The long wait for network TV’s biggest shows to return from the summer hiatus is officially ending. This gives viewers a lot to celebrate, especially those who have been waiting for CBS’s 2026 fall schedule to finally kick off.

Elsewhere, other traditional broadcasters, such as ABC and NBC, have also kicked off their respective 2026-2027 cycle, with projects like Line of Fire and RJ Decker season 2 already rolling. As for CBS, Tracker and Marshals have already opened the year with their respective season premieres. That said, one series that has been dubbed “America’s Favorite Show” is just hours away from coming back to primetime to pay off on a major cliffhanger and start a whole new chapter.

NCIS and its various spinoffs have been favorites among fans for more than two decades now, and the original series officially ranked as America’s Favorite Show back in 2015. Notably, it even beat out The Big Bang Theory. The results of a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,000 adults revealed that NCIS held the list’s #1 spot. At the time, CBS Chief Research Officer David Poltrack said that “CBS primetime lineup accounted for far more ‘favorite’ mentions than that of any other network and contained more different programs chosen as viewer favorites” and “this survey demonstrates that these shows clearly stand out as America’s favorite choice.” With NCIS season 23 reaching large audiences last year, the drama is still going strong into season 24.

NCIS Returns With New Episodes Tomorrow, October 6

The procedural will be back with season 24 this week, as part of CBS’ full night of NCIS franchise action. The original series will start the night, followed by NCIS: New York, which is then followed by NCIS: Origins. NCIS: New York should be a strong addition, thanks to NCIS: LA‘s LL Cool J reprising his fan-favorite role as Sam Hanna.

NCIS returns to CBS with the season 24 premiere on Tuesday, October 6 at 8 p.m. ET. The first episode of the new season is called “Wayward Son,” and will feature Michael Weatherly back as Tony DiNozzo for the first time since NCIS: Tony & Ziva was cancelled. The timing couldn’t be better for a familiar face to return, in the wake of Vance’s death. That said, there are still issues from season 23 to address before Tony’s return can be fully explored. CBS’ official logline for the premiere teases:

While dealing with the fallout from the shooting involving McGee’s son, the team investigates a mysterious new threat to the Secretary of the Navy and receives help from an unexpected source: Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), newly arrived in D.C. to open a satellite office of his private security firm.

Season 23 ended with a shot ringing out after a standoff between Torres and Mateo, McGee’s eldest son. While showrunner Steven D. Binder confirmed that somebody was hit in that alleyway, viewers don’t have to wonder if either of the men will die when the new season picks up. Whatever the fallout is, the wait is nearly over to find out. Unfortunately, CBS has already confirmed fans’ worst fear about NCIS season 24, but there should still be a lot to look forward to.

Why NCIS Season 24 Is A Brand New Era For The Procedural

CBS

Some fresh starts are in order this fall, and NCIS‘ season 24 trailer was quite literally hyped by CBS as “a new era.” Given that the trailer reveals Torres alive and well, and features a McGee who doesn’t look like he recently lost a child, it seems like a safe bet that the show isn’t entering a new era because a character died after the cliffhanger. There are some major factors that point towards the show starting over, without any fresh tragedies

Michael Weatherly isn’t just returning for a one-off guest appearance. He’ll recur throughout season 24 as part of an ongoing arc, which means that the new season will be his first significant storyline on NCIS since he left as a series regular in 2016. Most of the current team joined after he was already gone, with a couple of exceptions. Having DiNozzo in the mix will be a new era for characters like Knight and Parker, as well as viewers.

The drama is also bound to follow up on the biggest tragedy (and biggest shocker) from season 23: the death of Director Vance. The position had not yet been filled by the end of the season, but that may not be the case for much longer. LaRoche was gunning for the position back in the spring, and LaRoche getting promoted to director seems far more likely than characters like McGee skipping several rungs up the ladder of leadership at NCIS.

It’s all but guaranteed that McGee will not be working with his son, since Mateo never applied for the NCIS internship in the season 23 finale. That may not be the case for the child of another character. Kayla, Vance’s daughter, returned in the finale as well, as she has much more potential to join the agency moving forward. For now, viewers can just check out the fallout of NCIS‘ cliffhanger in CBS’ season 24 premiere on October 6, or stream the next day on Paramount+.

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