As fans speculate about the potential release date, the question on everyone’s mind is whether there is any hope for the network to release new details in September 2023, which is being raised all over the web. Especially after how the last season ended with a major cliffhanger that has raised my curiosity more! To say the least, the fans want to know how the story of these special characters will be continued, hence boosting their interest in knowing everything!
Hence, if you want to know more about the next chapter, then we can assure you that you have reached the right place to get all your answers about the potential release date of the much-anticipated 21st season, which we definitely think is going to captivate the audience once again, just like the priors seasons have been able to do so with so much potential, which the fans truly deserve to see! So, it’s time to buckle up and get ready to know all about CBS’s NCIS Season 21.
NCIS Season 21 Release Date: Will it be revealed in September 2023?
Firstly, we want to get straight across the point that the official release date for NCIS Season 21 has not been acknowledged by the CBS network, which is quite unfortunate because we know that the fans are very excited to see the fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as NCIS Season 21 beams its way back onto our screens once again with the hopes of it once again becoming one of the longest-running scripted U.S. primetime television series overall on the network.
Sadly, all these upcoming updates that shed some light on the subject were short-lived, as the previously confirmed schedule for NCIS Season 21 has undergone some major changes, and the chances for the fans to get new updates in September are off-limits. Yes, you heard it right!
We say this with a bit of certainty as the primetime schedule, which was expected to begin in the fall of 2023–2024, with September being the ideal release window with new episodes airing every Monday at 9:00 p.m. on CBS and Paramount Plus, has now drastically changed, and it has now been confirmed that the show won’t be able to premiere on the approved schedule, which was earlier set for this year. One of the main reasons for such changes in the fall schedule is the ongoing 2023 WGA strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which doesn’t seem to be resolved anytime soon!
Hence, as long as the negotiations are still ongoing, this will cause a major halt in script writing and production, which is now speculated to begin by late October 2023, only if the network wants to air the new season by next year.
Right now, it’s safe to say that the show might not be available to stream anytime soon or later this year, making the fandom wait longer than they anticipated! If we look at the current status, one thing is clear: CBS has confirmed to skip the entirety of the 2023–24 fall premiere by approving the release window for some time around 2024 (in the first quarter starting from January to March), just like other networks by rescheduling all the scripted series until next year by keeping the remaining schedule for this year filled with non-scripted shows, which usually includes reruns and reality shows to fill the empty slots.
In conclusion, it’s not farfetched to assume that the chances of the show’s official return with a new season sometime later in 2023 seem very minimal! Until then, this is only a prediction that the show’s creators might consider the late completion of the scripts and come up with the best approach to avoid any obstacles in the future. As a result, we ask fans to be patient and keep an eye on social media channels for more information on the probable release date, which will ultimately be acknowledged.
In this present situation, the only thing we can do is just assume what direction they will take moving forward! For the time being, we urge the readers to check out the new revised fall CBS’s 2023–24 schedule, which, on a positive note, includes the NCIS 20th anniversary marathon that will air on September 25, 2023, as a bonus for the lack of NCIS content. For the time being, we also urge the readers to check out the new revised fall CBS’s 2023–24 schedule, which includes the following shows:
NCIS Season 21 Plot: What to expect from the next season?
The series revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, combining elements of military drama, police procedural genres, and comedy. So, even though not much has been revealed, we are sure that the show will be true to the theme like the prior seasons, which follows: NCIS is more than just an action drama. With liberal doses of humor, it’s a show that focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations.
The following passage contains major spoilers that will unravel some crucial details. So, if you don’t want to know all about it before streaming the new season, then we urge you to skip this section for a spoiler-free article!
There is no question that this series has a huge dedicated fan base, which has been growing and spanning over the last two decades! Due to this, we are certain that NCIS will continue to captivate audiences with its gripping storylines, unforgettable characters, and heart-pounding action. Season 21 promises to be no exception, as the team of special agents led by the charismatic Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by the incomparable Mark Harmon) delves into a whole new set of complex cases and unexpected twists and turns!
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties. The next season will definitely pick up major plotlines from the final episode of NCIS Season 20, “Black Sky,” which is directed by Diana Valentine and written by Brendan Fehily and David J. North. In the episode, the viewers finally get to see that Torres goes undercover in Yuri’s prison and befriends a young inmate who swears he is framed for a crime he did not commit.
He recognizes the young man’s stepfather as someone from his family’s past and calls his sister upon arriving back at NCIS following Yuri’s murder at the hands of his henchmen. They realize that Yuri’s father, the mastermind of the attack (which would knock out all power in the United States for a prolonged period), had his own son killed due to Yuri’s loose lips.
Later in the episode, we can see that after the team halts the attack and brings power back, Torres goes alone to confront the man he recognized, intending to kill him, ending the episode on a cliffhanger. A major cliffhanger from the previous season’s finale will serve as inspiration for the upcoming season’s storyline expansion and resolution of all unanswered questions. It’s safe to say that the next chapter will be exciting to see as it unfolds all the aforementioned plotlines with major revelations, turns, and twists that no one expected to happen!
