NCIS follows a team of investigators who focus on crimes related to the military. The main cast of characters stayed mostly consistent from seasons 3 through 13, but not every character gets huge arcs in every season. Many of the episodes are standalone, which means there are plenty of episodes that can be skipped when longtime fans decide to watch the series again. There are also some episodes that just are not as good as the rest of the series, so they really do not merit a rewatch once you already know what happens in them.
10. “Ice Queen” And “Meltdown”
Jag Season 8, Episodes 20 And 21
Though these two episodes are not actually part of the main NCIS series, they are the first episodes of NCIS. Fans today might think the pilot episode of the show is “Yankee White,” the first episode of season 1, but the first episode is actually “Ice Queen,” the backdoor pilot that aired as part of JAG.
If NCIS is the investigative arm of military law enforcement, JAG is the judicial arm. Most JAG episodes focused on the legal aspects of mysteries, but “Ice Queen” focused on the actual process of solving a murder, bringing in an NCIS team for the first time.
The backdoor pilot was a rare two-parter that introduced characters like Gibbs, Tony, Ducky, and Abby. The other NCIS agents introduced in the episode, Agents Blackadder and Dobbs, do not go on to appear in the main series. A lot of the dynamics set up here do not continue to play out, since new additions like Kate and McGee in the first season of the show help to really flesh out Gibbs’ team.
If NCIS completists want to rewatch the entire show from the beginning, they can start here, but the episodes are easily skippable since so much of what makes NCIS its own show is not present here.
9. “Brothers In Arms”
Season 4, Episode 21
Jenny Shepard was the director of NCIS in the early seasons of the show. While episodes that focused on her character were few and far between, she was a part of a few major arcs in season 4 and in season 5, when Director Shepard met her end.
“Brothers In Arms” shares its title with NCIS: Sydney season 1, Episode 3.
This is largely a standalone episode, and the end of the episode also sees the investigation hit a dead end, so even with the parts that feel out of character, the episode misses out on a satisfying ending as well, making it the perfect candidate to skip.
8. “Dog Tags”
Season 5, Episode 13
In “Dog Tags,” Abby goes rogue. She takes the side of a dog accused of mauling his owner, securing the dog in her lab so that he can not be taken while the team investigates. This episode actually marks a turning point for Abby’s character as she becomes less mature after this episode and much more child-like as her time in the series continues.
While the episode is not a bad one, and the dog does return as he becomes McGee’s new dog after Abby proves his innocence, it’s also not the kind of NCIS episode that needs to be watched more than once.
7. “Road Kill”
Season 6, Episode 10
There are several episodes that start off with a car accident. Most of those are standalone episodes that do not push the overall plot or larger season arc forward. That is also the case for “Road Kill” as well.
In true procedural fashion, the car accident that leads off the episode has a twist since there are bullet holes in the car that lead Gibbs and his team to uncover a secret fight club among soldiers. The episode does provide some great moments for the team because each member of Gibbs’ team gets to contribute to the case. It’s also a win for McGee since he, ultimately, uncovers the truth that closes the case.
The team also, however, has plenty of other episodes that showcase their teamwork and are able to split the story among the ensemble evenly which actually contribute to the larger story arc. McGee is also showcased in better episodes, like season 4’s “Cover Story,” which reveals he is also a published author.
6. “Knockout”
Season 6, Episode 18
Season 6 marked an adjustment period for NCIS because the show lost Director Jenny Shepard in season 5 and gained Leon Vance as his replacement. Vance put a lot of obstacles in the team’s way. He even broke them up at one point to help the agents grow individually. For that reason, some of the early episodes centered on his character are not especially fun to watch since so much of Vance’s development comes in later episodes.
Here, Vance’s past as a boxer comes to light when he sets out to investigate the disappearance and murder of a friend. He uses Gibbs’ team to take on the very personal investigation. While all of the characters have had cases that connect to them personally, this one just is not as hard-hitting since, at this point in the show, we do not have the same interest in Vance we do a season or two later.
It’s not the best episode to get into Vance’s character. Those usually involve his wife and kids and happen later in the series.
5. “Thirst”
Season 9, Episode 6
The episode revolves around Ducky’s new relationship with a woman he met online (Cheryl Ladd), but his behavior in the episode is off just enough to telegraph to the audience that something might not be right, so there’s another reason for us to dislike the storyline. As it turns out, Ducky’s new love interest is a serial killer who is being investigated.
To add more fuel to the fire, she claims to be doing it all for Ducky. NCIS has had its fair share of bad relationships in the series or criminals who get close to the team, so that idea is played out in plenty of other episodes if a fan wants to see the betrayal.
4. “Hereafter”
Season 10, Episode 15
When it comes to NCIS episodes that are easy to skip, this one is a little conflicting. That’s because the mystery of the episode feels very similar to ones that have been done before, but the episode does provide a small measure of closure for Vance after the death of his wife.
The B storyline involves Vance deciding to come back to work after taking two months of bereavement leave following the murder of his wife. By now, we know Vance and understand him, so it is good to see him being allowed to grieve and be unsure of himself here, but it’s not the main storyline, so the episode can ultimately be passed over during a rewatch.
3. “Bulletproof”
Season 11, Episode 15
Yet another skippable NCIS episode kicks off with a car accident. Part of the trouble with the episodes that use car accidents to begin their story is that it takes a little extra time to get to the actual mystery of the episode. The first part is focused on the events of the crash itself, with a lot of technical information about the car, and that might be why those episodes feel so skippable from the jump.
Since the episode does not feed into a larger arc, it is certainly one that can be missed.
2. “Philly”
Season 14, Episode 5
Season 14 is something of a transitional season for NCIS. There are a lot of new characters, and the audience just did not care about them at the time. Over five years later, many of those new characters are gone, which means when completing a rewatch of NCIS, it’s hard to invest in the stories of the characters who do not stick around very long in the show.
“Philly” puts the focus on Alex Quinn, whose past is teased while investigating a missing officer. While her story is at the center of the mystery, other new characters are also given the spotlight here over the characters the audience already knows. Quinn only remains on the show for a single season, so it is really hard to care about the events of the episode in hindsight.
For a first-time viewer, seeing how the dynamics shift with new team members is great, but for someone who already knows the dynamic does not last, it’s not an NCIS episode they need to repeat.
1. “Gut Punch”
Season 18, Episode 11
Procedurals operate on a case-of-the-week format. That means a viewer can miss a few episodes and still tune in to see an interesting mystery unfold. The trick in a show like NCIS is to offer those procedural elements with a balance for overarching stories and character development. Here, that balance is off.
“Gut Punch” sees Gibbs and his current team (Bishop, McGee, and Torres) essentially cut off from the agency and assigned to a security detail at a peace summit as punishment for the entire group helping to cover up the fact that Gibbs assaulted a suspect. Team-building episodes can be fun on NCIS, but this one does not work so well. That’s because the team lamenting Gibbs’ suspension gets in the way of the actual case that is worked on in the episode. There’s not enough of a balance between the characters and the case of the week.
The episode is also tied up neatly at the end with the idea that the team has learned their lesson and has newfound respect for the rest of the agency. It is a strange way to push the narrative when Gibbs’ past teams have always been willing to bend the rules in order to get results. It makes “Gut Punch” feel inconsistent with the way the entire rest of the NCIS series works, making it worthy of a skip as well.
