NCIS Sets Up The Exit Of A 400-Episode Veteran (& You Missed It)

Amid the chaos of the last year, what gets lost in the shuffle is how NCIS set up the departure of a 400-episode veteran character of the procedural. To say that the 2025-2026 TV cycle was transformative for CBS’s premier show would be an understatement. When it premiered back in the fall, it felt like NCIS season 23 was determined to deliver a solid year following a period of narrative issues. That they did, and more. The death of Leon Vance in “All Good Things” signaled the beginning of the final stage of its evolution.

NCIS season 23 ended with a major cliffhanger involving Nick Torres and Timothy McGee’s secret son of 18 years — Mateo. Showrunner Steven D. Binder has already confirmed that while there was someone who was shot during the pair’s standoff, there are no more big tragedies in the pipeline for the long-running procedural. The thing, however, is that deaths aren’t the only way to lose a character. Earlier in the year, NCIS season 23 dropped subtle clues that one long-time MCRT member is itching for a change.

Jimmy Palmer’s Heartfelt Admission Set Up His NCIS Departure

©CBS / courtesy MovieStillsDB

In NCIS season 23, episode 17, “Reboot,” the remaining MCRT members in Navy Yard had to scramble to help Kasie with updating the agency’s security system. Despite the chaos, a quieter moment between the returning Sam Hanna and Jimmy Palmer shed a light on what the team’s ME has been up to these days outside of work. After some prodding, he admitted to LL Cool J’s character that after losing Breena, breaking up with Jessica Knight, and seeing her daughter grow up, he had been thinking about needing “a reboot or goal.” He proceeded to reveal that he was preparing for hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro.

This exchange may have appeared like nothing beyond two friends catching up and Palmer was simply needing something to do outside the halls of the Navy Yard office. However, it offered an honest insight into his internal struggle. He is craving for something new, and that’s totally understandable after doing the same job, which could be harrowing at times, for over two decades. Between that and his conversation with Vance about moving on from NCIS just before the late director’s unexpected death, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that Brian Dietzen’s fan-favorite character eventually decides to hang up his ME suit in the foreseeable future.

How Palmer’s Exit Will Change NCIS

At this point, NCIS no longer has any original cast members in its active roster. The fact that it has been able to survive every major player leaving, including Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs is truly impressive. That leaves Sean Murray’s McGee and Dietzan’s Palmer as the longest-running players in the show, so losing either of them will definitely leave a big hole in NCIS‘s storytelling. Arguably, MCRT having to say goodbye to its resident ME is a much bigger loss, considering that he’s one of one in the series. So if Palmer decides to walk away from Navy Yard, NCIS will have to find an entirely new character for his replacement.

For what it’s worth, this doesn’t mean that Palmer is leaving anytime soon. Considering the major transitions happening in NCIS season 24, it’s unlikely for the writers to initiate the character’s departure, at least when looking at the show’s status. Him leaving within that timeline would mean that it would Dietzen’s decision. That said, what was clear from Palmer’s earnest confession to Sam is that he’s starting to feel burned out, almost like he’s operating on autopilot. NCIS season 24 needs to properly address that instead of the conversation simply being forgotten.

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NCIS

6/10

Release Date

September 23, 2003

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  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  David McCallum

  Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard