NCIS (season 21)

Last updated
NCIS
Season 21
NCIS Season 21 poster.jpg
Promotional release poster
Starring
No. of episodes5
Release
Original network CBS
Original releaseFebruary 12, 2024 (2024-02-12) 
present
Season chronology
 Previous
Season 20
List of episodes

The twenty-first season of the American police procedural television drama series NCIS was announced on February 21, 2023, by CBS, which premiered on February 12, 2024. This is the first season not to feature David McCallum, who died on September 25, 2023, as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, though he is still credited in the first two episodes and also the first to not feature McCallum in the opening credits starting "Lifeline" and the first to not feature him in promotional artworks. The season will be consisting of only 10 episodes, the shortest amount in the show's history, thereby beating the record previously held by the eighteenth season. This season also includes the 1,000th episode of the entire NCIS franchise, which will air on April 15.

Contents

Premise

NCIS revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., the NCIS team is led by Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker, an ex-FBI Special Agent and a skilled investigator.

Cast and characters

Main

Special Guest Star

Notable guests

Crossover

NCIS: Hawaiʻi

NCIS: Los Angeles

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [1] Prod.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)
4581"Algún Día"Diana Valentine Christopher J. Waild February 12, 2024 (2024-02-12)21017.32 [2]
The FBI arrests Torres for the murder of Maurice Riva, the man who tormented Torres's family when he was a child. They realize he was covering for his sister who he presumed had killed him upon hearing her voicemail saying "algun dia", their family code for getting justice. Torres had beaten up Riva but kept from shooting him. The episode ends with Parker receiving a frantic phone call from Jimmy.
4592"The Stories We Leave Behind" Michael Zinberg Brian Dietzen & Scott Williams February 19, 2024 (2024-02-19)21027.43 [3]

Jimmy visits Ducky the morning after he had called to discuss an old case that was recently brought up to him again, only to find that Ducky has died in his sleep. Prior to his death, he was helping a young woman uncover the truth behind scathing accusations against her father (a Marine veteran) by a councilman who's running for Senate. After the case is solved, the team recalls fond memories of Ducky, and DiNozzo shows up to pay his respects and offer words of comfort to Jimmy.

Note: This episode was dedicated to David McCallum, who died on 25 September 2023, five months before this season premiered. [4] [5] [6] [7] Final episode to feature McCallum on the opening credits.
4603"Lifeline" Rocky Carroll Marco SchnabelFebruary 26, 2024 (2024-02-26)21037.00 [8]

Parker introduces "Walk-a-Mile" day to give the team insight on other departments, putting McGee in the auto garage, Torres in accounting, Knight in janitorial services, and Kasie in dispatch. The latter takes a call from a mysterious man in trouble, and the team soon learns he is a former agent.

Note: This is the first episode to not feature David McCallum in the opening credits.
4614"Left Unsaid" Daniela Ruah Yasemin YilmazMarch 4, 2024 (2024-03-04)21046.91 [9]
A Petty Officer who was working on classified documents is seemingly kidnapped during his third attempt at a marriage proposal. The case leads the team to the officer's father, a big-name businessman who had no idea of his existence and is in a rush to pay the ransom to try and get his son back. The team discovers the victim's girlfriend is responsible due to wanting his father's money.
4625"The Plan"Lionel ColemanKatherine Beattie & Chad Gomez CreaseyMarch 25, 2024 (2024-03-25)21056.15 [10]
4636"Strange Invaders" [11] Claudia Yarmy Steven D. Binder & Gina Gold & Aurorae KhooApril 1, 2024 (2024-04-01)2106TBD
4647"A Thousand Yards" [12] Diana ValentineChristopher J. WaildApril 15, 2024 (2024-04-15)2107TBD
Note: This episode is the 1,000th episode of the entire NCIS franchise.
4658"Heartless" [1] TBATBAApril 22, 2024 (2024-04-22)2108TBD

Production

On February 21, 2023, NCIS was renewed for a twenty-first season, which premiered on February 12, 2024. The production of the season was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in the United States. [13]

David McCallum, who played Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the show's first 20 seasons, died on 25 September 2023. [4] The second episode of the season paid tribute to him with various clips from past episodes to celebrate Ducky's life and memories with the team, as well as the appearance of former cast member Michael Weatherly, with DiNozzo showing support to Palmer moments before the funeral.

On January 5, 2024, it was announced that NCIS: Los Angeles star Daniela Ruah would be directing an episode this season, [14] later revealed to be episode 4, titled "Left Unsaid".

