Sadly, NCIS season 22 has confirmed my worst fears about the show, and I hope that CBS fixes it before it is too late. As one of broadcast TV’s longest-running shows, NCIS is already an institution. It has weathered so many changes in the past, including Mark Harmon’s exit in NCIS season 19 as Leroy Jethro Gibbs — something that I expected would be the end of the show. That said, it moved forward, and even staged some of its most memorable episodes in over 2 decades on the air. Unfortunately, it caught a snag in season 22.
After a shortened NCIS season. 21 due to the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023, the police procedural returned to its usual episode count. This meant that it had more time to explore both ongoing storylines and episodic narratives. Jessica Knight’s cliffhanger fate was immediately resolved, when she eventually returned to MCRT. Parker had a massive year, as he was reunited with his nemesis, Carla Marino, while Timothy McGee’s competition with Gabriel LaRoche ultimately ended in disappointment. Overall, however, NCIS season 22 was lackluster, which was made worse by what was happening in the bigger universe.
NCIS: Origins Was Overall Better Than NCIS Season 22
Gibbs’ Prequel Had So Much Heart
Admittedly, when NCIS: Origins was first announced, I was lukewarm about the idea. Gibbs’ personal story was already extensively tackled in the flagship series, although sporadically, since it was interwoven with its procedural format. Still, I thought that NCIS already tackled everything that it could when it came to Gibbs’ personal life, including his history with Pedro Hernandez. It wasn’t until a few episodes in of NCIS: Origins season 1 that I started to really like it — when they began expanding its storytelling beyond Gibbs to other members of Mike Franks’ NIS team.
By the time NCIS: Origins kicked off the back half of its debut year, I was fully invested. The prequel tackled a variety of stories, from learning other people who helped Gibbs during the darkest period of his life to getting to know his co-workers better thanks to having their own dedicated episode. More impressively, NCIS: Origins season 1 was able to do this by also sending the NIS to weekly cases that were both intriguing and compelling.
Throughout its run thus far, NCIS: Origins ran back-to-back with the flagship series, with NCIS serving as its lead-in, which has always been the norm for TV franchises. However, it also made it far easier to compare the shows. In terms of tone, NCIS: Origins was expectedly darker and grittier, primarily because of the premise, but also to differentiate itself from its parent show. While that helped the spinoff, it just magnified NCIS season 22’s lacking storytelling.
NCIS Season 22’s Storytelling Didn’t Feel Like There Were Stakes
Cases Were Far Too Goofy
As NCIS: Origins delivered heart-wrenching narratives, NCIS season 22 felt like it was becoming sillier than usual. Serious moments were cut off prematurely by one-liners and the kind of cases that the MCRT responded to didn’t really have the emotional punch that made viewers care deeply. As a long-time viewer of NCIS, I know that the procedural is more humorous compared to its peers thanks to naturally comedic characters such as Michael Weatherly’s Anthony DiNozzo. That being said, when it came to work, the special agents were focused and serious, because the cases to begin with were weighty.
Veteran experiences, parents grieving their kids, or former fellow navy officers struggling to get reintegrated into society after being discharged — NCIS has successfully told a variation of these procedural plots before. They speak to the heart of the show, which is telling relatable stories from the Naval community.
Don’t get me wrong, there were certainly heavier moments peppered throughout the year. The NCIS season 22 finale ending with Parker discovering his murdered father was tragic. However, the CBS institution used to evoke the same drama not just with its personal storylines but also with its cases. Veteran experiences, parents grieving their kids, or former fellow navy officers struggling to get reintegrated into society after being discharged — NCIS has successfully told a variation of these procedural plots before. They speak to the heart of the show, which is telling relatable stories from the Naval community.
Somehow, the cases that MCRT has responded to in the last year seemed unfocused and lost. Most of them didn’t have any emotional gut punch. Couple that with a more relaxed bullpen and the overall tone of NCIS slid towards more comedic. To be clear, I don’t have any issues if CBS wants to make NCIS funnier, but it shouldn’t negate the importance of establishing stakes and how important and dangerous MCRT’s work is. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I’m the only one who feels this way, as NCIS season 22 has some of the lowest-rated episodes of the show ever.
How CBS Can Fix NCIS Season 22 Before It Gets Worse
It Isn’t Too Late For A Remedy
With CBS renewing NCIS season 23, people behind the show have enough time to redeem the series. Luckily, the death of Parker’s father is a great launching pad for more compelling storylines for this. As tragic as it is to see him go through this heartbreak, it could fully endear him to the audience. Stepping into the vacated shoes of Harmon’s Gibbs was a daunting task, and Gary Cole has done a great job with it. However, NCIS still needs to push him a little further to complete the process of him taking over MCRT.
Aside from Parker, NCIS season 23 also needs to decide what the show wants to do with McGee. Season 22 set up a pretty interesting storyline for MCRT’s most veteran member when they pit him against LaRoche, but the payoff was less than disappointing. Moving forward, McGee doesn’t have a clear path moving forward, and that’s concerning. NCIS season 23 needs to give some substantial focus, primarily with regard to what his professional life looks like moving forward.
Finally, NCIS season 23 needs to re-evaluate its weekly cases, since the bulk of its narrative comes from its procedural aspect. It can look into how NCIS: Origins has struck the balance between thriving in both personal and professional storylines when crafting what’s next for MCRT. Or, it can simply look at its legacy. Old school NCIS is reminiscent of Gibbs’ prequel, so if the people behind the flagship can find ways to bring that kind of storytelling back, it can easily redeem its lackluster season 22.
