‘NCIS’ Season 23 Schedule Change Explained: When Do New Episodes Air?
The NCIS franchise keeps growing, but even as it does, some of its shows do say goodbye. The mothership, however, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It is, however, moving days and times in fall 2025 and will be airing in its old slot. That change begins with the premiere on Tuesday, October 14.
NCIS, itself a spinoff (of JAG), will be back for its 23rd season, airing as part of CBS‘s 2025-2026 lineup. The series follows a team of special agents who investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties. Read on for everything we know about Season 23, from a premiere date to the cast and more, as well as what’s going on in the franchise as a whole.
When will NCIS Season 23 premiere?
CBS announced its fall 2025 premiere dates in July. NCIS Season 23 will premiere on Tuesday, October 14, at 8/7c. It is returning to its original time slot after airing Mondays at 9/8c since Season 19. It will be followed by NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney for an all-NCIS night.
Where can you stream NCIS Season 23?
Episodes are available to stream on Paramount+, live (Tuesdays at 8/7c) and on demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers and on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after air.
When will NCIS Season 23 episodes air?
Season 23 kicks off with a two-part premiere, airing October 14 and 21. First, in “Prodigal Son (Part 1),” “Reeling from his father’s murder, Parker (Gary Cole) goes to extreme lengths to hunt down the woman he holds responsible, mob boss Carla Marino (Rebecca De Mornay), jeopardizing not only his own future but the team’s.” Then, in “Prodigal Son (Part II),” “Parker’s pursuit of vengeance for his father’s murder could have deadly consequences, while his sister, Navy vice admiral Harriet Parker (Nancy Travis), faces an impossible choice.”
NCIS gets back to the case-of-the-week formula with the October 28 episode, titled “The Sound and the Fury.” In that episode, “When a petty officer’s death is connected to a blackmail investigation, the team is forced to work with Special Agent Sawyer (Zane Holtz) on the case, which takes a terrifying turn for Torres (Wilmer Valderrama). Meanwhile, Knight (Katrina Law) is offered an opportunity to train with NCIS Elite.”
Who’s in the NCIS Season 23 cast?
The drama stars Sean Murray (as Special Agent Timothy McGee), Wilmer Valderrama (as Special Agent Nickolas “Nick” Torres), Brian Dietzen (as Dr. Jimmy Palmer) Diona Reasonover (as Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines), Katrina Law (as Special Agent Jessica Knight), with Rocky Carroll (as NCIS Director Leon Vance) and Gary Cole (as NCIS Special Agent Alden Parker).
How did NCIS Season 22 end?
Parker faced off with his longtime nemesis, mob boss Carla Marino, who kidnapped him and told him killing him — she blamed him for her son’s death, since the agent had informed him of her criminal activity — would be too easy. Instead, Parker arrived him to find his father dead.
What will happen in NCIS Season 23?
We will see the aftermath of Parker finding his father dead, and executive producer Steven D. Binder told TV Insider after the finale that he won’t be in a good place.
“He’s going to be destabilized and he’s going to be out for revenge and out for blood in a way that it will seem very atypical for someone like him, not a way you’d expect a character like him to behave and yet entirely motivated and justified,” he previewed. “We had some precedent in the past in our show with this. Gibbs [Mark Harmon] was a man on fire when his wife and daughter were killed. Bishop [Emily Wickersham] was a woman on fire when someone was attempting to kill Torres. We’re going to see some of that.”
Then, for our Fall Preview in September, Binder teased that we’ll see a Parker who’s reminiscent of his teen years, when he ended up in juvie. Furthermore, Vance tells the team to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere. Rather than do something like leave a file on the desk for an agent to read once he’s left in the room, like he has in the past, the director is back to being “very by the book,” leading to conflict between him and Parker.
Following the resolution of the cliffhanger, every member of the team will have an arc that fits Season 23’s theme, “NCIS on fire.” Get scoop on that here.
Is there an NCIS Season 23 trailer?
Yes, there is, and TV Insider exclusively debuted it in September. You can watch it here, and it offers a look at the aftermath of Parker’s father’s murder.
Which other NCIS shows are airing in 2025-2026 season?
NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney were both renewed, for Seasons 2 and 3, respectively, at the same time as NCIS in February. Plus, there’s a new spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, featuring Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo reprising their roles from the mothership, coming to Paramount+ in fall 2025.
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P
I love NCIS, not NCIS Origins or NCIS Sydney. Wish NCIS New Orleans and NCIS Hawaii was still on.
8
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P
Never liked any of the spinoffs except LA. It got a little weird for a while but Gerald McRaney stabilized things. Chris O’Donnell is a great actor and LL Cool J is just cool.
3
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B
Season 22 is soon ending in South Africa, and I always like to see if there is no 23 coming out, so reading that yes there is 23 is great news. I would have liked to have Gibbs back (to help Parker & the team) as well as Abby; as Parker's sister's liaison officer/crime analyst
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B
I watch ever program of NCIS, Great! Show!
5
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B
Can’t wait to watch the 23rd season of NCIS.
5
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T
I think Tony & Ziva failed because of the adult language. It was unnecessary. None of it added anything to the show. To the contrary it took away from it and was so uncharacteristic of the two characters we'd come to know and love from NCIS.
I hope writers learn that unnecessary adult language doesn't make a show more enjoyable and rarely if ever adds something.
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L
I like Parker. He’s funny as well as serious. All round good guy.
1
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R
I mean both of you got a point Kasie is fine but boring character but replacing Abby after so much time and with their explanation made sense. But I think people i MCRT were replaced too fast. I accepted Bishop and Tores but Knight and parker replaced 2 really good characters and are quite weak. I would appreciate something with old characters like nick or Tim running away to alaska because of something.
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J
Ncis is great. It should never end. They should put tony and ziva back on the show on cbs.
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S
I think there are both good. they both have there own way of doing things but they both make the show good.
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A
I neglected to record the December 9th program of NCIS. Where can I go to find it? (I have 2 days left on my Paramount subscription)
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L
No more NCIS, not same without Tony, Ziva, Abby, Gibbs, no more, my heart is broken..
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P
Your loss
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P
Bishop was one character I was glad to see go. She never fit IMHO.
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P
NCIS Sydney is perhaps the worst show in a long time. The acting is terrible, the plots are poor and the writing terrible.
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C
OMG come already I'm on vacation and I'm addicted, but now I'm not going to watch it no more cause if I fi d something else then this show will go away in my head. Hope I find something good now.
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P
i watch it over and over also there just anything else to watch it would be nice if Jag would would return
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R
I don't like Gary Cole as much as Mark Harmon but yes it was much needed to replace him but I am not sure it was the greatest choice. Either way I am hyped up on Tony and Ziva my 2 favorite characters in NCIS universe.
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