NCIS Season 21 Cast: Who will reprise their roles?
Even though the casting has not yet been confirmed, the main cast members who are anticipated to reprise their roles in the new season are as follows:
Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, NCIS Senior Special Agent, second in command of MCRT; Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, NCIS Special Agent; Katrina Law as Jessica Knight, NCIS Special Agent; Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Chief Medical Examiner for NCIS; Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines, Forensic Specialist for NCIS; Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance, NCIS Director, and Gary Cole as Alden Parker, former FBI Special Agent turned NCIS agent.
We would also like to highlight that in order to keep budget expenses down, there may be a cast shake-up, so we have to predict that there are some characters from the cast, along with the guest star cast, who might not return in the new season and will be revealed later.
On the other hand, David McCallum, as NCIS Historian and former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, will have his role reduced! “I am delighted to say that I have reached an agreement with CBS for Dr. Donald Mallard to stay with NCIS for Season 16. Once again it will be a limited schedule. That arrangement will allow me to spend time with Katherine, our children, six grandsons, and Nickie,” the actor wrote to fans.
Lastly, the series is created by Donald P. Bellisario, and NCIS is produced by Bellisarius Productions in association with CBS Studios. Steven D. Binder, Chas. Floyd Johnson, Mark Horowitz, Mark Harmon, Scott Williams, David North, and Bellisario serve as executive producers.
NCIS Season 21 Official Episode Count: Where to stream?
When the series was renewed, it was given a standard 21 to 22 episode count with an average duration of 39 to 44 minutes, premiering on a weekly basis. Due to cost-cutting or ongoing dual strikes, the episode count might vary if the network decides to air a shorter season with only 15 to 18 episodes, which will help to conclude the run of the 21st season earlier rather than stretching the plot unnecessarily just for the sake of premiering the episodes.
There is another option available in order to compensate for the few episodes in the 21st season, as the network can opt to make the 22nd season (if renewed) a supersized one, which will make the fans happy and the network consistent with the series plotlines and character arcs without compromising much on the quality of the content being produced. To avoid early spoilers, all information on the episode names and synopses will be revealed later as the release date approaches.
If you haven’t been able to keep up with the seasons, then you can watch all the earlier episodes of NCIS exclusively on the CBS official website or the CBS app, depending on the user’s location, which will also later be available to watch on the official website. The viewers may also watch as it airs live through platforms like YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Hulu + Live TV. In order to receive updates on when the show premieres, interested viewers can also enable notifications on the streaming services.
The series is also available on Paramount Plus, FuboTV, and Netflix, along with all the prior seasons. The viewers can also stream it by renting or purchasing it on Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, and Google Play, with a vast number of membership plans. Moreover, the series is also available to watch exclusively on Pluto for free based on the viewer’s location. If you don’t have access to the content because of geo-blocking, we recommend trying out any suitable VPN to stream the series.
NCIS Season 21 Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any official promo for NCIS Season 21 available?
Despite NCIS being renewed for a 21st season back on February 21, 2023. The network hasn’t released any new promos for the upcoming season as filming hasn’t yet commenced, leaving a lot of time for the official marketing to begin, which usually begins a month or two before the premiere. We’ll just have to wait and see what the next few months have in store for us in relation to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, as everything concerning the filming status is also neither here nor there!
Eventually, there is a huge chance that there will be a delay in the release of such promos. In a recent meeting, The Writers Guild released a video on Labor Day Monday, saying that the studios “are in the process of wrestling amongst themselves” for a deal to end the ongoing writers’ strike, which is now in its 126th day.
“We are not on strike out of greed, nor do we begrudge the companies their success or deny their struggles. We must all succeed together,” WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser says in the video addressing WGA members. “But the changes that the companies have orchestrated in the business have made the profession of writing untenable for us and for everyone who comes after us. And that hasn’t changed because they waited 102 days to talk to us and have taken their time since then. Our feet and backs may ache, but our cause is the same. Our case is the same.”
Outside of the USA, where to stream the show?
The show airs on Network Ten and TV Hits (formerly TV1) in Australia, Global (syndicated on sister channels Showcase and Lifetime) in Canada, TV3 and The Box in New Zealand, Seriale+ (premieres), TVN (free-TV premieres), TVN7 (reruns), AXN (reruns), (India) Prime Video, Star World India (Pakistan) ARY Digital, ARY Zindagi, TVOne Pakistan and TV Puls (reruns) in Poland, Disney+ Hotstar and Rock Entertainment in Southeast Asia.
The other platforms for the international audience include CBS Justice, Channel 5 and 5USA in the United Kingdom, M6 in France, RTÉ2 in Ireland, Rai 2 in Italy, and Ion Television in the USA. In the UK, certain NCIS multi-part episodes were edited together to make a combined feature and shown on Channel 5, 5USA, CBS Action, and Fox UK. We would also like to emphasize that these platforms are still subject to change, which might be substituted in the future.
