NCIS Season 24 Guide: Cast, Schedule and What's New
- 🔑 NCIS Season 24 premieres Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 8/7c on CBS with the episode “Wayward Son,” bringing back Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, and Gary Cole as the core team.
- Michael Weatherly returns as Tony DiNozzo for a season-long arc, his first time back in the role since 2016; the character is now described as CEO of a private security firm, Salus Mondiale, and producers say the season won’t retcon the short-lived spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
- Director Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll, was killed off during Season 23, and this was confirmed as Carroll’s final season as a series regular; no successor Director has been publicly named as of this writing.
- Season 23 wrapped its 20-episode run on May 12, 2026, after premiering October 14, 2025, and included the franchise’s 500th episode; its central storylines followed Agent Parker’s pursuit of mob boss Carla Marino and his mother’s unsolved death.
- Only three Season 24 episode titles and dates are confirmed so far — “Wayward Son,” “Clean Slate,” and “Sleeping Dogs” — with CBS yet to announce the full episode count or season order.
NCIS Season 24 premieres Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 8/7c on CBS, opening the show’s 24th year with the episode “Wayward Son.” The team is back, but so is a face fans haven’t seen in a decade: Michael Weatherly returns as Tony DiNozzo for a season-long arc, arriving in a season that also has to explain who — if anyone — is running NCIS now that Director Vance is gone.
When does NCIS Season 24 premiere?
NCIS Season 24 premieres Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 8/7c on CBS, according to the network’s own schedule listing. CBS renewed the show for this season on January 22, 2026, while Season 23 was still airing. Production began July 14, 2026, and a first trailer went out September 1, 2026, giving fans a look at the new season ahead of the premiere.
Who’s returning in the NCIS Season 24 cast?
The core team from recent seasons is back intact. Sean Murray returns as Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, Katrina Law as Jessica Knight, Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines, and Gary Cole as Special Agent Alden Parker, who continues leading the field team. Murray is now the franchise’s longest-serving original cast member, having played McGee since the show’s early seasons.
Is Tony DiNozzo actually back on NCIS?
Yes — Michael Weatherly returns as Tony DiNozzo for a season-long arc, his first appearance as the character since leaving the flagship series in 2016. DiNozzo is now described as CEO of his own private security firm, Salus Mondiale, and the show’s producers have said Season 24 will not retcon the events of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, the DiNozzo-and-Ziva spinoff that CBS and Paramount+ cancelled after a single season on December 19, 2025. The September trailer teases DiNozzo warning the team that “something very bad” is happening, with some connection back to that cancelled spinoff’s storyline — but the exact way he re-enters the NCIS orbit hasn’t been detailed publicly beyond that setup, so specifics will have to wait for the premiere itself.
What happened to Director Vance, and who’s in charge now?
Director Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll, was killed off during Season 23, shot in episode 13, “All Good Things,” which aired in March 2026. Carroll appeared again in flashback-style scenes in the Season 23 finale on May 12, 2026, but that was confirmed as his final season as a series regular. As of this writing, CBS has not publicly named a successor to run the agency on screen, and the Director’s office is effectively an open question heading into Season 24 — Parker remains in charge of the field team, but the network hasn’t said who, if anyone, fills Vance’s old role upstairs.
What happened in Season 23 that Season 24 picks up from?
Season 23 premiered October 14, 2025, ran 20 episodes, and concluded May 12, 2026. The season’s central storylines followed Parker’s pursuit of mob boss Carla Marino and his own investigation into his mother’s unsolved death, alongside the fallout from Vance’s death partway through the run. Season 23 also included the franchise’s 500th episode overall, a milestone for a show that’s been on CBS since 2003.
What’s the Season 24 episode schedule so far?
Only three episodes have confirmed titles and air dates right now, with CBS expected to add more as the season progresses.
| Ep. | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayward Son | Oct 6, 2026 |
| 2 | Clean Slate | Oct 13, 2026 |
| 3 | Sleeping Dogs | Oct 20, 2026 |
The show has aired 20-episode seasons in recent years, but CBS has not finalized or announced a full episode count or order for Season 24 as of publication — treat this as the confirmed-so-far schedule rather than the complete season.
Is there more NCIS coming beyond Season 24?
Yes — the franchise keeps expanding alongside the flagship show. The prequel series NCIS: Origins, starring Austin Stowell as a young Gibbs, continues on CBS. Separately, CBS ordered a new spinoff, NCIS: New York, for the 2026–27 season, co-starring LL Cool J reprising his NCIS: Los Angeles character Sam Hanna alongside Scott Caan.
Bottom line
NCIS Season 24 lands October 6 with its biggest cast swing in years — DiNozzo’s return — and its biggest open question: who, if anyone, takes over as Director now that Vance is gone. We’ll update this guide as CBS locks in more episode titles, air dates, and any answers the show gives on that front.