NCIS season 22: everything we know about the crime drama

Wilmer Valderrama, Sean Murray, Katrina Law, Gary Cole and Brian Dietzen in NCIS
Wilmer Valderrama, Sean Murray, Katrina Law, Gary Cole and Brian Dietzen in NCIS (Image credit: Robert Voets/CBS)

Each of the major networks has its long-running, flagship series. For ABC, it's Grey's Anatomy, on NBC it's the Law & Order franchise, particularly SVU. For CBS, it is NCIS, which continues to roll along with NCIS season 22 for the 2024-2025 TV season.

The love for NCIS isn't dwindling either, as CBS reported that NCIS season 21 was the second-most viewed show on the network for the 2023-2024 season, only trailing new addition Tracker. Add in the fact that the NCIS franchise (including NCIS and its various spinoffs) hit the 1,000-episode mark last season and CBS is adding a brand new spinoff, NCIS: Origins, to its slate, NCIS remains one of the biggest hits on TV.

With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the highly anticipated NCIS season 22.

NCIS season 22 release date

An exact release date for NCIS season 22 has not been announced, but CBS has confirmed that the crime drama will premiere in fall 2024 as part of its primetime lineup. NCIS is staying put in its time slot, airing Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT.

Joining NCIS on Monday night will be The Neighborhood season 7, new sitcom Poppa's House and, replacing the cancelled NCIS: Hawai'i, the new spinoff NCIS: Origins.

Airing on CBS, viewers wanting to watch NCIS live need to have access to the broadcast channel, which is available through all traditional pay-TV providers, receivable through TV antennas or carried by some live TV streaming services, including Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. The entire run of NCIS episodes are available to stream on-demand on Paramount Plus. Paramount Plus with Showtime subscribers are also able to watch the latest episodes live on the platform.

NCIS season 22 cast

NCIS is a true ensemble piece, as a group of actors make up the NCIS team that we follow each week. The official NCIS season 22 cast has not been confirmed at this time, but the main roster for NCIS includes Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer, Gary Cole as Alden Parker, Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance and Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines.

The big question after the NCIS season 21 finale is if Katrina Law's Jessica Knight will return for the new season? The character was presented with a new job opportunity across the country that she opted to take in the finale, meaning she could be leaving the NCIS team. However, both Law and NCIS executive producer Steven D. Binder were noncommittal on whether or not this definitely meant Law was leaving NCIS in an interview with TV Line.

We'll keep this page updated as any additional information comes in about NCIS season 22 casting.

NCIS season 22 plot

NCIS is a crime-of-the-week show following a team for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with each episode typically dealing with a new distinct crime. The show's longer storylines typically deal with the relationship of the characters.

With that in mind, there are a couple of things from the NCIS season 21 finale that could be important to what happens in NCIS season 22. First, as we already mentioned, the possibility that Jessica Knight is leaving the NCIS team. If Knight exits, not only will the team be forced to operate without her, they could very well have to adjust to a new member joining the team.

Another bit from the season 21 finale that could be picked up in NCIS season 22 is Parker's hallucination. While stranded on the decommissioned ship, Parker hallucinates and sees a childhood memory where he was playing hide-and-seek with a girl named Lily. Finding out who Lily is and what relationship she has with Parker could be a storyline next season.

NCIS season 22 trailer

There is no trailer for NCIS season 22 at this time. When one is available (closer to August/September we'd imagine), we'll share it right here. 

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.