I’m Afraid CBS’ NCIS Season 23 Plan Isn’t Enough To Save The Legacy Show From Collapsing
Sean Murray as McGee in NCIS
NCIS season 23’s primary storytelling focus is exciting, but it might not be enough to save the show. The NCIS franchise has become massively popular with over 20 years of running time, but the show has changed significantly since it began in the early 2000s. The iconic show has even developed several NCIS spinoffs, not changes are not necessarily good.
NCIS season 23 will continue several stories that NCIS season 22 started, like the fallout of Parker’s father’s death, Carla’s betrayal, and the new tension between Palmer and Knight. More than that, it will look more closely into the characters. The change could bring new love to the show, but it could also contribute to its declining ratings and ultimate demise.
NCIS Season 23 Will Further Lean Into Personal Storylines
The MCRT Will Be In The Foreground Of NCIS
NCIS has often focused on explosive storylines and intricate crimes, with the MCRT working together to solve their difficult cases. However, the show has not had as much of a large focus on the characters themselves. While personal storylines have always been in the background, the cases have always come first. This will change in NCIS season 23 as NCIS showrunner, Steven D. Binder, has said that NCIS will become a “character-forward show,” as revealed in TVLine. Read his full quote below:
We really want to get to everybody in a big way. I know people always say, ‘I watch the show for the characters’ — that was always our thing — and I really want to make this a character-forward show in a way we haven’t seen before. So, if you’re invested in these people, this is going to be the season for you.
Binder’s comments point to a larger trend in the NCIS universe, which has featured more character-centric plots. These types of stories have been especially noticeable in the NCIS prequel, NCIS: Origins, which has looked at the personal lives around a young Gibbs while he worked at NIS in the early 1990s. The upcoming NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff also points to the growing trend of focusing on characters over cases. As such, Binder’s desire to change NCIS season 23’s format does not come out of nowhere.
Character-Centric Plots Are Great, But Those Aren’t What NCIS Season 23 Needs
NCIS Needs To Bring Back Tense Cases
In recent seasons, NCIS has done a decent job with personal arcs, especially regarding Knight and Palmer’s relationship as well as Parker’s mystery with his mother. However, NCIS has seriously been lacking compelling weekly cases. Many of their cases have seemingly followed a pattern, which can get tiring after a while. Their more recent cases are also much more tame compared to some of the ones from NCIS’ earlier seasons, which had higher stakes involved.
Gary Cole as Alden Parker and Sean Murray as Tim McGee in NCIS
NCIS Season 22 Finale Sets Up Its Most Dangerous Villain In Years For Season 23
The NCIS season 22 finale revealed a surprise new villain whose looming threat in season 23 could prove uniquely dangerous to the MCRT.
The most comparable case in NCIS season 22 to the ones in its earlier days has been Carla’s betrayal, but that was just one instance of many. As a result, NCIS season 23 may need to put a pause on the personal arcs and instead bring back the tense cases that used to shake up the MCRT on almost a weekly basis. Or, at the very least, the writers and showrunners should try and come up with the perfect balance between them to not only create compelling stories for the characters but also have dramatic cases throughout the season.
What NCIS Season 23 Can Do To Save The Show From Further Failing
NCIS Could Learn From Its Past
Recently, NCIS has seen a decline in ratings compared to some of its earlier seasons, and it could be due to a number of factors. With increased competition with other series and streaming services, NCIS’ status as a legacy show might not be enough to maintain its popularity. NCIS season 22 even had its lowest-rated episode ever, in a surprising development. However, there are several things the police procedural could do to save itself.
With increased competition with other series and streaming services, NCIS’ status as a legacy show might not be enough to maintain its popularity.
Doing compelling cases again could be one way to fix the show, but bringing back a notorious villain might be the best solution. NCIS season 22 introduced Carla Marino and showed how far she was willing to go to be the best and season 23 should continue to develop this storyline. NCIS’ most terrifying villains have always added an intense appeal to the show as they
