NCIS may be 23 seasons in, but the show is still as intense as ever. The long-running procedural, which is coming up on 500 episodes, has been bringing the tension and action amid its current season, which is airing as part of the 2026 TV schedule, and it seems there's still much to look forward to. NCIS has nine episodes left in Season 23, and recent comments from Wilmer Valderrama have me seriously worried about what's to come.
Unsurprisingly, shows that have run as long as NCIS experience changes every once in a while to keep things fresh, and that’s one of the great elements of this particular procedural. The producers still manage to keep viewers on the edge of their seats even after two decades, and that was most recently the case with Bishop's surprising return. Unfortunately, it seems like something bad could be coming to NCIS in the near future, as Valderrama teased to TVLine that there are “major shakeups” coming, but there's one specific sentiment he shared that's truly ominous:
Like we were talking about, you pull a lever, and you've got to have a plan? We pull a major lever this season. I can't tell you much of the what, the who, or the how. But what I can tell you is that it's a moment of no return.
That “moment of no return” comment definitely has me feeling uneasy. Over the years, there have been several instances throughout NCIS’ run where a character or two will make a decision that permanently changes the course of their professional or personal life. At the beginning of this season, Parker nearly had a moment of no return when he was trying to get revenge for his father’s murder. However, it sounds like whatever happens in these remaining episodes will be even bigger and will really set up Season 24:
Article continues belowOnce we break the mold, we're rebuilding it again within the next couple of episodes, and then we create a theme for next season. That's the thing this show does really well. Towards the last couple of episodes, we start telegraphing what the theme of next season is going to be, and we're definitely shaking it up.
It's hard to say exactly what kind of shake-ups Valderrama is alluding to. They could have to do with personal dynamics within the team, as Torres and Knight have been getting closer. Or perhaps it’s a shake-up within the Naval team from a professional standpoint.
Also, it's been a while since NCIS lost or added a cast member and, each year, fans worry about who might depart the show next and how. There have been a few fake-outs over the years, in which fans thought someone would leave but then they ended up returning. However, maybe a permanent departure is on the horizon.
That being said, Valderrama seems to be pretty excited about the direction NCIS is going in. It can only be assumed that since the series was only just renewed for Season 24 in January, that he or anyone else on the cast doesn’t know what exactly will happen beyond Season 23. Still, with the way these final episodes are setting up Season 24, it sounds like it will be both exciting and nerve-wracking, depending on which way it goes:
I will tell you this: We lead 'NCIS' into a road that I think the fans have been wanting to see for a while, and it's going to pay off in the finale, but it's really gonna take off in Season 24. We've listened to the fans. We know where they want to go, so we're going to take them there.
The fact that it seems like fans might be happy about where the show is going is a bit of a relief, but I am still nervous about the potential changes. Shake-ups aren't necessarily bad, of course but, now, I’m just gonna keep thinking about them until they happen. On that note, new episodes of NCIS air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.
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