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NCIS Season 23 recap: What to remember before season 24 of the long-running show debuts on CBS

Who lived, and who died, after that season 23 cliffhanger shooting?

Guides by Avery Kaplan, Contributing writer

Published on Wed Aug 19 2026

The long-running procedural police drama series NCIS will be returning to CBS for its twenty-fourth season in the fall of 2026. And not only can you expect the main characters to have another season worth of cases to tackle, you can also plan for the return of Michael Weatherly as Tony DiNozzo. Here's what to remember about NCIS before the show returns for Season 24 on CBS.

What is NCIS?

Short for Naval Criminal Investigation Service, NCIS is the foundation for a franchise that includes NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney. The show follows a special group of agents from the agency, which actually exists in the real world - the Major Case Response Team. That's also a real thing, although the actual MCRT of the NCIS don't get into the kinds of dramatic cases on a weekly basis that their television counterparts do. The show originated as a spin-off from the eighth season of the CBS procedural JAG.

The current cast includes Sean Murray as Senior Field Agent Timothy McGee, Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nicholas Torres, Diona Reasonover as Forensic Specialist Kasie Hines, Katrina Law as Special Agent Jessica Knight and Gary Cole as Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker.

How did NCIS Season 23 end?

Fans of the series are on the edge of their seats awaiting the arrival of NCIS Season 24 on CBS thanks to the fact that Season 23 concluded with a cliffhanger. The episode "Sons and Daughters" concluded with a standoff in an alleyway between Agent Torres and Agent McGee's long-lost teenage son, Mateo Garcia (Patrick Keleher). As the episode ended, a gunshot was heard... However, it is unclear who pulled the trigger and whether or not either of the characters had been shot.

The answer that cliffhanger and more are coming your way when. NCIS Season 24 debuts on CBS on October 6th, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET/PT.

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Avery Kaplan: Avery lives and writes in Southern California. She is the co-author of Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority with her spouse, Rebecca Oliver Kaplan. Avery is Features Editor at Comics Beat, and you can also find her writing on StarTrek.com, The Gutter Review, Geek Girl Authority, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.