Is ‘NCIS’ New Tonight? When is the Next New Episode?

The hit CBS drama NCIS has been winding down for the season over the past few weeks. Tonight, April 7, 2020, there is no new episode, though. The show will instead air the season finale next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.

The global coronavirus pandemic has effected most TV shows, shutting down production for the safety of the cast and crew. NCIS is no different; the show shut down production and cut season 17 from 22 episodes to 20. Some other primetime shows with large viewership such as NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s American Idol have been hit especially hard by the pandemic since they had live shows coming up.

CBS shows that have been shut down for the time being include All Rise, The Amazing Race, The Bold and the Beautiful, FBI, Survivor, The Young and the Restless and all three NCIS series. The late-night talk shows that were previously temporarily shut down have begun to air via live stream from the hosts’ houses.

Season 17 Will Be 20 Episodes

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, NCIS Season 17 will be 20 episodes rather than the usual 22 to 24 that would be in a season.

On March 15, NCIS actor Sean Murray shared the news of the cancelation of production on his Twitter account. He tweeted, “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 later said the show has not been picked up for an additional season, but the plan would be to pick up the existing storylines going into the beginning of that season if they did get renewed.

‘NCIS’ Has Not Yet Been Renewed for Another Season

Though the primetime show has not yet been renewed for an additional season at the time of writing, it seems that fans won’t have much to worry about in that regard. The renewal of NCIS is often tied in with the renewal of lead actor Mark Harmon’s contract.

Earlier in the season and as early as the middle of Season 16, there were rumors floating around that Harmon may be looking to leave the show and that his character could possibly be replaced by Ziva David, but that does not seem to be the case. Ziva appeared in the show earlier in the season, but she has since left the show again, and it could be for good this time.

It’s likely Harmon and NCIS will continue their partnership, especially since he’s been around for all 17 seasons of the show. It also consistently pulls strong ratings, averaging around 16 million viewers per episode, making it one of the most popular drama series on television right now.

NCIS: Los Angeles was not affected by the shutdowns in the same way other shows have been. The spin-off had already completed filming their entire season prior to the pandemic, so they will be airing new episodes through the normal time.

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