The final episode of NCIS Season 23 aired on May 12th, 2026 and ended with a cliffhanger shooting — leading fans of the long-running show to immediately ask, "Will the show be returning in the fall?" We can answer that question with an unequivocal "yes"! NCIS Season 24 has already been confirmed by CBS and will begin airing in fall 2026.

(Updated June 2026)

When is the NCIS Season 24 release date?

As announced during the CBS upfronts in May, NCIS will continue to air on Tuesday nights throughout the 2026-2027 season, paired with NCIS: Origins and new series NCIS: New York. CBS has not yet announced a definitive release date for NCIS Season 24, but should the show continue the release schedule of the past two years, fans can expect to see NCIS Season 24 debut in mid-October 2026.

NCIS is the long-running military police procedural series that serves as the foundation for the expansive NCIS franchise, which includes spin-offs NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney. The show originated as a backdoor pilot from the show JAG, and the NCIS franchise has subsequently grown to encompass eight different shows, including NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Meanwhile, the flagship NCIS series has become the fifth longest-running scripted primetime TV series in U.S. TV history overall.

Will the NCIS cast remain the same in Season 24?

Initially, despite a cliffhanger Season 23 climax where audiences were left in the dark over whether Torres or Mateo were shot, the full cast was expected to return for the new season, including Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law and Gary Cole. However, Valderrama has teased some future shake-ups in the show, saying in a recent interview, “I will tell you that someone does get hit and people might not like it… I don't want to get in trouble for this one. Let me get in trouble. How about this? Next season, there's some major changes and there are some major additions. What does that mean for Torres? I can only hope that he makes it out alive.”

Whether or not he’s playing with fan uncertainty over the cliffhanger or teasing a significant change to the show — Torres first appeared on the series in 2016 — will remain unknown until NCIS Season 24 debuts.

Is McGee leaving NCIS?

Although many fans were speculating that Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) would be leaving the show as the result of a potential career change for the character — including a potential promotion to Deputy Director — he remains with the Major Case Response Team and has been confirmed as being a part of NCIS Season 24.

Why was Vance killed off on NCIS?

The surprise death of Director Leon Vance in NCIS’s 500th episode in March 2026 came about as part of a plan by showrunner Steven D. Binder to mark the anniversary and surprise fans in the process. Rocky Carroll, who played Vance for 18 seasons, said that he was shocked when first told about Binder’s idea for the episode. "I'm sitting there having this out-of-body experience because I've been told we're going to have this episode basically centered around the death of this character. It dawned on me that we've just finally come to that road,” he told USA Today, adding, "If this had happened in my third season, it would have been devastating. But 18 seasons is rarefied air. If someone offered a role on 'NCIS,' and said something bad is going to happen in Season 18, there's not an actor on the planet who wouldn't say, 'Where do I sign?' It's the equivalent of living until you're 105."

NCIS Season 24 will return in fall 2026.

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