Timothy McGee’s NCIS Exit Is Quietly Confirmed

NCIS Season 23 may be quietly confirming that it’s time for Timothy McGee to leave the team in Episode 6, “Page-Turner.” McGee gets the spotlight in the latest episode, as he is kidnapped by a woman with mysterious ties to their case. The episode centers on McGee’s career as an author, moonlighting under the pen name Thom E. Gemcity.

The episode shows significant growth in McGee. He comes to terms with the fact that while his pulpy fiction may not be for everyone, he has changed lives, a revelation that unlocks a whole new side of Tim. However, there’s hardly room for McGee to evolve within NCIS, and “Page-Turner” proves that McGee already has his golden ticket out.

Timothy McGee’s Kidnapping Story In NCIS Season 23 Explained

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While touring and promoting his new book, Timothy McGee is kidnapped after meeting with a journalist at a diner, where he runs into his superfan. While it seems obvious at first that the superfan has captured McGee, Tim discovers his captor is actually a woman who wants him to help her find her missing son.

The case coincides with the Major Case Response Team’s investigation, and Tim breaks it while talking to his latest book characters, who are the alter egos of Alden Parker (Gary Cole), Jessica Knight (Katrina Law), and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama). When the real team finally finds McGee’s location, Tim has already solved their case and is apprehending their perpetrator.

The instant-classic NCIS episode proves that McGee is the most valuable MCRT asset. With a degree from MIT and 23 years of experience with the team, Tim works on all aspects of the case. He negotiates with his captor, hacks the hard drive, breaks the investigation, and even apprehends the criminal. McGee needs advancement at NCIS, but it’s not in the cards.

In NCIS Season 22, McGee knew he needed a change and applied for the position of NCIS Deputy Director. His wife wanted McGee to get a desk job with regular hours, and Tim wanted more from his career. However, when he failed to get the job over Gabrielle LaRoche (Seamus Deaver), McGee’s prospects for career advancement came to a standstill.

McGee’s Thom E. Gemcity Story Hints At Sean Murray’s NCIS Exit

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NCIS Season 23, Episode 6, proves that McGee already has access to the life and career that he wants. However, it would require Tim to leave NCIS and his team. After McGee’s interview at the diner, his superfan approaches him about her podcast, which she’s producing an episode for about people who moonlight as authors.

McGee is the perfect interview subject, since he writes his fiction thrillers in his spare time when he isn’t solving crimes for NCIS. When she approaches Tim about doing her podcast, McGee insists his superfan needs to leave him alone. However, she asks a question that gets under his skin: Has McGee ever considered leaving NCIS to pursue writing full-time?

McGee refuses to answer the question in the intense NCIS episode, but perhaps it’s because his superfan has tapped into something big. Maybe Tim has considered leaving NCIS to write full-time before, primarily because committing to his writing would allow McGee the regular hours and a safe desk job that both he and Delilah (Margo Harshman) desire for him.

After failing to secure the deputy director position, there’s hardly any room for McGee to grow within NCIS. Parker and Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) remain steadfast in their positions as Supervisor Special Agent and NCIS Director, positions that Tim could otherwise consider. Still, Tim needs to advance in life, and his writing career offers more room for growth.

Will Sean Murray Leave NCIS in Season 23?

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The unfortunate part of McGee leaving NCIS is that it would mean Sean Murray leaving the Navy procedural series after 23 years. Joining the cast of NCIS in Season 1, Murray is one of the most senior characters on the series, and the longest-standing special agent. However, that’s part of the reason it makes sense for Tim to evolve.

There are no direct suggestions or reports that Murray will exit NCIS in Season 23. Still, the show is quietly laying the foundation for McGee to move on. Tim was unhappy with his position in Season 22, and while Season 23 hasn’t addressed how Tim will handle his lack of career advancement, the series has presented an alternative path.

Furthermore, NCIS has also quietly introduced McGee’s replacement. Curtis Hubley (J. Claude Deering), a “tech troll” who works in the basement at NCIS Headquarters, has been hinting since NCIS Season 21 that he wants to become a probationary agent. He’s proven to be worthy of the role, helping MCRT break a case on several occasions.

With his mix of technical skills and intuition, Curtis would be the perfect replacement for McGee, someone who’s hungry for advancement and could offer a new perspective to the role. Stepping away from MCRT would allow McGee to focus on Delilah and his kids, and write more for his “Deep Sixies,” and NCIS is quietly setting the stage for that.