NCIS Season 24 Confirmed Change With Major Cast Shake-Up

Navy Yard is looking at some changes when NCIS returns for season 24.

The 2025-2026 TV cycle ended on a quieter note for the CBS procedural compared to the kind of year that it had. MCRT went through a lot of ups and downs throughout its latest run — from unexpected reunions with Ellie Bishop and Billy Fuentes to tragic farewells with the death of Director Leon Vance. In “Sons and Daughters,” NCIS season 23 focused more on the personal ties of its players more than complicating the case.

Arguably, the biggest talking point from the NCIS season 23 finale, however, was its cliffhanger. It was revealed at the last minute that Timothy McGee’s secret kid, Mateo, was revealed to be in some kind of shady business that could jeopardize the agency, hence why he pretended to be interested in getting an internship. Nick Torres was the first one to clock the matter, resulting in a standoff between him and his co-worker’s son, which ended with a single gunshot. While Steven D. Binder has already confirmed that no one is dying in the NCIS season 23 finale shooting, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some cast changes for MCRT moving forward.

Speaking with People at a screening for Suárez at the 2026 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Wilmer Valderrama opened up about what comes next for NCIS in season 24. Initially, the actor was hesitant to reveal any kind of detail that would give away major plot points, and although he managed to do that for the most part, he couldn’t resist but shared that there will be “some major changes and there are some major additions” to the series when it returns next cycle. Read his full quote below:

“Look, every couple of years, you guys know NCIS has to make sure you’re watching. So we shake up the TV a little bit and we listen. And we listen to where you as fans want to see us do. So we always really pay attention to what our fans want to really experience on the show.”

So if you ask me to speculate, I think there’s a major, major shakeup happening and that episode one is going to bring both … I don’t want to get in trouble for this one. Let me get in trouble. How about this? Next season, there’s some major changes and there are some major additions. What does that mean for Torres? I can only hope that he makes it out alive.”

The death of Vance left a big void in the agency, as now, there’s a power vacuum that returning villain, Gabriel LaRoche, is trying to take advantage of. What makes him worse is the fact that he doesn’t care how politicizing the position will look like, as long as he gets it. Beyond him, the NCIS season 23 finale also saw the return of Kayla — Vance’s eldest daughter. What’s curious now is if CBS is bringing in an entirely new character into the fold. Based on Valderrama’s tease, it seems like the ensemble is getting bigger.

Admittedly, expanding the NCIS cast at this point will be an interesting way to continue the series. For the longest time, MCRT consists of a lead and three field agents, which the show now has with McGee, Torres, and Jessica Knight. That’s on top of Kasie Hines and Jimmy Palmer. The only time that they exceeded that number was when they brought in both Alexandra Quinn at the same time that Valderrama’s character debuted, but that set-up obviously didn’t last long.

It’s safe to say that NCIS season 24 could be the tail end of the show’s evolution after Mark Harmon’s exit as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. After establishing a new normal with Alden Parker’s leadership and now, potentially introducing a fresh director, the procedural can start looking forward instead of just setting things up. If done right, it would help the show secure another 10 years on CBS.

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