NCIS left fans with a major cliffhanger and possible death to end season 23 — so will the full cast be returning next season?
“If you ask me to speculate, I think there’s a major, major shakeup happening,” Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Nick Torres, told People in June 2026 after his character pulled a gun on Timothy McGee’s (Sean Murray) son, Mateo (Patrick Keleher), in a dark alley after confronting him during the finale about secretly logging into an NCIS computer.
The actor teased, “Next season, there’s some major changes and there are some major additions. What does that mean for Torres? I can only hope that he makes it out alive.”
NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder confirmed to TV Insider that “someone was hit” during that pivotal shootout scene, but revealed death won’t be the outcome.
“I sort of had my fill this season, all of us, of killing people. So I can rule that out,” Binder explained in May 2026, referring to NCIS Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) being killed off during season 23. “And also, there’s not a lot of fun there. When someone’s dead, they’re dead.”
Scroll down to see which cast members are — and aren’t — coming back for season 24:
Sean Murray
Murray’s Timothy McGee is the only remaining character from season 1 of the flagship series and there are no signs of his departure anytime soon.
“We’re still trying to do different shows and not trying to just do the same old thing. We’re trying to bring new stuff into it,” Murray exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2025, reflecting on his NCIS journey. “And I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve never been bored here. … We’re always looking for the kind of, the interesting angle on things and a different take.”
Based on the season 23 finale, McGee’s dynamic with his teenage son (Keleher), whom he recently learned existed, will be a major focus next season. During the May 2026 finale, McGee’s son claimed he didn’t want to have an NCIS internship, only to be flushed out by Torres (Valderrama), who discovered he’s accessed their servers but kept the reason under wraps.
Wilmer Valderrama
Valderrama is expected to reprise his role as Nick Torres during season 24, but his condition following the explosive finale has not been revealed.
“To be honest, I don’t think we figured that one out yet,” Valderrama told People in June 2026 of what will happen to Torres now that someone got a shot off in the alley, hinting Torres or Mateo could be injured. “I don’t think we have an idea yet. I asked, ‘What do we want from it,’ but I will tell you that someone does get hit and people might not like it.”
Gary Cole
Gary Cole joined the cast during season 19 in 2021. With Director Leon Vance (Carroll) no longer at the helm of the office following his season 23 death, Cole’s Alden Parker will seemingly continue to hold down the fort for season 24.
Katrina Law
Katrina Law began playing Special Agent Jessica Knight during season 18 in 2021. She is the only female agent in the office, and after a brief stint on the REACT team, it appears as though she’ll be firmly planted back at NCIS next season.
Brian Dietzen
As the chief medical examiner, Brian Dietzen’s Dr. Jimmy Palmer has appeared to find his forever home on NCIS.
Diona Reasonover
Season 23 gave fans a little more insight into forensic scientist Kasie Hines’ background and actress Diona Reasonover has hinted there is plenty more where that came from.
“I would love to see an episode where Kasie is basically, like, trying so hard to [have] this new persona that she’s like Jim Carrey in Yes, Man, where she decides that she’s only gonna be an open book and only tell everybody everything that’s going on for the day and see what happens,” Reasonover exclusively told Us in April 2026 after fans learned about Kasie’s college girlfriend and her romantic past after years of being quiet about it.
Patrick Keleher
Keleher made his NCIS debut during season 23 as McGee’s (Murray) son. During the season finale, he was confronted by Torres (Valderrama) about why he was sneaking around the NCIS servers, but instead of answering he pulled out a gun and told Torres to back off.
Based on the cliffhanger — and showrunner Binder’s tease about no one being dead — viewers should expect Keleher to reprise the role in at least one episode next season.
Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon originated the character of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS. He exited in the series during season 19 in 2022, but has continued to narrate and play adult Gibbs on NCIS: Origins.
Harmon’s return to the OG series has not been confirmed, but since his character is alive, there’s always a chance.
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