What to know about tonight’s NCIS lineup
- Tonight’s schedule: All three NCIS series return to their usual CBS time slots after a break for election coverage.
- Flagship episode: NCIS airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and Episode 5 follows a missing Marine mother and her daughter.
- New York case: NCIS: New York airs at 9 p.m. and investigates the murder of a naval interrogator.
- Origins episodes: NCIS: Origins airs at 10 p.m.; its shortened third season is expected to end in December.
The NCIS franchise returns to CBS tonight after a one-week interruption for midterm election coverage. This guide recaps the three shows’ broadcast times, episode stories and the schedule change affecting NCIS: Origins.
All three NCIS series resume their regular Tuesday-night lineup, with NCIS at 8 p.m. ET/PT, NCIS: New York at 9 p.m. and NCIS: Origins at 10 p.m. The election coverage paused the shows as results came in for House, Senate and other races. Network programs are often preempted during election coverage, particularly on Tuesday nights in an even-numbered year.
The NCIS franchise returns to its regular CBS schedule tonight after election coverage.
The break interrupted the franchise’s momentum as its ratings reached a high. The flagship series began its latest season with a 20% increase in viewers compared with the previous season’s first episode, drawing 6.45 million viewers and maintaining momentum in Nielsen’s live-plus-seven-day multiplatform measurement.
What happens in tonight’s NCIS episodes?
The three episodes feature a missing Marine mother, a murder investigation in New York and two connected cases in different periods of Gibbs’ life. Each series airs in its regular time slot, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Tonight’s NCIS lineup pairs three separate investigations with the franchise’s regular CBS broadcast times.
- NCIS airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
- NCIS: New York airs at 9 p.m.
- NCIS: Origins airs at 10 p.m.
The evening moves from the flagship team’s search for a missing parent to a murder case in New York, then to the off-the-books mission and 1993 investigation in NCIS: Origins.
What is the NCIS episode about?
In Episode 5, “Speechless,” the team searches for an eight-year-old girl’s missing Marine mother. Katrina Law’s daughter, Kinley Andreen, plays the girl, whose unexpected skill may help investigators find her parent.
“Speechless” centers on the search for a missing Marine mother and the daughter left alone.
The case also reveals how far the mother was willing to go for her family. The episode features Michael Weatherly as agent Tony DiNozzo, who has returned as the new director of NCIS following the death of Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll.
What case does NCIS: New York investigate?
At 9 p.m., NCIS: New York continues Sam Hanna’s homecoming as the team investigates the violent murder of a naval interrogator in her home. The case also unfolds alongside an investigation into corruption involving Nick Schaeffer’s former partner.
NCIS: New York combines the naval interrogator’s murder case with the continuing inquiry into Nick’s former partner.
Sam Hanna, played by LL COOL J, works with his new partner Nick Schaeffer, played by Scott Caan. The corruption investigation leaves Nick unsure how to process what is happening.
What happens in NCIS: Origins?
At 10 p.m., NCIS: Origins continues its previous story with “Baila Esta Cumbia.” Gibbs and Bishop pursue an off-the-books mission involving an intense interrogation, while a 1993 murder investigation hits Lala especially hard.
“Baila Esta Cumbia” follows a present-day mission and a separate 1993 murder case.
Mark Harmon plays Gibbs, Emily Wickersham plays Bishop, Kyle Schmid plays Franks and Mariel Molino plays Lala. In the 1993 storyline, Franks leads the team investigating a murder involving a con woman.
Why is NCIS: Origins ending its season early?
NCIS: Origins has a shortened third season of 10 episodes, rather than the 18 episodes in each of its previous two seasons. Its finale is expected to air in December, leaving five episodes after tonight’s installment.
The third season of NCIS: Origins consists of 10 episodes.
The addition of NCIS: New York to the CBS lineup coincides with a shorter season for NCIS: Origins. The schedule leaves room for NCIS: Sydney to return for its fourth season sometime next year. The remaining episodes will conclude a case tied to Gibbs’ past at Camp Pendleton.
When can you watch the NCIS shows?
NCIS, NCIS: New York and NCIS: Origins air tonight on CBS at 8 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., respectively. Their return restores the trio’s usual schedule after the election-coverage break.
The three NCIS shows return to CBS in their regular time slots tonight.
NCIS begins the lineup at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by NCIS: New York at 9 p.m. and NCIS: Origins at 10 p.m.
How will the NCIS lineup change in the spring?
NCIS: Origins is due to finish its shortened 10-episode third season in December, while NCIS: Sydney is expected to return for Season 4 sometime next year. The schedule adjustment follows the addition of NCIS: New York to CBS’s lineup.
NCIS: Origins has 10 episodes in Season 3, compared with 18 episodes in each of its previous two seasons.
Michael Weatherly’s return as Tony DiNozzo and Mark Harmon’s return as Gibbs have drawn attention to NCIS and NCIS: Origins. The shorter season leaves five episodes after tonight to conclude one of Gibbs’ most dangerous and personal cases, which is closely connected to his past at Camp Pendleton.
NCIS, NCIS: New York and NCIS: Origins air tonight on CBS. Stay tuned here at Collider for more changes in scheduled programming throughout the rest of the year.
- Release Date
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September 23, 2003
- Showrunner
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Steven D. Binder
- Directors
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Dennis Smith, Terrence O’Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. Wright, Michael Zinberg, Arvin Brown, Rocky Carroll, Diana Valentine, Leslie Libman, Tawnia McKiernan, Colin Bucksey, William Webb, Bethany Rooney, Alrick Riley, Jeff Woolnough, Alan J. Levi, Lionel Coleman, Martha Mitchell, Peter Ellis, Michael Weatherly, Edward Ornelas, Stephen Cragg, Tom Wright
- Writers
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Donald P. Bellisario, Don McGill, Steven D. Binder, David J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal, Christopher J. Waild, Scott Williams, Frank Cardea, George Schenck, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh
