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NCIS Season 24: Release Date, Major Cast Return, and Everything Else to Know

Guess who's coming back!

Philiana Ng
Michael Weatherly, NCIS

Michael Weatherly, NCIS

Robert Voets/CBS

When a show has been around for more than two decades like NCIS has, the past eventually becomes the present. One of NCIS's most beloved characters is officially returning for Season 24: Michael Weatherly, one of the original stars of CBS's long-running military procedural, will be back as fan-favorite Tony DiNozzo for a season-long storyline. While we don't know the details about how he comes into the picture, Weatherly's presence injects a welcomed jolt of nostalgia after the death of Rocky Carroll's NCIS Director Leon Vance in the franchise's 500th episode.

And he'll be walking into a season full of drama. Last season's finale ended on a cliffhanger that left viewers on pins and needles — Did Torres get shot?! Did he survive?! — so it's difficult not to count down the days until NCIS is back on our TVs. "Look, every couple of years, you guys know NCIS has to make sure you're watching. So we shake up the TV a little bit and we listen," Wilmer Valderrama told People. "And we listen to where you as fans want to see us do. So we always really pay attention to what our fans want to really experience on the show."

Everything you need for fall TV:

So what can we expect from NCIS Season 24? To prepare for the upcoming installment, we compiled everything you need to know, including its premiere date, returning cast members, potential storylines, and much more.

NCIS Season 24 release date

NCIS Season 24 will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 8/7c on CBS, kicking off a three-hour block of NCIS programming full of military intrigue. (See the CBS fall 2026 TV schedule here.) NCIS: Origins will return on the same day with Season 3 at 9/8c, followed by new spin-off NCIS: New York, featuring the return of NCIS: LA's LL Cool J as Sam Hanna, at 10/9c. The international edition, NCIS: Sydney, is slated to return midseason for Season 4 on Paramount+.

Who is returning to NCIS? Who won't be returning?

On July 1, CBS announced that former NCIS star Michael Weatherly is reprising his role as Tony DiNozzo for a season-long arc in Season 24. It marks Weatherly's return to the franchise after starring in Paramount+'s NCIS: Tony & Ziva spin-off in 2025, and making a cameo in Ducky's tribute episode on NCIS in 2024. Weatherly was previously an original cast member on the first 13 seasons of NCIS, appearing in more than 300 episodes.

Rocky Carroll will not be returning to NCIS after his character, NCIS Director Leon Vance, was killed off in the 500th episode. That doesn't mean he will be out of the NCIS universe forever. Carroll returned to direct his 29th episode following his character's death, and we wouldn't be surprised if he steps behind the camera again in Season 24.

In fact, Carroll left the door open for the possibility of Vance's onscreen return. "I don't think you've seen the last of Director Vance," the actor told TV Insider. "I think NCIS has cornered the market in the ghost stars, people returning, being, and playing significant characters. We do more ghost stars than we do flashbacks."

How did NCIS Season 23 end?

Wilmer Valderrama, NCIS

Wilmer Valderrama, NCIS

Robert Voets/CBS

On quite the nailbiter, leaving the fate of two characters up in the air. In the final minutes of the finale, "Sons and Daughters," Torres found himself in a tense alleyway standoff with McGee's son, Mateo (Patrick Keleher), after he discovered that the younger McGee lied about his NCIS cyber internship application. Armed with a weapon, Mateo tells McGee to drop the subject, warning him that "they could be watching" and asking Torres to leave. As Torres points his gun at Mateo, a gunshot is heard before the screen fades to black.

Who pulled the trigger? Who was the one hit? Is Torres OK? These are exactly the type of questions NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder wants viewers to ask and he plans to jump right into answering them when Season 24 kicks off. "We'll either do a direct pickup, or some time will pass and we'll have a few flashbacks to that," he told TVLine.

Binder also confirmed that someone was struck by the gunshot but neither Mateo nor Torres are biting the dust. "Someone was hit. I can confirm that," he told TV Insider. "I sort of had my fill this season, all of us, of killing people. So I can rule that out... It's much more fun when someone's alive and been shot than when they're dead. And by fun, I mean, interesting."

NCIS Season 24 cast

Welcome back, Tony DiNozzo! While the NCIS fan favorite will return for multiple episodes in Season 24, the mothership won't be bringing back Vance. Here are the confirmed cast members for Season 24.

NCIS main cast:

NCIS recurring cast:

Will NCIS: Tony & Ziva be worked into Tony's storyline?

Yes! Fans expressed concern that what transpired on NCIS: Tony & Ziva would not be acknowledged on NCIS once Tony DiNozzo returned to the fold. But Weatherly made assurances that the Paramount+ spin-off, which reunited Tony and Ziva (Coté de Pablo) as fugitives framed for a global cyberattack, would be woven into Tony's storyline and not forgotten.

Here's a refresher on what happened at the end of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, in case you forgot: The pair rescue their daughter, Tali (Isla Gie), from danger and thwart a dangerous takeover plan masterminded by their ally-turned-foe Jonah Markham (Julian Ovenden), who later dies in prison from an apparent suicide. After spending the season co-parenting, Tony and Ziva decide to get back together in the finale — with Tali's blessing.

"There is a definite connection between [Tony & Ziva] and the canon that that created," Weatherly told fans at a recent U.K. convention. "There's not going to be retconning of, like, oh, Tony & Ziva never happened." Whew!

Where to watch NCIS

All 23 seasons of NCIS are available to stream on Paramount+ with a subscription. Select seasons are also available to watch on Netflix and Hulu.

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