Is ‘NCIS’ New Tonight? 3/31/20

CBS’s crime drama NCIS is well into Season 17 of the show, but due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the season will not be a full one. The show is new tonight, March 31, however, with the second-to-last episode of the season.

Due to coronavirus, shows across all networks have had to postpone or cancel production, and NCIS is included in that list. Because of the pandemic, Season 17 of the show will only be 20 episodes long.

On March 15, Sean Murray shared the news on his Twitter account, writing “As many of you have already heard, #NCIS production has been put on hold for the time being. we will wrap our current season with 20 eps complete and plan to pick up where we left off when we begin season 18. stay safe… we’ll see you soon.”

The actor confirmed later that the show has not yet been picked up for an additional season.

‘NCIS’ Will Air a New Episode Tonight

Tonight’s episode of NCIS is Season 17 Episode 19, which is a new episode titled “Blarney.” According to the episode synopsis, “Kasie and Jimmy are held hostage in a diner after a jewelry store robbery goes awry. They attempt to keep the other customers safe from the thieves.”

The new episode airs on Tuesday, March 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Last week’s episode saw Sloane go through an ordeal with the man that raped her when she was 19 years old. She told Gibbs that she’d been drunk at a party and let someone take her home, and she blamed herself for the situation at the time. After that, Sloane was pregnant with Faith, leading her to drop out of school and later join the army after putting Faith up for adoption.

Near the end of the episode, Sloane met with Faith for coffee, and Faith tells her she knows what happened to her and she’s sorry.

The Show Has Not Been Renewed for Season 18

Usually, show renewals are announced around the second week of April, and for NCIS, that is usually tied in with the renewal of lead star Mark Harmon’s contract. There have been many rumors that he may be leaving the show, but nothing concrete, either way, has come out about his contract.

When it comes to his character, Agent Gibbs, he has had discussions about when he’d retire with a therapist.

“What’s your end game, anyway?” she asked him. “If not prison or retirement, then how do you want all this to end for you? When will you ever be able to say ‘Mission Accomplished’?”

Gibbs responded that he owed too much to his team, and the therapist insinuated that he may only feel like he could leave in a hero’s sacrifice like jumping on a grenade to save his friends or team. He replied that he might like that.

This season alone, Gibbs has health with a ton of drama. Fans had theorized that Ziva David, who returned for a few episodes this season, could replace Gibbs as the leader of the team. That was not the case, however, as David already left the show again, possibly for good this time.

It’s likely Harmon will be on the show as long as NCIS can keep him around since the show continually pulls strong ratings, averaging around 16 million viewers per episode. It’s one of the most popular drama series on television right now.

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