NCIS is one of the most popular police procedural shows and has been on the air for over 20 years. The show follows the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they investigate crimes relating to Marine and Navy Corps personnel. The show has over 20 seasons, and while they are all special in their own way, some seasons stand out more than others.
The NCIS cast and characters have changed a lot over the years, but the show remains exciting and memorable even with a changing cast. As NCIS season 22 nears, many of the original characters are gone, but the show continues to portray excellent plots and character relationships. All the seasons of NCIS are interesting to watch, but some are particularly noteworthy.
10 Season 19
While it is an unpopular opinion to consider NCIS’s later seasons as being some of their best, season 19 deserves a spot in the ranking because it is the season that started the formation of the current team. Season 19 saw the exit of Mark Harmon’s character Leroy Jethro Gibbs. After being the team leader of NCIS for almost two decades, it was hard to believe that whoever took over Gibbs’ position would be remotely as good as him. However, season 19 also introduced Gary Cole’s Alden Parker, who took over Gibbs’ role with professionalism and grace.
What makes season 19 so memorable is that Gibbs was able to catch the serial killer he had been after for so long while also giving him and his team proper closure with his exit. The season was filled with emotional scenes without overshadowing the action-packed cases that NCIS deals with daily. Season 19 also ended with an exciting season finale that showed Parker being framed for murder. Leroy Gibbs’ NCIS exit, in combination with Parker’s introduction and the dramatic cliffhanger in the season finale, makes season 19 one to remember.
9 Season 11
NCIS season 11 is one of the more heart-wrenching seasons of the show, which is also why it is so good. Season 11 saw the exit of the beloved Ziva David, played by Cote de Pablo. Ziva’s will-they-won’t-they relationship with Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo came to a head in episode 2, “Past, Present, Future.” While the episode serves as Ziva’s last appearance on NCIS until her return in season 17, the emotional episode cements season 11 as one of the best in NCIS due to the heartfelt Ziva and Tony moments within it.
Tony and Ziva were not the only couple that had their moment in the season. Season 11 also saw McGee develop deeper feelings for his girlfriend, Delilah. Their romance is made even more special by the fact that McGee asked Tony for advice, who likely used his own experience with Ziva as inspiration for what to tell McGee. Overall, the season was filled with romantic moments while still maintaining the drama of the police cases.
Season 11 also introduced the second spin-off of the series, NCIS: New Orleans, through a backdoor pilot and introduced Ellie Bishop to the team. While Ellie was meant to replace Ziva, she brought her personality and character struggles to the team, refreshingly shifting the team’s dynamic. The season allowed the team and the franchise to grow organically. That is why season 11 remains one of NCIS’s best seasons, even after all this time.
8 Season 16
NCIS season 16 is another one of the more exciting seasons of NCIS. While NCIS is known for its police procedural episodes, it also features complex interpersonal relationships between the characters. Season 16 took a deep dive into Gibbs’ character. Over the years, Gibbs has softened and season 16 emphasized his character development. Emotional backstories do not happen often in NCIS, so it is a big deal whenever they do, especially for cold, stoic characters like Gibbs.
Season 16 also featured riveting plots, like the one where Torres is found covered in blood with no memory of what happened. The season highlighted the team’s ability to work together under pressure when one of their own needs help. This season also makes it on the list because it offers the first hint that Ziva might still be alive when Ellie finds some old notes of Ziva’s. While it is not one of their best seasons, it has many exciting plots and emotional arcs to place it in the top 10 seasons of NCIS.
7 Season 8
Season 8 is another exciting season of NCIS because it introduces the deadly Port-to-Port killer. The killer is the focus of five episodes towards the end of the season, making him one of the more memorable villains in NCIS. The show typically focuses on case-by-case antagonists, so the Port-to-Port killer’s introduction was an exciting addition to season 8. The case led to incredible scenes of the team working together while trying to catch the killer before he killed again.
Season 8 is also part of NCIS’s best seasons because it shows the NCIS team collaborating with the CIA as part of the Port-to-Port killer case. Usually, the NCIS team works alone, but the international status of the case meant that they had to work with the CIA to catch the killer. Watching the two teams work together was exciting because it offered a new way of seeing how the NCIS team works. The case also allowed NCIS to come out on top by being the team that took down the killer.
