Which route will the intriguing cases of NCIS take now? Continue reading to find out more about NCIS Season 21.
For the last two decades, with each new season, NCIS has proven itself to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of legacy television series. It’s the first installment in the police procedural media franchise, which has over the years promised to be packed with heart-pounding action, intricate investigations, and a cast of brilliant agents!
This gripping drama series will certainly continue to push boundaries and delve deeper into the complex world of special agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service responding to high-visibility crimes. So it’s understandable why there is so much high interest and why many queries are beginning to circulate on the web relating to its current status, which has been raised by fans for weeks all over the NCIS fan community!
Especially ever since the 20th season, which aired its finale episode back on May 22, 2023, which ended with a major cliffhanger, leaving the fans questioning, “Whether NCIS Season 21 is coming in 2023 or not? If not this year, then when?” If you are sharing the same thought, then don’t worry!
Here is everything we currently know about NCIS Season 21’s potential release date.
NCIS Season 21 Release Date: When is it expected to return on CBS?
Even though the previously released 2023–24 fall schedule indicated that the new season would make its official return sometime around the fall season, September 2023 being the ideal release window with new episodes premiering every Monday at 9:00 p.m. on the CBS network, which was a great update for the viewers to get a heads-up! But sadly, the celebrations were short-lived, as since the early announcement, things seem to have taken a wide turn, which was quite unexpected!
The emergence of the ongoing 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which started weeks ago and doesn’t seem to end anytime soon, has caused many Hollywood production houses to halt their work temporarily, with reports circulating that the writing for the upcoming season has not started, which is quite unfortunate when we consider the fact that filming usually begins by the summer season if the network is aiming for its fall release later this year.
This makes any anticipation for the show’s official return in 2023 completely impossible, making the fandom wait for longer than they anticipated! So, if we look at the current status, one thing is noted: the network has also considered some crucial changes behind the scenes for its primetime schedule, just like ABC and NBC. These competing networks have decided to shift the fall schedule for the next year, which will be ideal to avoid any further delays in production.
In conclusion, if the strikes don’t reach an agreement by August 2023, then the creators and the network will be skipping the 2023–24 fall premiere and eventually modify and set the release window for some time around the midseason premiere of 2024, which can start for the first quarter of 2024 (January–March), with a new update schedule to be confirmed by CBS in the coming weeks. It’s only a matter of time before the modified broadcast schedule becomes known to the viewers.
So, to answer your question, we predict that there is no chance for the beloved police procedural drama series to make its comeback in August 2023!
🚨 BIG news – get ready to grab your gear, because we’ve got more work to do. #NCIS has officially been renewed for Season 21! We’ll see you there. pic.twitter.com/Khog7IiXY1
— NCIS (@NCIS_CBS) February 21, 2023
NCIS Season 21: What to expect from the next season?
The series revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, combining elements of military drama, police procedural genres, and comedy. So, even though not much has been revealed, we are sure that the show will be true to the theme like the prior seasons, which follows: NCIS is more than just an action drama. With liberal doses of humor, it’s a show that focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations.
*Spoiler Alert*
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties. The next season will definitely pick up major plotlines from the final episode of NCIS Season 20, “Black Sky,” which is directed by Diana Valentine and written by Brendan Fehily and David J. North.
In the episode, the viewers finally get to see that Torres goes undercover in Yuri’s prison and befriends a young inmate who swears he is framed for a crime he did not commit. He recognizes the young man’s stepfather as someone from his family’s past and calls his sister upon arriving back at NCIS following Yuri’s murder at the hands of his henchmen.
They realize that Yuri’s father, the mastermind of the attack (which would knock out all power in the United States for a prolonged period) had his own son killed due to Yuri’s loose lips. Later in the episode, we can see that after the team halts the attack and brings power back, Torres goes alone to confront the man he recognized, intending to kill him, ending the episode on a cliffhanger.
A major cliffhanger from the previous season’s finale will serve as inspiration for the upcoming season’s storyline expansion and resolution of all unanswered questions. It’s safe to say that the next chapter will be exciting to see as it unfolds all the previous plotlines with major revelations, turns, and twists that no one expected to happen!
Lastly, the cast members who are expected to reprise their roles are as follows:
Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, Katrina Law as Jessica Knight, Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines, David McCallum as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance, Gary Cole as Alden Parker. The series is created by Donald P. Bellisario, and NCIS is produced by Bellisarius Productions in association with CBS Studios. Steven D. Binder, Chas. Floyd Johnson, Mark Horowitz, Mark Harmon, Scott Williams, David North, and Bellisario serve as executive producers.
We would also like to highlight that in order to keep budget expenses down, there may be a cast shake-up, so we have to predict that there are some characters who might not return in the new season and will be revealed later.
Thank YOU for two decades of #NCIS. 👏 We can’t wait for what’s next in season 21! pic.twitter.com/RJ9Qc4WIld
— NCIS (@NCIS_CBS) June 1, 2023
NCIS Season 21 Episodes: Where to stream?
When renewed, the series was given a standard 21 to 22 episode count with an average duration of 39 to 44 minutes, premiering on a weekly basis. But due to cost-cutting or ongoing strikes, the episode count might vary if the network decides to air a shorter season with only 15 to 18 episodes which will help to conclude the run of the 21st season earlier rather than stretching the plot unnecessarily just for the sake of premiering the episodes.
There is another option available in order to compensate for the few episodes in the 21st season, as the network can opt to make the 22nd season (if renewed) a supersized one, which will make the fans happy and the network consistent with the series plotlines and character arcs without compromising much on the quality of the content being produced. To avoid early spoilers, all information on the episode names and synopses will be revealed later as the release date approaches.
If you haven’t been able to keep up with the seasons, then you can watch all the earlier episodes of NCIS exclusively on the CBS website or the CBS app, depending on the user’s location, which will also later be available to watch on the official website. The viewers may also watch as it airs live through platforms like YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Hulu + Live TV. In order to receive updates on when the show premieres, interested viewers can also enable notifications on the streaming services.
The series is also available on Paramount Plus, FuboTV, and Netflix, along with all the prior seasons. The viewers can also stream it by renting or purchasing it on Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, and Google Play, with a vast number of membership plans. Moreover, the series is also available to watch exclusively on Pluto for free based on the viewer’s location. If you don’t have access to the content because of geo-blocking, we recommend trying out any suitable VPN to stream the series.
How to recover from accidentally saying, “I love you,” brought to you by Jimmy Palmer. 😂 #NCIS pic.twitter.com/JTzcXJ9dlc
— NCIS (@NCIS_CBS) June 7, 2023
NCIS Season 21 Frequently Asked Questions
When was NCIS Season 21 renewed?
NCIS is the third-longest-running scripted, non-animated U.S. primetime TV series currently airing, surpassed only by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order. It is the seventh-longest-running scripted U.S. primetime TV series overall and was renewed for a 21st season earlier this year on February 21, 2023.
Is there any promo available?
The network hasn’t released any new promos for the 21st season as filming hasn’t yet commenced, leaving a lot of time for the official marketing to begin, which usually begins a month or two before the premiere. We’ll just have to wait and see what the next few months have in store for us in relation to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, as everything concerning the filming status is also neither here nor there!
Eventually, there is a huge chance that there will be a delay in the release of such promos.
Outside of the USA, where to stream the show?
The show airs on Network Ten and TV Hits (formerly TV1) in Australia, Global (syndicated on sister channels Showcase and Lifetime) in Canada, TV3 and The Box in New Zealand, Seriale+ (premieres), TVN (free-TV premieres), TVN7 (reruns), AXN (reruns), (India) Prime Video, Star World India (Pakistan) ARY Digital, ARY Zindagi, TVOne Pakistan and TV Puls (reruns) in Poland, Disney+ Hotstar and Rock Entertainment in Southeast Asia.
The other platforms for the international audience include CBS Justice, Channel 5 and 5USA in the United Kingdom, M6 in France, RTÉ2 in Ireland, Rai 2 in Italy, and Ion Television in the USA. In the UK, certain NCIS multi-part episodes were edited together to make a combined feature and shown on Channel 5, 5USA, CBS Action, and Fox UK. We would also like to emphasize that these platforms are still subject to change which might get substituted in the future.
🫶🫶🫶 #NCIS https://t.co/cE8jJ7ozhb
— NCIS (@NCIS_CBS) July 7, 2023
Catch up on the previous episodes while you wait for more NCIS Season 21 updates.