in Episode 8, however. He reflects that he doesn’t know why they broke up, and finally realizes Knight and Torres’ connection when it’s right in front of him, his naivety getting the best of him.

While Jimmy is holding off on talking to Jess about his feelings for now, if he and Knight get back together, it would cut short the exciting romance between Jess and her fellow agent. Still, if Knight and Torres act on their romance now, audiences know that it will hurt Jimmy, making a truly impossible NCIS love triangle.