For over two decades, NCIS has been the reliable bedrock of CBS television. It established a formula as recognizable as Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ head-slap: a military-tinged procedural, centered around a strong, often stoic leader, operating out of a familiar bullpen with a dynamic team. This formula guaranteed success for 22 seasons, generating multiple spin-offs and becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
However, the relentless march of time—and character exits—has forced the veteran show to evolve. The departure of Mark Harmon (Gibbs) and the impending departure of Wilmer Valderrama (Torres) have created a seismic shift. The showrunners have teased a profound creative change for Season 23, suggesting a move away from the established hierarchy and familiar structure. This shift is not merely cosmetic; it is a necessary, overdue evolution that the franchise needs to secure its future.
The teased change is more than a casting adjustment; it is an opportunity for NCIS to shed the constraints of its own legacy, allowing the show to feel fresh, dangerous, and emotionally engaging once again.
The Weight of a 20-Year Legacy
The challenges facing NCIS are unique to any show that runs for two decades. The core issue is institutional predictability.
The Gibbs Ghost
The show has struggled to fully move out of the shadow of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The current team leader, Alden Parker (Gary Cole), is intentionally written as a foil to Gibbs—more relaxed, less authoritarian. Yet, the show’s structure remains fundamentally the same: Parker in the Gibbs seat, a team assembled underneath, adhering to the same procedural beats. For many viewers, this constant echo of the past makes the present feel like a retread.
The Bullpen Formula Fatigue
The familiar bullpen, where most of the character interaction and witty banter takes place, has become a narrative cage. While comforting, the static location and predictable flow—crime scene $\rightarrow$ autopsy $\rightarrow$ bullpen analysis $\rightarrow$ arrest—limits creative storytelling.
A genuine creative shift for Season 23 must disrupt this comfort. By breaking the established procedural rhythm and challenging the team’s professional comfort zone, NCIS can justify its continuation. The teased change is essentially the show acknowledging that simply swapping out personnel is not enough; the operational framework itself must change.
The Necessity of Disruption: Why Season 23 Must Be Different
The creative shift for Season 23 is driven by two immediate needs: the Torres void and the need for new narrative thrust.
Filling the Torres Void with a Team Focus
Wilmer Valderrama’s departure as Special Agent Nick Torres is significant. Torres was the team’s latest ‘troubled soul,’ carrying the emotional baggage that fueled many recent storylines. His absence should force the show to stop relying on a single, dominant, brooding character and instead focus on the collective dynamic.
The teased shift suggests exactly this: a move towards a more ensemble-driven format, where the weight of the investigation and the complexity of the emotional arcs are distributed more evenly.
- Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) could step further out of the lab, integrating into field investigations.
- Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) could finally take on the more complex, senior leadership role he has earned, focusing on strategy rather than tech support.
- Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) could see her unique skills from her REACT training utilized in more specialized, off-site operations.
This forces the audience to invest in the team as a whole, rather than relying on one alpha leader or one deeply scarred field agent.
Escalating the Stakes Beyond D.C.
For a show about a government agency, the stakes of NCIS often feel curiously confined to D.C. The teased change may push the team into a new phase of operations, one that is less reactive and more proactive.
One major teased possibility is a shift towards a specialized task force model. Instead of operating out of the bullpen, the team might be temporarily embedded in different, high-stakes locations (e.g., aboard a naval vessel, at an international base, or deep undercover).
- Benefit: This automatically revitalizes the scenery and the threat level. The cases would be inherently different, requiring less traditional procedural work and more tactical espionage.
- Narrative Freshness: This removes the safety net of the familiar precinct, forcing characters to rely on their wits and their relationships with each other in unfamiliar, dangerous territory.
The Creative Rewards of Re-Invention
A successful creative shift in Season 23 will not just save the show from stagnation; it will unlock new and exciting storytelling possibilities.
Re-Engaging the Veteran Characters
Characters like McGee have essentially peaked in their current roles. A structural shift can re-engage them by forcing them into new types of conflict. Imagine McGee having to lead a multi-agency, international investigation, or Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) having to perform an emergency field autopsy under intense pressure.
This shift allows the show to honor the longevity of these actors by giving them new professional mountains to climb, far beyond the procedural repetition of the past few seasons.
Embracing Modern Themes and Pace
When NCIS premiered, the procedural format was king. Now, audiences demand more serialized, high-stakes storytelling (a lesson learned from streaming). The teased change can facilitate a move towards season-long arcs dominated by espionage, cyber warfare, or complex government conspiracies, rather than self-contained weekly murders.
This change in pace and theme is crucial for appealing to a new, younger audience accustomed to binge-watching interconnected narratives, ensuring NCIS remains relevant in the competitive television landscape.
The Opportunity for High-Caliber New Casting
By disrupting the ‘Gibbs mold,’ the show opens the door for new characters who are not simply replacements but genuinely complementary forces. Instead of finding a new leader, they can introduce a new type of expert—perhaps a deep-cover specialist, a political liaison, or a cyber-forensics guru with a unique, non-traditional backstory.
This strategic casting can infuse the team with fresh dynamics and expertise, further validating the shift away from the old hierarchical model and cementing the show’s evolution into a truly modern ensemble.
Securing the Future
The teasing of a major creative change is the most exciting development for NCIS in years. It signals that the showrunners recognize that relying on nostalgia and routine is a recipe for creative decline.
The legacy of Gibbs and the established formula served the show well for two decades. However, to survive and thrive into Season 23 and beyond, NCIS must be brave enough to be different. This teased change is the opportunity to forge a new path—one defined by shared leadership, high-stakes global operations, and a complex ensemble that relies on intellect and collective skill, not just on the stoic presence of a single man.
This is not a risk; it is a necessary act of reinvention. The success of NCIS Season 23 hinges entirely on the boldness of this shift, promising a more dynamic, surprising, and ultimately more rewarding viewing experience for the next generation of fans.
