Attention, NCIS fans! One of your favorite characters may have romance on his mind in the upcoming season.
As season 23 of the hit CBS drama kicks off on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, folks are eager to see the NCIS team dig into new cases. But the show doesn’t just focus on work — viewers also get to peek into characters’ personal lives. And while some characters have had epic relationships, Wilmer Valderrama’s character Nick Torres has been single for some time.
But as the actor shared in an interview with TV Insider on October 13, it looks like Torres may be changing his tune in the dating world for NCIS season 23. As Wilmer teased to the outlet, his character has been without a girlfriend for some valid reasons.
“You touched on something that’s really interesting because it’s not that Torres has been heartbroken by relationships before,” he told the publication about his character’s arc. “It’s that he used to be such a lone wolf and then [found] a family [with] NCIS. Then [he dealt with the] departure of multiple people of major influence in his life … So all these things really play a factor on his cynicism when it comes to dating.”
Fans may remember that Torres has had some intense romances before. After the disastrous endings of relationships with Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) and Robin Knight (Lilan Bowden), a longtime viewer might think he wouldn’t want to get back to dating. But as Wilmer also noted, the NCIS writers seem to have something up their sleeves when it comes to Torres’ future love life this season.
“We haven’t shot those episodes yet, but I know that they’re planning something very interesting,” he added. “I will tell you that we’re cooking with the natural resources the fans expect to come into his life again.”
“Honestly, I can tell you that we’re going to try to lighten up Torres a little bit,” he concluded. “He’s still going to be the same grumpy smart ass, but I think it’s fun to see him have certain colors.”
Consider us totally intrigued, and we need to tune in and see what happens!
