The NCIS season 23 premiere ends a 20-year streak in the series that nobody really wanted. After the murder of Alden Parker’s father in the NCIS season 22 finale, MCRT bands together to help their leader hunt down Carla Marino. The Kansas mob queen is the primary suspect for the crime, but pinning her down for it isn’t going to be easy.
Despite still being one of the most-watched shows on network TV, NCIS has been slipping in viewership ratings, starting when fellow CBS show, Tracker, dethroned it as the number 1 show in primetime. Still, with a solid fan-base that has been watching the show since the 2000s, it’s safe to assume that the procedural will continue to be on the airwaves.
However, to make sure that the flagship and the rest of the NCIS franchise can last for more years to come, it has to find ways to revitalize its storytelling. That starts with bringing back a forgotten storytelling gimmick in season 23.
NCIS Season 23 Has A Two-Part Premiere
During the opening salvo for NCIS season 23, it’s confirmed that it will be a two-parter. “Prodigal Son Part 1” debuts the new year with the immediate fallout from Parker Sr.’s murder. The episode includes a series of flashbacks to Alden’s earlier and more rebellious years. As it turns out, he used to harbor a grudge against his father’s dedication to the Navy.
“The Prodigal Son Part 1” will be followed by “The Prodigal Son Part II” next week, which is expected to be the conclusion to Alden’s decades-long conflict with Marino. The first half of the NCIS season 23 premiere ends with a major cliffhanger involving Alden’s sister, Harriet Parker, although it’s safe to say that it will end well for the MCRT.
NCIS Hasn’t Had A Two-Part Premiere Since 2005’s “Kill Ari”
Two-part premieres aren’t rare in network TV. ABC’s High Potential season 2 opened its year with a two-hour special that ended the Game Maker’s narrative. Meanwhile, 9-1-1: Nashville’s premiere is spread throughout three weeks worth of episodes. Intriguingly, however, while the rest of the industry make the super-sized premieres the norm, NCIS has dropped it from its run until “The Prodigal Son Part 1” and “The Prodigal Son Part II.”
It has been over 20 years since NCIS last had a two-part premiere, which was notably “Kill Ari (Part I)” and “Kill Ari (Part II).” The show has had other extended narratives, but they were saved for crossovers, backdoor pilots, and finales. What makes this parallel more interesting is that NCIS season 2 finale, “Twighlight”, also ended with the brutal murder of Kate Todd.
Looking back, not utilizing the two-part premiere more frequently is a curious decision for the writers of NCIS. It’s uncertain if it’s an conscious decision or something that just happened for 20 years. There were definitely some storylines that could have used more time to be addressed. Moving forward, hopefully the cop show revisits their approach to the storytelling approach, especially as it would mean that they are telling bigger and more elaborate stories to shake up its weekly case format.