6 Season 2
Season 2 is easily one of the best seasons of NCIS because of how nostalgic it feels. It has the characters from the first season while also having some further character development. McGee also officially joins the team in season 2 and, given how important he has become to the show, season 2 will always be considered one of the best seasons for that reason. Season 2 also continues the dramatic plots that NCIS is known for and is always a good season to re-watch.
Kate’s death will always be considered one of the most heartbreaking deaths in NCIS but it also served as a reminder that no character is ever safe on NCIS .
For better or for worse, season 2 also introduced the trend of NCIS killing off characters in the most unexpected way. The team was getting along and working well together when the season finale revealed the murder of Sasha Alexander’s Caitlin Todd. Suddenly, the team’s dynamic was changed forever. Kate’s death will always be considered one of the most heartbreaking deaths in NCIS, but it also served as a reminder that no character is ever safe on NCIS.
5 Season 5
Season 5 stands out from the other seasons because it has a bit of everything that makes NCIS so good. The season featured some backstory to Gibbs’ character, which is especially interesting because the earlier seasons do not reveal as much of Gibbs’ character as later seasons do. Season 5 also featured some romantic scenes between Tony and Jeanne Benoit, the daughter of a main antagonist on NCIS.
Most importantly, season 5 concluded the story arc surrounding La Grenouille. The exciting season implied that Jenny Shepard killed La Grenouille to avenge her father. Season 5 remains memorable because it featured all the different parts of NCIS that have made it so popular. The season also revealed more about the team members’ personalities, as it was implied that they knew Jenny killed La Grenouille. Their decision to stand by Jenny speaks to their loyalty to the team.
4 Season 21
The earlier NCIS seasons are arguably the most popular, but there is something about season 21 that makes it particularly good. Even though the season only had eight episodes, each episode was packed with an interesting case or character arc that set it apart from the other seasons. Episode 7, “A Thousand Yards,” was such a good episode that it makes the season particularly stand out. “A Thousand Yards” was the NCIS franchise’s 1000th episode and featured a lot of Easter eggs from earlier seasons, as well as a triple crossover between all the surviving spin-offs.
Season 21 also featured a very interesting and open-ended extraterrestrial episode that made the NCIS team question everything they knew. The episode “Strange Invaders” was different from their usual episodes due to the mysterious story in it, but the unexplained elements increased the stakes and made it all the more interesting. While it is not the first NCIS episode to mention aliens, its open ending makes it the most memorable.
3 Season 1
Season 1 has to be one of the best seasons of NCIS simply because it is the first. Without it, the show, its spin-offs, and the characters that have become so popular and loved would not exist. The first season is so nostalgic because it features the original NCIS team. Over the years, several main characters left NCIS, making the first couple of seasons when they are all together all the more special.
The season also introduces the character dynamics and their unique personalities. Gibbs’ stoic nature and Abby’s quirky traits stand out the most in the first season, as well as Kate’s relationships with her team members. While it may be a cliché to say that the first season is one of the best in the show, it portrays the character dynamics so well that it has to be placed near the top of the list.
2 Season 7
The second-best season of NCIS is season 7 because of its exciting and explosive plots. The season begins with a lot of international conflict. Vance must protect his family from an international assassin and Gibbs must solve an international case with the help of a former colleague. Season 7 is also when Ziva officially joins the team full-time after working with them for 4 years.
While season 7 would be memorable with just the first half, the second part features the Reynosa Cartel. The leader of the cartel, Paloma, kidnaps Gibbs as revenge for him killing her father 20 years ago. It is revealed that Gibbs killed her father as revenge for the murder of Gibbs’ wife and daughter. The tense season ends on a cliffhanger in true NCIS fashion, making it one of the more exciting seasons and definitely one of the best.
1 Season 3
After the death of Kate Todd in the season 2 finale, NCIS came back in full force with an incredible season 3. This season is particularly memorable because of its two-part arc that follows the team as they try to catch Ari, the antagonist who had killed Kate. The season also set things in motion by introducing Ziva and starting her relationship with Tony, the most popular relationship on the show.
The season also gave a deeper look into Gibbs’ past as the ending revealed more information about his late daughter and wife, which helped to explain why Gibbs is the way that he is. The season finale showed Gibbs in a coma and dreaming of his family. While every season of NCIS is special for different reasons, season 3 is arguably the best because of the aftermath of Kate’s death and the reveal of Gibbs’ past.
