I’ll be honest, I’m still not over NCIS killing off Rocky Carroll’s Leon Vance a few weeks ago, but I also understand that life goes on. So while we continue waiting to learn who will permanently succeed him as the agency’s director, the CBS procedural basically reverted to business as usual tonight on the 2026 TV schedule with a treasure hunt episode titled “Knick Knack.” Watching the episode, however, made me realize that there’s a long-absent character from Timothy McGee’s past that I really want NCIS to bring back.
How McGee’s Sister Factored Into The New NCIS
At the beginning of “Knick Knack,” Jessica Knight received a package from her mother that she immediately tossed in the trash. She assumed it was just the latest meal subscription plan her mom got her as part of her wellness kick, but once the team started investigating the murder of a Navy captain aboard a museum ship (see how that case unfolded with your Paramount+ subscription), she changed her mind and looked at what was inside. It’s a good thing she did, because the package contained the Sugar Sprout Dolls that her recently-deceased uncle confiscated from her when she was a kid, as well as eyeglasses that belonged to her great-grandfather.
Knight later turned the eyeglasses into her new sunglasses, but as far as the dolls go, McGee immediately perked up when he saw them, specifically Knight’s Sunburn Sally doll. It turns out McGee’s sister, Sarah, collected Sugar Sprout Dolls, and he’s been trying for years to get her Sunburn Sally. He offered Knight $50 for it, to which she responded, “Don’t lowball me, McSugar Sprout.” Adding insult to injury for McGee, Knight later decided to put the dolls up for bid online, and they were up to $1500 when McGee checked on them. So he’ll need to shell out a pretty penny if he wants to give Sarah Sunburn Sally.
I’d Like To See Sarah Come Back To NCIS
For those who don’t remember, Troian Bellisario, daughter of NCIS creator Don Bellisario and Sean Murray’s real-life step-sister, appeared as Sarah McGee in two episodes of the popular CBS show. The first was Season 2’s second episode, titled “Red Cell,” and then she returned for Season 4’s ninth episode, “Twisted Sister.” Sarah’s been mentioned a handful of times since then, but I think it’s high time she be brought back to the series after 20 years away.
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In the time since she was last seen on NCIS, Troian Bellisario has become well known for playing Spencer Hastings on Pretty Little Liars, and she most recently starred on On Call, the short-lived, Dick Wolf-produced police procedural that started out on IMDb TV, then switched over to Prime Video. It would be amazing if Bellisario returned to NCIS so that we could learn specific details about what’s going on with Sarah these days. Maybe she gets drawn into another case, or maybe she would simply be present for a B-plot focused on McGee’s personal life. I just want to see what the dynamic is like for these siblings two decades later, as well as what Sarah’s like around McGee’s wife, Delilah, and their two kids.
I don’t expect this to happen in NCIS Season 23, as there are only a handful of episodes left, not to mention that Troian Bellisario gave birth to her third daughter in January. However, NCIS Season 24 has been officially greenlighted for the fall. So if any of the show’s writers are reading this, please consider carving a guest spot either later this year or in early 2027 out for Bellisario to reprise Sarah.
NEW YORK – Savannah Guthrie’s first week back could’ve been a media circus.
But the “TODAY” anchor was a paradigm of grace and resolve as she returned to the news desk that she’s occupied for nearly 15 years on the NBC morning show.
All eyes have been on Guthrie since the tragic disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, who was last seen Jan. 31 when she was dropped off by family members at her home just north of Tucson, Ariz.
The mysterious case has no publicly-known leads or suspects after more than two months, which were marked by Guthrie’s emotional pleas on social media and a heartbreakingly candid interview with former “TODAY” anchor Hoda Kotb.
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But as USA TODAY critic Kelly Lawler noted earlier this week, the Guthrie family’s personal pain mostly took a backseat in her first shows back. Instead, Guthrie carried on business as usual for the cameras: participating in lighthearted watercooler discussions about the Backstreet Boys and Bad Bunny, and jokingly comparing a meteor to a laser pointer as it darted across Northeastern skies.
She similarly wasted no time in ribbing her co-anchor, Craig Melvin, who accidentally revealed a surprise celebrity cameo in “The Devil Wears Prada 2” during the April 8 episode.
“This is why you cannot tell Craig anything!” Guthrie quipped, smiling. “Why don’t you read my journal while you’re at it?”
Savannah Guthrie returns to the “Today” show on Monday, April 6 for the first time since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1.
Savannah Guthrie has been a main co‑anchor of NBC’s “Today” show since 2012.
Before she joined “Today,” Guthrie was a Court TV correspondent. Here, she attends Lucky Magazine’s VIP preview to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation at Gotham Hall on Nov. 18, 2004, in New York City.
Savannah Guthrie and Millie Bobby Brown on “Today,” March 11, 2025.
Some credit must be given to NBC for choosing not to exploit Guthrie’s family tragedy after her return to the show, in spite of a sharp ratings spike in the weeks following her mother’s disappearance. Although it was her “welcome back” week, new clips of Guthrie are almost nonexistent on the “TODAY” social pages.
According to reports from In Touch Weekly and New York Post’s Page Six, the network advised staffers to support Guthrie without overwhelming her, in an effort give her some space as she eased back into the job.
Despite the low-key approach, the outpouring of love for Guthrie was on full display during her first episode back April 6. On the unseasonably cold spring morning, Guthrie was greeted by a small but passionate group of fans with signs and t-shirts emblazoned with pictures of Nancy and messages of support. Everyone wore stickers of yellow ribbons – a symbol of hope and support for missing persons.
Walking onto the “TODAY” plaza arm in arm with a tearful Jenna Bush Hager, Guthrie was clearly overwhelmed by the crowd’s compassion, and she spent ample time hugging and speaking with audience members. It was a notable reprieve from the true-crime influencers and looky-loos that have surrounded Nancy’s Tucson house.
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In Touch Weekly“It is good to be home,” Guthrie said at the top of the April 6 broadcast, wearing a canary-yellow lace dress. “Well, here we go. Ready or not, let’s do the news.”
Guthrie’s “TODAY” family continues to have her back on and off screen: Her good friend Kotb will return to the show April 13 while Melvin is on vacation, and “Sunday Today” anchor Willie Geist sang her praises in a recent interview.
“We’re all just overjoyed that she’s back,” Geist told USA TODAY. “To see her in that radiant yellow dress on Monday morning, it felt like a blessing that she was back, and to see her doing what she’s so good at, and back in that chair when, who knew, as we’re going through this, if she would be able to do that. But, of course she could, because she’s Savannah, and she trusts her faith, and she’s so strong and smart and good at what she does.”