‘NCIS’: When is the Next New Episode?

Tonight’s episode of the CBS drama NCIS is a rerun from early on in season 17. There will not be a new episode of the show airing until the beginning of next season, as last week’s episode acted as the season finale due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Like most other TV shows, NCIS and the two spinoff shows, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans, shut their production down due to concerns about the health and safety of the cast and crew. Usually, a season of NCIS runs between 22 and 24 episodes. This season was set to be 22 but was shortened to 20 overall.

During the season finale, according to the episode synopsis, “The team attempts to verify the identity of Joe Smith, who claims that he has served in the U.S.S. Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.” Joe Smith was played by Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd.

Production Was Canceled Early for Season 17

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.

The Show Will Likely Be Renewed for Season 18

Though NCIS has yet to be renewed for season 18, it’s likely that fans have nothing to worry about when it comes to the renewal of the show. The show’s renewal and the announcement of that renewal is normally tied in with the renewal of lead actor Mark Harmon’s contract. The reason for the delay this year, however, could be due to the novel coronavirus.

It is extremely likely that Harmon and CBS will continue their partnership, as Harmon has been a fixture on the show for nearly two decades and NCIS continues to celebrate such high viewership. Even though rumors spread earlier in the season that Harmon may be leaving the show, it’s not looking like that is happening at this point. Gibbs seems happy with where he’s at with work, and the makeshift season finale did not offer any hints that he may be leaving anytime soon.

This year, fans may not have much to worry about when it comes to whether or not the show will be renewed. NCIS still regularly pulls in over 10 million viewers, which makes it one of the overall most-watched programs on TV right now. The two spinoff shows, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans both pull over 5 million viewers per episode, so those will likely be renewed as well.

NCIS airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on CBS. NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans air on Sunday nights on CBS.

 Is Nell Leaving ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ After Season 11?