CBS Declares ‘NCIS Day’ in Honor of the Series’ 20 Years on Air
CBS is throwing a celebration for long-running procedural drama 'NCIS's 20th anniversary.
In celebration of its 20 years on the air, CBS has declared Monday, Sept. 25. “NCIS Day,” and it will kick off the event with a mini NCIS marathon by going back to where it all began and airing the NCIS Season one premiere episode, which starred Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Sasha Alexander and David McCallum.
Mark Harmon and David McCallum
NCIS Season One Premiere Episode (OAD: 9/23/2003)
In the episode, a Marine dies onboard Air Force One, and the plane is grounded as NCIS, the FBI and Secret Service all vie for jurisdiction over the case. Of course, Special Agent Gibbs (Harmon) figures out a way to get the body for Ducky (McCallum) to autopsy, in essence taking control of the investigation. Even so, he still goes head-to-head with Secret Service Agent Kate Todd (Alexander), who it turns out is dating another Marine officer who dies under similar circumstances as the first death. Gibbs and Todd realize they are dealing with an assassination plot against the president and need to quickly solve the case. As a result of her actions, Todd loses her job as a Secret Service Agent, but gets hired by Gibbs who she impressed.
Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly
NCIS Second Season Finale Episode (OAD: 5/10/2005)
The series premiere will be followed by the NCIS second season finale episode, “SWAK,” in which a letter delivered to NCIS that has been sealed with a kiss is opened by Tony DiNozzo (Weatherly), who assumes it is for him, but when he opens it, a mysterious white powder is dispersed into the squad room. The team is forced into quarantine, while Abby (Pauley Perrette) tests the powder to determine its origin. It turns out to be a lethal, genetically altered version of the plague. Only DiNozzo and Todd are affected and placed into a bio-hazard isolation ward, fighting for their lives, as Gibbs and Tim McGee (Sean Murray) race to try to find the antidote.
Gary Cole, Sean Murray
NCIS Season 19 Episode (OAD: 1/17/2022)
The third and final episode of the night is from Season 19, “All Hands,” when a civilian research vessel in the North Atlantic picks up a small boat of wounded Navy officers, Special Agent Parker (Gary Cole) and his NCIS team arrive on the “ghost” ship and are forced to hide after discovering terrorists on board.
The mini-marathon airs from 8-11 p.m. on Sept. 25 on CBS with streaming available on Paramount+*.
Related: NCIS: Sydney Will Make Its U.S. Premiere on CBS This Fall
20 Percent Off NCIS Merchandise
For fans of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service series, who have yet to purchase a cap, mug, T-shirt or other apparel with the series logo, CBS will be holding a sale with NCIS merchandise 20 percent off with code NCIS20 at checkout in the NCIS storefront of ParamountShop.com from Sept. 7 through Oct. 2. There will also be an on-air QR/discount code displayed periodically throughout the NCIS marathon so fans can more easily scan and shop.
NCIS Social Media Update
In addition, Sept. 18 will see the launch of a new joint @NCISverse handle across all of CBS’ NCIS franchise’s social media platforms to engage the shows’ fans with a more immersive experience!
The debut of CBS’ own social take on the show’s Bandium app, which Gary Cole’s Special Agent Alden Parker introduced to the NCIS team during Season 19 (see clip above) to “revolutionize” how the team shares information and gets case alerts and updates.
CBS’ version of “Bandium,” accessed through an opt-in messenger feature on Instagram and Facebook, will enable “special agent fans at home” to receive exclusive content, personalized shareable content, special announcements and more!
CBS
Beginning Monday, Sept. 18, fans can log in to their Meta accounts (Facebook or Instagram) for early opt-in access to “Bandium.”
Those who opt-in before the mini marathon will receive a special message and a “first look” trailer on “NCIS Day” for the new series NCIS: Sydney (which debuts Monday, Nov. 13 on CBS).
Related: Go Behind-the-Scenes of Mark Harmon’s Teary Exit That Rocked the NCIS Cast and Crew
NCIS premiered Sept. 23, 2003. Now, it’s 459 episodes later and four other series in the franchise: NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai’i, and NCIS: Sydney. In addition, NCIS has been a top 20 series for 18 of its 20 seasons and has been television’s top broadcast drama for the last five consecutive seasons—and 13 of the last 14.
The current cast includes Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nickolas “Nick” Torres, Katrina Law as Special Agent Jessica Knight, Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Diona Reasonover as forensic scientist Kasie Hines, with Rocky Carroll as NCIS Director Leon Vance and Gary Cole as NCIS Special Agent Alden Parker.
