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'NCIS' Fans Will Have to Get Used to Seeing Less of Gibbs in Season 19

Photo credit: CBS Photo Archive - Getty Images
Photo credit: CBS Photo Archive - Getty Images


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NCIS fans have a reason to celebrate. The hit crime drama series is returning for season 19 on CBS.

Following Jack (Maria Bello)'s exit last season, speculation spread that Gibbs (Mark Harmon) was warming up to the idea of making his own departure. But not to worry: We know now that he'll for sure be returning for the 19th season of NCIS. Now, that season 18 is wrapped up, read on for what’s to come in the next installment, including premiere date, cast and how-to-watch info.

When is NCIS season 19 premiering on CBS?

Every September, NCIS fans look forward to watching a new season. But at the moment, there's no set premiere date for NCIS season 19. That said, Deadline reports a major change to the show's upcoming schedule: NCIS season 19 will air on Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET instead of Tuesdays on CBS. The new series NCIS Hawai'i will air right afterward at 10 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, all three FBI shows — FBI, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted — will air back to back on Tuesday nights.

Photo credit: CBS Photo Archive - Getty Images
Photo credit: CBS Photo Archive - Getty Images

While season 17 premiered in September 2019 like in previous years, the release date of season 18 was impacted when the COVID-19 pandemic forced production to be paused for several weeks in L.A. This caused the latest season to air two months late in November 2020. In addition, seasons 17 and 18 of NCIS were shortened from the traditional 24 episodes to 20 and 16 episodes, respectively. The episode count for season 19 has yet to be announced.

Who will be in the NCIS season 19 cast?

Season 19 of NCIS will feature the show’s fan favorite cast:

  • Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs

  • Sean Murray as Timothy McGee

  • Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres

  • Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer

  • Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines

  • Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance

  • David McCallum as Dr. Donald Mallard

Sadly, missing from this list is Emily Wickersham, who portrayed Ellie Bishop for eight seasons. After the season 18 finale, the actress confirmed on Instagram that she was leaving the cast.

It’s also important to note that Mark Harmon’s character won't be seen as much by fans, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Although the 69-year-old actor was allegedly ready to walk away from the CBS show, he decided to stay on to avoid the network from canceling the longtime series all together. Most recently, TVLine reported that Mark will only appear in "a few" episodes next season. "It’s going to be in the low single digits," a source told the outlet.

Photo credit: CBS Photo Archive - Getty Images
Photo credit: CBS Photo Archive - Getty Images

To help fill the void, a new character will be introduced, FBI Special Agent Alden Park (Gary Cole). While details about Gary's role are yet to be released, we do know that another member will also come on full time. Part of the NCIS REACT Team, Special Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) was first spotted in the last two episodes of season 18. Her storyline as a "sharp, athletic, tough” and “fiercely tenacious” person will be further explored in the new season.

How can I watch and stream NCIS?

To watch new episodes of NCIS live, you’ll want to switch the TV channel to CBS at 9 p.m. ET on Monday nights. You can also watch the show on the CBS website after entering your cable provider login info.

If you don’t have cable, you can tune in via a streaming service like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and fuboTV. All three come with a free seven-day trial, so you can pick one and try out its features before deciding to sign up for a subscription.

Can’t watch live? No problem. You can catch up on NCIS the next day on Paramount+, formerly known as CBS All Access. Grab your laptop or mobile device and start watching on the Paramount+ website or the Paramount+ app. For those who don’t have a Paramount+ subscription yet, you can sign up for a free seven-day trial. After that, you can choose to keep Paramount+ starting at $5.99 per month.

Lastly, you can watch the entire NCIS series on several other platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and Vudu. For Netflix subscribers, you have access to the first 15 seasons, but fingers crossed the newer seasons land on the streamer soon!

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