Where's Gibbs? Everything We Know So Far About NCIS Season 19

Author:
Paulette Cohn
Feb 16, 2022

Photo: Bill Inoshita/CBS — Mark Harmon, Sean Murray

The good news is that NCIS is back for another season. The bad news is that Mark Harmon, who plays Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs exited after five episodes and it isn't clear if he will turn up again, although executive producer Steven D. Binder said, "Regarding the future of Gibbs, as long-time fans of the show may have noticed over the years…never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out.”

There were other cast changes as well due to the departures of Maria Bello (Special Agent Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane) and Emily Wickersham (Special Agent Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop), and, of course, the new day and time!

One of those was the addition of Gary Cole, who joined the cast as FBI Special Agent Alden Parker, but who now is leading the NCIS team after being fired from the FBI for his support of Gibbs—and after McGee (Sean Murray) turned the job down.

In comparing Gibbs to Parker, Cole told TV Guide, "Parker isn't overly chatty, but he is more verbal. He's not as old school; he tries to get his hands on the new tech gadgets and impress everybody. He's trying to fit in with the rest of the team. Although he may be reluctant to voice it, he admires that Gibbs breaks rules. Parker bends them. We'll see if it gets to the point of breaking."

Here is everything we know about season 19 to date:

**When does NCIS return?**

The series’ 19th season premiered on Monday, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. NCIS returned after the midseason break on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

**What time is NCIS on?**

In fall 2021, after 18 years on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT, NCIS moved to Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT as the lead in for the newest show in the franchise, NCIS: Hawai’i.

Will there be a crossover between NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i?

It was just announced for the New Year that there will be a crossover with Wilmer Valderrama (Special Agent Nick Torres) and Katrina Law ( Special Agent Jessica Knight) heading to Hawaii for a crossover episode, airing on Monday, March 28, 2022. Watch the video to see what cast members from each show have to say.

Is Gibbs leaving NCIS?

Break out the hankies! Mark Harmon said goodbye to his role as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS on Oct. 11, 2021—in an episode full of moments that brought tears to the eyes of viewers as they said goodbye to this longtime TV favorite character.

When is NCIS season 19 filming?

Filming started for NCIS season 19 on July 15. Wilmer Valderrama shared a photo on Instagram with the caption, "S19, Special Agents… mount up."

Brian Dietzen also shared a couple photos leading up to the start of production. One noting the show's new Monday night time slot and another from the set showing him holding his character Jimmy Palmer’s signature glasses. “These are going on my face now,” he wrote in the caption. “Well hello Jimmy. Let’s do this.”

And another, more recent post heralding the return of David McCallum.

**Which NCIS cast members are returning for season 19?**

Mark Harmon (Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs)

Sean Murray (Special Agent Timothy McGee)

Wilmer Valderrama (Special Agent Nicholas “Nick” Torres)

Brian Dietzen (Dr. Jimmy Palmer)

Diona Reasonover (Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines)

Rocky Carroll (NCIS Director Leon Vance)

David McCallum (Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard)

**Who will join the NCIS cast for the new season 19?**

Gary Cole

The Good Fight star Gary Cole will be joining the series as FBI Special Agent Alden Park. More information on his new character will be revealed at a later date.

Katrina Law

With the departure of both Maria Bello and Emily Wickersham, Katrina Law, who guest starred on the final two episodes of season 18 as Special Agent Jessica Knight, a member of the REACT Team (Regional Enforcement Action Capabilities Training Team), will be the new permanent member of the team. Jessica is a formidable REACT agent who specializes in hostage negotiations and handles daily high-risk operations with skill and precision. Sharp, athletic and tough, she is fiercely tenacious and has a wry sense of humor. Jessica worked well with McGee and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), who at this point are the only two remaining members of Gibbs’ team.

“We haven’t shot a single frame quite yet, but with the addition of Gary Cole and Katrina Law to the cast, this is already shaping up to be one of the best seasons yet,” Steven D. Binder, Executive Producer/Showrunner, said in a statement. “Going into season 19, we are excited to have new characters and stories to tell that adds to and reenergizes the world we’ve come to love over the 400+ episodes.”

How old is Ducky on NCIS?

We've never been told exactly how old Ducky is on NCIS. But we can infer that he's a bit old based on the age of David McCallum, the actor who has portrayed the retired doctor and former medical examiner. McCallum was born on September 19, 1933, in Glasgow, England, which makes his 88 years old.

Here's a fun moment from the set of NCIS posted by Diona Reasonover

**Which NCIS cast members left the show in season 18?**

Maria Bello (Special Agent Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane)

Maria Bello’s exit should have taken place at the end of Season 17, but when COVID-19 shut down production, Bello owed NCIS more episodes, which carried over into Season 18. For her swan song, Sloane and Gibbs went on a rescue mission to Helmand Province, Afghanistan to rescue a busload of 10-year-old girls being chaperoned to school by a woman named Darya who were all kidnapped by the Taliban. Darya had previously saved Sloane’s life and she felt obligated to return the favor. But when Darya was killed, Sloane decided to stay in Afghanistan because she felt it was somewhere she could make a difference.

Emily Wickersham (Special Agent Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop)

Bello’s decision to leave the show didn’t come as a surprise. It had been previously announced, but Wickersham’s exit caught everyone by off-guard. Even so, it was something that was carefully planned out because Ellie first met the character of Odette (Elayn Taylor), who is sending her off on an undercover assignment, when Ziva (Cote de Pablo) returned to the series. At that time, Odette told Ellie they saw something special in her and she has been in training for her new mission ever since. As Ellie told Torres, she just didn’t expect it to happen so soon, and neither did we.

**Who died on NCIS in season 18?**

Breena Palmer (Michelle Pierce)

It took viewers by shock when on the Feb. 9, 2021 episode of NCIS, Jimmy (Brian Dietzen) revealed that he was a solo parent because his wife Breena had died of COVID-19, leaving him as a single father. Breena’s death happened off camera.