19-Year NCIS Deep-Cut Confirms The Return Of What Made It Originally Great

Published Sep 21, 2026, 3:15 PM EDT

Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV.

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For the past 23 seasons, NCIS has survived cast shake ups, leadership changes, and navigated the ever-evolving TV landscape while remaining a reliable franchise for CBS, which makes the upcoming season's return to form a notable one. Many of NCIS' most celebrated years came early on in its run, during the era when Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs was at the center of the series. Gibbs, who led the NCIS' MCRT for years, had an interesting relationship with his team. Despite being somewhat of a lone wolf, Gibbs was a fantastic leader to the team throughout his years on top.

The golden era of NCIS, which saw Gibbs leading a team that included Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum), and Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) spanned roughly a decade and saw the show root itself in its characters. While NCIS has always been fairly episodic, the show's greatest strength has always been the team dynamics that come through even the most difficult of stories. With much of the cast having exited NCIS through the years, returns like Weatherly's for NCIS season 24 are huge events.

The promotional material for NCIS season 24 thus far hasn't shied away from the fact that Tony's return will be an interesting thing for the series to navigate, especially with McGee still a huge part of the MCRT. With a specific callback placed prominently in the show's trailer, NCIS is recalling its golden era.

NCIS Season 24 Remembers McGee & DiNozzo's Keyboard Incident

CBS

In the NCIS season 24 trailer, the series reaches all the way back to the show's fifth season with McGee and DiNozzo, along with Wilmer Valderrama's Nick Torres as an entry point into the current era of the series. In NCIS season 5 episode 2, "Family," Tony casually reveals that he put superglue on McGee's keyboard as a prank, with McGee corroborating the story quickly thereafter when he appeared with said keyboard stuck to his fingers. In the NCIS season 24 trailer, Torres' reaction to Tony and McGee talking about the incident shows a clear sense of growth for everyone.

Throughout Tony’s early years on NCIS, his persona was always that of a light-hearted prankster even when he had a bit more depth to his story. With NCIS building up Tony’s character throughout his time on the series, viewers got the chance to see far more than the womanizing, cavalier side of him over the years, but his lighter spirit is at the core of who DiNozzo is. His jokester side came out most with McGee, who he was just a few years ahead of in his career, as he loved to joke around with and tease the younger agent.

Beneath Tony’s jokes and constant ribbing, however, was a much sweeter relationship between the two agents. Tony helped to mentor McGee and build him up into a more consistent agent, while McGee brought some of the more mature instincts out of Tony. With a relationship built on mutual respect and professional trust, the pair were a huge cornerstone of building NCIS’ identity.

MCRT's Dynamic Made NCIS's Golden Years Possible

©CBS / Courtesy MovieStillsDB

While Tony and McGee’s relationship was one that helped flesh out each of their characters throughout their NCIS run, the pair were hardly the only important relationship on the show. The larger MCRT spent the majority of the franchise’s most acclaimed era, which spanned through NCIS and several of its city-specific spinoffs, defined by its core cast. With Gibbs leading his direct team of Tony, Ziva, and McGee while Ducky, Abby, and Jimmy worked back at headquarters, NCIS was a well-oiled machine throughout its early years, with cases moving quickly and efficiently through the MCRT while their personal stakes grew.

With Gibbs serving as the moral center of the series, the rest of the MCRT were all able to take certain parts of his personality and leadership ability to heart. Tony delivered humor to the series, and made the rest of the MCRT lighter with his energy. McGee was a technical expert and grew into his confidence as the series continued, while Ziva offered a completely different perspective as an outsider who was able to weave her way into the team with a sharp sense of humor and an intense skillset. Their individual selves and relationships drove the series forward.

Others, like Abby, Jimmy, and Ducky all offered their own expertise within the team, and highlighting their personalities was a way for the show to ensure that the MCRT felt like a real team rather than a collection of experts. The MCRT’s interaction during NCIS’ golden era was what set NCIS apart as a series, and helped to build the franchise’s identity.

How DiNozzo's Return Brings Back The Golden Age Of NCIS

CBS

Although a fair amount of time has passed since Tony’s been a part of the team, as Weatherly originally exited the series during NCIS season 13, his return to the show won’t be as straightforward as viewers likely expect. After years away from the franchise, Tony and Ziva both returned in their own Paramount+ spinoff in 2025 with NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Though the series sadly didn’t last on the platform, the show was able to build a bridge between the seasons of NCIS that the pair have missed out on and the present day, finally bringing the pair together.

NCIS has shifted and changed in the years since Tony’s initial departure, but NCIS season 24 is set to see a new version of Tony aligning with the larger MCRT in its current state. While McGee is still with the team along with Jimmy, the rest of the MCRT has changed tremendously, both with its agents and its leadership overall. Tony, who’s representative of the original golden era of the series, could usher in a whole new golden era for the team as he returns to the series. While it will be nostalgic, Tony’s NCIS return extends beyond its nostalgia.

Having become one of the show’s most senior figures after his time away, Tony has the ability to move forward with the MCRT in a whole new way. While reminding viewers of the camaraderie, humor, and relationships that helped define NCIS, Tony can help to reshape the team as it continues to move forward with a whole new cast in place.

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  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  David McCallum

  Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard

NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.