Season 24 of NCIS premieres October 6, 2026, and hopefully with it, the showrunners will once again pick up on a storyline they seemed to drop the ball on. For nearly two seasons, fans got to witness the romantic relationship between Jimmy Palmer and Jessica “Jess” Knight before the two broke up during the NCIS season 21 finale episode, when Knight left to work her dream job in California. However, upon Knight’s return in season 22, the two had a “will they/won’t they?” air about them as they reconciled and reconnected.

Palmer and Knight didn’t get back together, though feelings clearly still lingered. Instead, season 23 saw Knight and fellow NCIS agent, Nick Torres, bonding more while out on investigations. Throughout the season, the showrunners incorporated subtle hints that there might just be more than platonic feelings hiding beneath the surface of Knight and Torres’s relationship, setting up a love triangle between them and Palmer.

Hints aside, though, the whole love triangle scenario seemed to be fading out by the end of the season. Neither Knight nor Torres had made any overt declarations of romantic feelings, and neither had Palmer. Although NCIS season 23, episode 8 did see Palmer seemingly interested in talking with Knight about their relationship, until he saw her and Torres enter an elevator with Torres’s hand on her back. That particular incident apparently clued him in that there might be something between his ex and his friend.

Hopefully, the threads of this storyline will pick up again immediately in NCIS season 24, rather than leaving viewers dangling with no resolution in sight.

NCIS Season 24 Needs To Bring Back Palmer, Knight & Torres’ Love Triangle

Fans deserve some sort of resolution to this teased love triangle, whether Knight ends up with Palmer, Torres, or no one at all. Leaving things as they have been to try and draw out more tension will soon become boring; let’s face it, slow-burn love triangles don’t work nearly as well as slow-burn romances like Tony and Ziva’s. Plus, they can also become distracting, causing viewers to focus more on who might end up together rather than on more prominent storylines.

While it’s true that a love triangle can add drama to a show, NCIS has plenty of drama to go around already. Romantic plotlines like this one can get messy for the characters or veer into a soap-operatic direction, neither of which fits the established vibe and tone of this show. Even picturing Palmer and Torres as legitimate romantic rivals seems more ridiculous than anything.

In truth, this particular love triangle is an odd choice for NCIS. Though romance has played a role in the show in the past, this romantic trope seems better suited to a teen drama, or at least to a show that doesn’t primarily focus on solving crimes, so the sooner it’s over, the better. And bringing it back and dealing with it will allow fans to rejoice or rage, depending on who Knight chooses. Additionally, it would allow all three characters to move on with their lives and continue to grow as people and agents.

Knight Is Best Paired With Torres In NCIS

Screengrab/NCIS

Apologies to Knight and Palmer fans, but Knight is likely best paired with Torres at the end of this love triangle plot (but with good reason).

Knight and Palmer made an excellent couple and were one of the most stable and healthiest relationships seen on the show. However, the fact that they not only chose to break up to pursue different paths but later reiterated in a conversation about their relationship that their lives were moving in different directions makes it seem like the Knight/Palmer ship has sailed.

In NCIS season 22, episode 4, “Sticks & Stones,” Knight and Palmer are stuck in the woods together, while the rest of the team is trying to prevent World War III. While waiting for instructions on what they should do next, the two finally have a much-needed conversation about their relationship. Knight admits to still loving Palmer, and Palmer agrees that he, too, still loves her. However, they also agree to stay apart. Knight states that Palmer needs someone stable in his life, while Palmer says she needs an “Indiana Jones” type of boyfriend, willing to follow her when she seeks new job opportunities.

Both Knight and Palmer seem fairly clear about where they stand with each other.

But Knight ending up with Torres would make an interesting dynamic, especially since they already have a history after working so closely together for so long. Yes, it’s true that Torres dated Knight’s sister briefly (a situation Knight was wary about), but it’s also true that these two have already gotten married once (admittedly for a case). This pairing would be fresh and full of potential.

And though the two of them might be unclear about their feelings for each other, there have been clear signs that something is there. Season 23, episode 3, “The Sound and The Fury,” sees Torres feeling jealous after seeing Knight work so closely with Sawyer, the B-team leader on the case. Meanwhile, in a conversation with Sawyer, Knight explains that she cares more about Torres than he knows.

Why NCIS Season 24 Needs A Central Romance

Image via CBS

NCIS has never placed its focus on romance, but romance is still woven into its DNA. Whether it was the seasons-long romance of Tony and Ziva, Gibbs and his numerous ex-wives and occasional girlfriends, or McGee and his wife, romantic subplots have always played a role on this show. That’s been missing in recent episodes, though, since the Knight and Palmer breakup and the show stepping back from the Knight-Palmer-Torres love triangle. That’s exactly why season 24 needs to bring it back. As the only compelling romantic plotline the show has at the moment, there’s no reason not to.

Luckily, it looks like the showrunners will be doing that, or at least partially. In an interview with TVLine, showrunner Steven D. Binder discussed the potential romance between Knight and Torres and said it would continue to play out in season 24. He also added that it wouldn’t be “much longer before some kind of head is going to be reached, one way or the other, for good or for bad.“

It’s not a lot to go on, but it seems that even if the triangle itself isn’t back, a resolution will be reached in season 24 of NCIS on whether Knight and Torres decide to start a relationship.

Release Date

September 23, 2003

Showrunner

Donald P. Bellisario

Directors

Dennis Smith, Terrence O’Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. Wright, Michael Zinberg, Arvin Brown, Rocky Carroll, Diana Valentine, Leslie Libman, Tawnia McKiernan, Colin Bucksey, William Webb, Bethany Rooney, Alrick Riley, Jeff Woolnough, Alan J. Levi, Lionel Coleman, Martha Mitchell, Peter Ellis, Michael Weatherly, Edward Ornelas, Stephen Cragg, Tom Wright

Writers

George Schenck, Frank Cardea, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Don McGill, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh

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  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  David McCallum

  Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard