After two decades on television, some may think that there’s not much more NCIS can do to surprise folks. Well, it looks like season 20 did just that, because viewers were left stunned by the bombs dropped throughout the installment.
In the span of 22 episodes, fans saw massive changes for the group of government agents, including Jimmy (Brian Dietzen) confessing his love for Knight (Katrina Law) by publicly declaring it in front of his co-workers. But what really set people off was a massive cliffhanger about Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), who went undercover in jail to gain clues about a supposed Russian terrorist attack. He not only got answers, but he found someone who may unlock some dark secrets he never planned on sharing with anyone.
Given the surprise twist at the end, it’s no surprise people are already itching for a season 21. Thankfully, the show got renewed for another year, with much more in store for our favorite team. Here’s what to expect from NCIS season 21, including its release date, cast, spoilers and more.
Will there be season 21 of NCIS?
On February 21, viewers of the longtime drama received word that NCIS would be back for season 21. The show announced the huge news on Instagram, along with a video montage revealing that it will return for the 2023-2024 television season.
“BIG news,” the show’s social team captioned the post. “Get ready to grab your gear, we’ve got more work to do. #NCIS has officially been renewed for Season 21! We’ll see you there.”
Though there is no release date yet for NCIS season 21 episodes, CBS confirmed that the popular series will keep its Monday night slot at 9 p.m. ET. NCIS: Hawaii will then follow up with new season 3 episodes at 10 p.m. ET.
In the meantime, you can hit “save” at the top of this article to keep up with the latest information about NCIS season 21, including when it will premiere.
Who will be in the cast of NCIS season 21?
Based on the events from the season 20 finale, here’s who fans can expect to be in the NCIS season 21 cast:
- Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee
- Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nick Torres
- Katrina Law as Special Agent Jessica Knight
- Gary Cole as Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker
- Brian Dietzen as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer
- Diona Reasonover as Forensic Specialist Kasie Hines
- Rocky Carroll as NCIS Director Leon Vance
- David McCallum as NCIS Historian and former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard
One person who may play a critical role next season is Al Sapienza, who debuted in the season 20 finale as an unknown older man who chats with a young prisoner at the jail Torres is undercover at. While the season finale infers the two have some history, it’ll likely be explored come season 21.
Are there any spoilers for NCIS season 21?
While it’s unclear what storylines will be fleshed out in the new season, NCIS left a major cliffhanger during the season 20 finale involving Torres. After spending the episode going undercover in a prison to discover the culprit behind a mysterious Russian attack, the agent learned from Evelyn Shaw (guest star Juliette Goglia) that inmates knew a federal agent was among them. What’s more, the group discovered that current inmate Yuri (Themo Melikidze) and his father Kostya Valkov (Ilia Volok) were in cahoots to try and cause an electrical blackout across the U.S., or what Ducky called a “black sky event.”
Eventually Torres makes his way out of prison, but not without seeing an older man (Al Sapienza) speaking with another prisoner who claimed he was in jail for something he didn’t do. As the group tried to stop Evelyn, who is really Valkov’s daughter and the one who released the blackout virus, Torres went to the older man’s home. Turns out, he held an unspoken key to Torres’ past, leading Torres to pick up a gun and say he wants to see him die.
With this massive twist, fans immediately ran to Twitter with thoughts on what the connection may be. “I’m guessing an ex-boyfriend of [Torres]’ mom that likely stole mom’s life savings and ran … for Nick to want to kill him, he had to have done something more serious than that,” one person wrote on Reddit. “I think the guy dated Torres’ mom, screwed her financially and left, or framed Torres the same way he’s doing for his current victim,” another agreed in part. “I think this is a stepdad that came into their lives after Torres’ real dad left … He must have did something to the family during his time. Maybe conned them when they already were poor?” a different follower added.
Needless to say, folks better prepare for a deep dive into Torres’ life before NCIS …