On March 14, 2024, it was revealed that both Ruah and Vanessa Lachey would make an appearance as Kensi Blye and Jane Tennant, respectively, in the 1,000th overall episode of the franchise, though neither Kensi nor Jane will appear “in person” alongside the D.C. team. [15]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of NCIS
No.TitleAir date Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)
1"Algún Día"February 12, 20240.5/57.32 [2] TBDTBDTBD11.50 [16]
2"The Stories We Leave Behind"February 19, 20240.5/67.43 [3] TBDTBDTBD11.22
3"Lifeline"February 26, 20240.4/57.00 [8] TBDTBDTBDTBD
4"Left Unsaid"March 4, 20240.5/56.91 [9] TBDTBDTBDTBD
5"The Plan"March 25, 20240.4/46.15 [10] TBDTBDTBDTBD

Related Research Articles

NCIS: Los Angeles is an American action crime drama television series combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres, which premiered on CBS on September 22, 2009. The series follows the exploits of the Los Angeles–based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments. NCIS: Los Angeles is the first spin-off of the successful series NCIS and the second series in the NCIS franchise. The series concluded on May 21, 2023, making it the second series in the NCIS franchise to end.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The 1st season of the American police procedural drama NCIS was originally broadcast between September 23, 2003, and May 25, 2004, on CBS. The first season dealt with introducing the characters and their strengths, skills, and weaknesses. Three recurring characters are also introduced: the main foe for the first two seasons, Ari Haswari; Special Agent Timothy McGee and Jimmy Palmer who replaces Gerald Jackson, Ducky's assistant, after he was shot. The season also introduces Sasha Alexander as Special Agent Caitlin Todd who serves as Special Agent Vivian Blackadder's replacement, who was a member of Gibbs' team during the two-part JAG backdoor pilot.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the police procedural drama NCIS was originally broadcast between September 28, 2004, and May 24, 2005, on CBS. This season shifts away from the naval setting of the show somewhat, and includes more character development than the first season.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the police procedural drama NCIS was originally broadcast between September 20, 2005, and May 16, 2006, on CBS. The third season opens in the aftermath of "Twilight", with the entire team in shock and Gibbs on a vendetta to seek revenge for Kate's murder. Matters are complicated by the intervention of Gibbs' former lover and new NCIS director Jenny Shepard, and Mossad officer Ziva David.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of the police procedural drama NCIS was originally broadcast between September 19, 2006, and May 22, 2007. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs left NCIS at the end of season three after a terrorist attack had been successful because his superiors did not heed his warnings in time. The team is now led by Anthony DiNozzo for a short time until Gibbs' eventual return. New characters introduced in this season are Michelle Lee, who was briefly on DiNozzo's team and was transferred to the legal department upon Gibbs' return, and Gibbs' former boss and mentor Mike Franks, both as recurring characters. Also, albeit later in the season, Army CID Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann is introduced as another love interest for Gibbs.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of the police procedural drama NCIS premiered on September 25, 2007, and marks the end of Donald P. Bellisario's involvement as show runner. The new showrunner, starting from this season, is Shane Brennan. It concludes the La Grenouille storyline which ended with a cliffhanger in season four's finale, "Angel of Death". This season also reveals more background information about Gibbs.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The sixth season of the police procedural drama NCIS premiered on September 23, 2008. The new NCIS director Leon Vance became a regular cast character and Agent Gibbs's new team members were introduced: NCIS Agents Michelle Lee from Legal, Daniel Keating from Cybercrime, and Special Agent Brent Langer from the FBI. Langer is killed in the first episode of the season. After the end of the second episode, McGee, Ziva, and Tony return to the team, while Lee and Keating are transferred back to Legal and Cybercrime, respectively.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 7) Season of television series

The seventh season of the police procedural drama NCIS premiered on September 22, 2009 with NCIS: Los Angeles Season 1 premiering afterwards. At the end of season six, Ziva had left the NCIS team in Israel, returning to work as a Mossad officer. In the closing seconds of that season, Ziva was shown to have been captured and tortured for information about NCIS.

NCIS is an American military police procedural television series and the first installment in the NCIS media franchise. The series revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres with comedy. The concept and characters were initially introduced in two episodes of the CBS series JAG. A spin-off from JAG, the series premiered on September 23, 2003, on CBS. To date, it has entered into the 20th full season and has gone into broadcast syndication on the USA Network. Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill are co-creators and executive producers of the premiere member of the NCIS franchise. As of 2022, 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 (1999–present) and Law & Order ; it is the seventh-longest-running scripted U.S. prime-time TV series overall.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 13) Season of television series

The thirteenth season of the American police procedural drama NCIS premiered on September 22, 2015, in the same time slot as in the previous seasons, Tuesdays at 8 pm.

