‘NCIS’ Star Katrina Law Warns the Entire Team Will Break in Season 24

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from NCIS Season 24, Episode 3. NCIS Season 24 has given longtime fans a reason to celebrate Michael Weatherly‘s return as Tony DiNozzo, but the team won’t ride that nostalgia wave forever. According to Katrina Law, the job’s emotional toll is about to catch up with Jessica Knight and her colleagues in ways viewers haven’t seen before. The actress, who has played Knight since Season 18, tells Collider that the team will face a breaking point this season, with some particularly revealing episodes still ahead.

“I think this season you really get to see a lot of Knight’s vulnerability in a way that you’ve never experienced before,” Law says. “This season, you get to see her break in a way that you haven’t seen before.” And Knight won’t be the only one struggling. Law adds that viewers will see “the entire team break” in a way the series hasn’t explored before, making the aftermath as important as the moments that lead to it.

Before those emotional storylines unfold, however, the November 10 episode, “Speechless,” gives Law a very different reason to remember Season 24. The installment marks the acting debut of her seven-year-old daughter, Kinley Andreen, who plays a young girl caught in the middle of a frightening investigation. It’s a family milestone for the actress, but it also brings a personal connection to an episode built around the lengths a parent will go to protect their child.

‘NCIS’ Season 24 Will Push Jessica Knight and the Team to Their Breaking Point

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Knight has spent much of her time on NCIS proving she can handle whatever comes through the doors at headquarters. A former member of the agency’s REACT team, she joined the Major Case Response Team after the deaths of several colleagues and the arrest of her former team leader. She’s since become an established part of the group, but Law’s comments suggest Season 24 will ask something different of her: What happens when the agent who used to hold it together can no longer do so?

Knight has already experienced significant personal and professional upheaval throughout her time on the series. Law’s tease, though, points to a more exposed side of the character, one that hasn’t necessarily had the same space to emerge amid the team’s investigations. The actress is particularly interested in seeing audiences connect with that vulnerability, especially as the other agents face their own emotional struggles.

Law says two upcoming episodes have already been filmed, and she credits writer Scott Williams with understanding how to bring out the characters’ emotional depths. “I think Scott Williams does such justice to the characters when it comes to their emotional depths and bringing out the best and the worst in them,” she tells Collider. For Law, what makes the story worth watching is how the team comes together and moves forward after reaching that breaking point.

‘Speechless’ Gives Katrina Law Her Favorite ‘NCIS’ Experience Yet

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Tonight’s episode, “Speechless,” gives Law a chance to share the screen with someone she knows better than anyone: her daughter, Kinley. The seven-year-old makes her acting debut as Chloe Sims, an eight-year-old girl the NCIS team discovers hiding alone in her apartment after her Marine mother disappears.

Chloe is frightened and initially reluctant to help, but she has a surprising skill that could give investigators the breakthrough they need. Her fluency in Mandarin becomes an important part of the case, creating an unexpected connection between the young witness and Knight. Law tells Collider that the character’s appearance makes that ability all the more striking, describing Chloe as a blonde-haired, green-eyed girl whose talent will surprise viewers.

The casting also makes the episode’s central themes hit a little closer to home. The investigation revolves around a missing mother and a child left to navigate a frightening situation, while Law is experiencing the unusual privilege of playing opposite her own daughter. She says watching Kinley move from being her little girl to a young actor stepping into character was unlike anything she’d experienced.

Law’s behind-the-scenes experience was just as memorable as what audiences will see on screen. In her Collider interview, she recalls watching Kinley switch into character, suddenly becoming Chloe rather than the little girl she knows at home. “I would literally kind of see my daughter disappear and then this little actress pop up,” Law tells Collider. “It was surreal, but then I would also kind of see my daughter peeking through, looking for the validation of like, ‘Mommy, am I doing a good job?'”

Kinley’s Mandarin-speaking abilities also connect to Law’s family. The actress, who is half Chinese and speaks fluent Mandarin, explains that her mother has been instrumental in passing the language down to the next generation. “Pretty much every day my mom will sit down with Kinley and go over her Mandarin skills and teach her,” Law says. “So it’s been passed down through generations to Kinley, and she’s upholding her family traditions.”

One challenge Law hadn’t quite anticipated, though, was balancing all her responsibilities on set. She was Kinley’s mother, acting coach, scene partner, and fellow performer at the same time. At one point, she tells Collider, she even had to remind her daughter to look at her rather than directly into the camera. Kinley eventually pointed out that she was looking at her mother, prompting a laugh from Law.

The actress also explained why allowing Kinley to act on NCIS doesn’t mean she’s changing her approach to protecting her daughter. Law has deliberately kept Kinley off social media, but the young girl wanted to take part in the show and was already familiar with its cast and crew after years of visiting the set. With her mother beside her throughout filming, surrounded by people she already knew and trusted, she says it was an especially comfortable introduction to acting.

Michael Weatherly’s Return Gives ‘NCIS’ Another Exciting Dynamic

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Of course, Kinley’s debut isn’t the only major development adding extra excitement to Season 24. Weatherly is back as Tony DiNozzo, and Law is just as enthusiastic about his return as longtime viewers. An original NCIS fan herself, the actress describes the decision to bring Weatherly back as a brilliant move by the network.

She didn’t expect Jessica to get involved in Tony’s return. Law pitched several ideas for how Knight might interact with Weatherly’s character, but never expected Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) to pull her into their history by asking her to keep tabs on him.

“I kind of love it,” Law tells Collider, explaining that the unexpected setup creates a fun relationship between Knight and Weatherly. It’s an interesting position for Jessica, who now finds herself caught up in a dynamic that predates her time on the team.

Law has a few ideas about where that connection could go. When asked what she’d like to see for Knight this season, she didn’t hesitate: she wants Jessica and Ziva to finally share the screen, preferably in an action sequence or an interaction that leaves Tony thoroughly uncomfortable.

Jessica Knight’s Next Chapter Could Change Everything for ‘NCIS’

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For a franchise that’s been on television for more than two decades, it has found new ways to bring its characters together while making room for the next generation. Season 24 is doing both, giving viewers the nostalgia of Tony’s return while promising a much more vulnerable side of the agents they’ve spent years following.

“Speechless” offers a particularly personal entry point into that larger story, but Law’s comments suggest the emotional challenges ahead won’t be limited to one case. With two more character-focused episodes already in the can, Knight and her teammates could be heading into some of their most difficult moments yet. And if Law gets her way, perhaps a certain former Mossad agent will be around to make things even more interesting.

The NCIS Season 24, Episode 5, “Speechless,” airs Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on CBS.

Release Date

September 23, 2003

Showrunner

Steven D. Binder