When will NCIS return with season 24? Details as franchise makes major change


NCIS season 23 ended on a major cliffhanger… and viewers will have to wait until the fall return of season 24 to find out what happens


Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee and Wilmer Valderrama as NCIS Special Agent Nicholas "Nick" Torres on NCIS in 2025© Getty Images
Beatriz Colon
Beatriz ColonNew York Writer - New York
2 minutes ago
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Naturally, NCIS season 23 ended with a cliffhanger, and you'll have to wait until the next season premieres to find out what happens.

On the May 12 finale episode, Special Agent Nick Torres, Wilmer Valderrama's character, was trying to convince Special Agent Timothy McGee's (Sean Murray) newly discovered son, Mateo (Patrick Keleher), to put down the gun he was holding, after he caught him doing something suspicious on the NCIS computers.

"They could be watching," Mateo said, before the camera panned away and a shot rang out, leaving viewers unclear about who was shot, who survived the confrontation, and what secrets Mateo was hiding from his father, McGee. 

Read on for everything we know about the major cliffhanger, when season 24 is coming, and the changes coming to the NCIS franchise.

Wilmer Valderrama as NCIS Special Agent Nicholas "Nick" Torres, Gary Cole as NCIS Special Agent Alden Parker, and Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee on NCIS© Getty
A shot rang out during a scene between Wilmer and Patrick's charaters

About that cliffhanger…

Things won't necessarily be looking up when NCIS returns. Showrunner Steven D. Binder, speaking with TV Line, confirmed after the finale aired: "Someone was hit. I can confirm that."

However, he did share: "I sort of had my fill this season, all of us, of killing people. So I can rule that out. And also, there's not a lot of fun there. When someone's dead, they're dead. It's much more interesting — I'll think back to when Gibbs shot McGee. It's much more fun when someone's alive and been shot than when they're dead. And by fun, I mean, interesting."

Gary Cole as NCIS Special Agent Alden Parker, Wilmer Valderrama as NCIS Special Agent Nicholas Torres, Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee, and Katrina Law as NCIS Special Agent Jessica Knight in NCIS season 23© CBS
NCIS will return in October

When is NCIS coming back?

Though no specific release date has been announced yet, NCIS is expected to follow its usual premiere schedule, returning for its 24th season in October.

It will maintain both its Tuesday air date and 8pm ET time slot, however what airs after is changing; new spin-off NCIS: New York will be airing right after NCIS, followed by its prequel spin-off NCIS: Origins, which is going into its third season.

LL Cool J and Scott Caan attend CBS Fest 2026 at Paramount Pictures Studios on April 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California© FilmMagic
A new spin-off will follow the NCIS season 24 premiere

What to know about NCIS: New York

LL Cool J is set to reprise his NCIS: LA role of Sam Hanna in the forthcoming spin-off NCIS: New York, which will premiere after NCIS' season 24 finale, which is expected in the fall. 

His co-lead is Scott Caan, who previously played Detective Danny Williams on Hawaii Five-0, which crossed over with NCIS: LA, and though little is known about the series, his character is described as a "roguish agent."

An official logline reads: "Legendary NCIS Agent Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) returns to his hometown of New York City to their field office, partnering with a roguish agent (Scott Caan) and helping lead a new team as they are tasked with high-stakes missions to defend one of the most vital cities and ports in the world.”

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