NCIS Season 21: Cast, Latest News, Return Date, and Everything to Know

Will CBS's long-running NCIS ever stop? Nope. Season 21 is about to kick off, but it seems like the Naval Criminal Investigative Service can go on for another 21 seasons without a problem. 

Created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, NCIS follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they investigate high-level crimes involving the Navy, the Marines, and other military arms. Led by Sean Murray, Katrina Law, and Wilmer Valderrama, the series — itself a spin-off of JAG — has launched three offshoots, including NCIS: Los Angeles, which ended in May 2023; NCIS: New Orleans, which wrapped in 2021; and NCIS: Hawai'i, which will enter its third season in February. The franchise's first international edition, NCIS: Sydney, was also added to the mix this year.

No official information has been released about NCIS's new season, but considering how things ended for Valderrama's Nick Torres in the Season 20 finale, there's reason to be worried about his character's future. While Season 21 didn't hit its presumed fall 2023 return due to the actors and writers strikes, we're keeping you up to date on all the news as it comes out, including a release date, returning cast members, and more.

NCIS Season 21 latest news

Our long national nightmare is over! Following the tentative resolution of the actors strike, CBS announced the premiere dates for its returning series. NCIS will be back for Season 21 on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, the day after CBS airs the Super Bowl. We're still waiting for word on how many episodes Season 21 will be, but expect it to be either 10 or 13 episodes long, as that's the target for most CBS shows returning in 2024.

NCIS Season 21 release date prediction

CBS renewed the long-running scripted series for Season 21 in February 2023 with the intention of having it premiere in the fall, as it was originally part of the network's fall lineup. But the writers and actors strikes for fair compensation delayed the show's return. However, following the tentative resolution of the actors strike in November 2023, CBS announced that NCIS will be returning on Feb. 12, 2024. 

Previously, CBS scheduled a workaround during the strikes and make sure the NCIS drought was barely felt. It aired a special encore episode on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 8/7c, before running a marathon of back-to-back-to-back NCIS episodes on Monday, Sept. 25 at 8/7c to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary. (It premiered Sept. 23, 2003 on CBS.) It then settles into its Mondays at 10/9c time slot with weekly re-airings of classic NCIS episodes beginning Oct. 2.

What will NCIS Season 21 be about?

Season 20 ended on an ominous note for Torres, who was reunited with a mysterious man (played by Al Sapienza) from his past. After starting the finale episode deep undercover as a prison inmate working on a case, Torres' plans changed once he saw the man in the jail. With his interest piqued, the NCIS special agent broke the news to his sister over the phone that he "found him" and that the man was "still alive," which meant he and his sister had a tumultuous history with him.

At the end of the hour, Torres had a big surprise up his sleeve for the man as he waited in a darkened corner in a house somewhere. When the man entered the room and turned on the lights, he was shocked to see Torres, calmly seated in a chair — gun in hand, ready to pull the trigger. Torres asked the man whether he recognized him. A few seconds passed before the man finally put two and two together: "Nicky." When the man asked Torres what he wanted, the NCIS special agent snarled, "What I always wanted: to watch you die." Just as Torres lifts the gun up, the screen cut to black. 

It's rare for anyone on the NCIS team to cross the line morally and ethically, but there are a handful of extenuating circumstances that have led an agent down that path. Consider Gibbs, who killed the guy responsible for murdering his first wife and daughter. The question is: Will Torres follow suit? And will he begin the new season in an even darker place than before? We'll have to wait for Season 21 to find out.

Who will be in NCIS Season 21?

There hasn't been any indication that any of the main players on NCIS will be departing ahead of Season 21, including Valderamma's Nick Torres, who had quite the cliffhanger in the last episode of Season 20. Until we hear otherwise, we think it's safe to assume everyone featured last season will return in the same capacity. 

Here are the main Season 20 cast members:

• Sean Murray as Timothy McGee
• Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres
• Katrina Law as Jessica Knight 
• Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer
• Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines
• David McCallum as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard
• Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance
• Gary Cole as Alden Parker

Will Mark Harmon and other NCIS vets return for Season 21?

It's unlikely, but never say never. Longtime NCIS star Mark Harmon, who played team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs since the series debuted in 2003, departed the veteran CBS procedural during Season 19 with a fond farewell episode in October 2021. In Harmon's final on-screen appearance, Gibbs decided not to return to the job. Instead, he handed the reins to his mentee, McGee, in a bittersweet passing of the torch. 

"As an executive producer and dear friend, Mark continues to be an integral part of the fabric of the show. Our north star has always been staying true to our characters, and that truth has always guided the stories we tell and where those characters go," executive producer and showrunner Steven D. Binder said in an official statement after Harmon's last episode aired. "So regarding the future of Gibbs, as longtime fans of the show may have noticed over the years… never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out." 

Harmon later addressed his decision to leave the series after nearly two decades, alluding to the fact that it was time to close this chapter of his career for now in a Season 19 DVD featurette. "What has always drawn me here is the character I play and to keep it fresh and to keep it challenging," he said. "Plot-wise, this character has taken the path that it did. I thought it was honest and [I was] OK with [it]." His name eventually was taken off the opening credits starting with the Season 20 premiere.

It's also uncertain whether any previous NCIS cast members, like Michael Weatherly, who played senior field agent Anthony DiNozzo, will be back for the upcoming season. Weatherly, who left in 2016, has kept the door open for a possible return, responding to a fan in January 2023 who wished for a reunion between DiNozzo and Cote de Pablo's Ziva David, who returned for multiple episodes in Seasons 16 and 17: "Stay tuned… for this may be the year for such 'moments'!" Meanwhile, Pauley Perrette, who played forensic specialist Abby Sciuto and who exited the series in 2018, reminded fans on Twitter in July 2020 that she is now "retired" from acting.

Shows like NCIS

Looking for shows like NCIS as we wait for Season 21? Check out our list of military and crime dramas to binge-watch. 

Where can I watch NCIS?

All 20 seasons of NCIS are available to stream on Paramount+, while the first 15 seasons are available for your viewing pleasure on Netflix. The most recent 20th season is available on Pluto TV.

CBS is re-airing episodes of NCIS Mondays this fall starting with a three-hour 20th anniversary mini-marathon on Sept. 25, followed by weekly encore episodes beginning Oct. 2 at 10/9c.