<i>NCIS: Los Angeles</i> (season 7) Season of television series

The seventh season of the police procedural drama NCIS: Los Angeles premiered on September 21, 2015 on CBS, and ended on May 2, 2016. It featured 24 episodes.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 16) Season of television series

The sixteenth season of the American police procedural drama NCIS originally aired from September 25, 2018, through May 21, 2019, at the same time slot as in the previous seasons, Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. and contained 24 episodes.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 17) Season of television series

The seventeenth season of NCIS, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired on CBS from September 24, 2019 through April 14, 2020. The season was produced by Belisarius Productions and CBS Television Studios. The season only contained 20 episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ka Hakaka Maikaʻi</span> 6th episode of the 2nd season of Hawaii Five-0

"Ka Hakaka Maika'i" is the sixth episode of the second season of Hawaii Five-0. It aired on October 24, 2011 on CBS. The episode was written by Kyle Harimoto and directed by Larry Teng. The episode included a crossover appearance from Daniela Ruah as Kensi Blye, her character from NCIS: Los Angeles.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 18) Season of television series

The eighteenth season of NCIS, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired on CBS from November 17, 2020 through May 25, 2021. The season only contained 16 episodes, making it the second shortest in the series behind season 21, and includes the series' 400th episode. The season was produced by Belisarius Productions and CBS Studios.

"Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" is the two-part backdoor pilot for the American crime drama NCIS. The episodes aired as the twentieth and twenty-first episodes of the eighth season of the American legal drama JAG. Both episodes were written by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill. "Ice Queen" was directed by Bellisario and aired on CBS on April 22, 2003. "Meltdown" was directed by Scott Brazil and aired on April 29, 2003.

<i>NCIS</i> (season 20) Season of television series

The twentieth season of the American police procedural television series NCIS premiered on September 19, 2022 on CBS during the 2022–23 television season, and concluded on May 22, 2023. This is the first season to not credit Mark Harmon who portrayed Leroy Jethro Gibbs since the show's first season, and the last to feature David McCallum prior to his death on September 25, 2023. This season includes the 450th episode of the series. The season contained 22 episodes.

<i>NCIS: Los Angeles</i> (season 14) Season of television series

The fourteenth and final season of the American police procedural television series NCIS: Los Angeles premiered on October 9, 2022, on CBS, for the 2022–23 television season, and concluded with its two-part series finale on May 14, and May 21, 2023 respectively. The season contained 21 episodes.

The third season of the American police procedural television series NCIS: Hawaiʻi premiered on CBS on February 12, 2024 during the 2023–24 television season.

<i>Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20</i> 2024 television documentary series

Bad Romance: A Special Edition of 20/20 is an American eight-part television documentary series that premiered on ABC on January 22, 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 "Shows A-Z - ncis on cbs". The Futon Critic . Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Douglas Pucci (February 13, 2024). "Monday Ratings: CBS Leads All in Total Viewers with Season Premieres of its Regular Lineup". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (February 20, 2024). "Monday Ratings: NCIS on CBS Pays Tribute to 'Ducky' a.k.a. the Late David McCallum". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (September 25, 2023). "David McCallum Dies: Beloved NCIS Actor & Man From U.N.C.L.E Star Was 90". Deadline Hollywood .
  5. "David McCallum, star of hit TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and NCIS, dies at 90". Yahoo! News . September 25, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  6. Kaufman, Leslie (September 25, 2023). "David McCallum, Heartthrob Spy of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Dies at 90". The New York Times .
  7. "Former 'NCIS' Stars Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly Mourn David McCallum: "He Made Every Moment Count"". Deadline Hollywood . September 25, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Douglas Pucci (February 27, 2024). "Monday Ratings: Modest Start to Deal or No Deal Island on NBC". Program Insider. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (March 5, 2024). "Monday Ratings: Soft Returns for MasterChef Junior and So You Think You Can Dance on Fox" . Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (March 26, 2024). "Monday Ratings: 'The Bachelor' 28th Season Finale on ABC Up Double-Digit Percent from Prior Season Ender" . Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  11. "(#467) "Strange Invaders"". The Futon Critic . Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  12. "(#468) "A Thousand Yards"". The Futon Critic . Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  13. "Writers Rooms Reopen: 'Grey's', '9-1-1', 'NCIS', 'Abbott' & 'Yellowjackets' Among First Shows To Go Back To Work". Deadline.com. September 23, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  14. "'NCIS: LA' Star Daniela Ruah Returns To Direct Two Episodes In 'NCIS' Universe" . Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  15. "NCIS: Daniela Ruah, Vanessa Lachey to 'Cross Over' for Franchise's 1,000th Episode (Exclusive)" . Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  16. Katie Campione (February 29, 2024). "'Tracker' Leads Strong Mid-Season Premiere Week For CBS As Scripted Hits Return In Full Force". Deadline. Retrieved February 29, 2024.