NCIS season 18#ep414
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{short description|Season of television series}}
{{Infobox television season
| bgcolour = #5AA498
| season_number = 18
| image = NCIS,_The_Eighteenth_Season.jpg
| caption = Season 18 U.S. DVD cover
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Mark Harmon
- Sean Murray
- Wilmer Valderrama
- Emily Wickersham
- Maria Bello
- Brian Dietzen
- Diona Reasonover
- Rocky Carroll
- David McCallum
}}
| num_episodes = 16
| network = CBS
| first_aired = {{Start date|2020|11|17}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2021|5|25}}
| episode_list = List of NCIS episodes
}}
The eighteenth season of NCIS, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired on CBS from November 17, 2020 through May 25, 2021. The season only contained 16 episodes, shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, making it the second shortest in the series behind season 21, and includes the series' 400th episode. This is the first season to not premiere in the usual September. The season was produced by Belisarius Productions and CBS Studios.
NCIS revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The series stars Mark Harmon, Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Emily Wickersham, Maria Bello, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, Rocky Carroll, and David McCallum. The season is Bello's last as a series regular, as she left after eight episodes. The season finale serves as Wickersham's final appearance as Eleanor Bishop, leaving the series after 8 years. Several late-season episodes feature Pam Dawber, Harmon's real-life spouse.
Cast and characters
{{main|List of NCIS characters}}
=Main=
- Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, NCIS Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) of the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) assigned to Washington's Navy Yard (episodes 1–10) / suspended (episodes 11–16)
- Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, NCIS Senior Special Agent, Second in Command of MCRT
- Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, NCIS Special Agent
- Emily Wickersham as Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop, NCIS Special Agent
- Maria Bello as Dr. Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane, NCIS Senior Resident Agent and Operational Psychologist (episodes 1–8)
- 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
- David McCallum as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, NCIS Historian
=Recurring=
- Joe Spano as Tobias Fornell, Private Detective and former FBI agent
- Margo Harshman as Delilah Fielding-McGee, DoD Intelligence Analyst and McGee's wife
- Pam Dawber as Marcie Warren, investigative journalist
- Laura San Giacomo as Dr. Grace Confalone, psychotherapist
- Nick Boraine as Merriweather, NCIS target
- Adam Campbell as Young Ducky
- Sean Harmon as Young Gibbs
- Hugo Armstrong as Eugene Coyle, from the NCIS Inspector General's office
- Juliette Angelo as Emily Fornell, Tobias Fornell's daughter
- Elayn J. Taylor as Odette Malone, owner of Ziva's private office and former CIA Operative
- Victoria Platt as Veronica Tyler, NCIS Special Agent
- Jack Fisher as Phineas, Gibbs' former neighbor
- Karri Turner as Micki Kaydar, Phineas' aunt
=Guest stars=
- Thomas F. Wilson as Angus DeMint, author "Journey of Adventure."
- Steven Bauer as Miguel Torres, Nick Torres' father
- William Allen Young as Moses McClaine, U.S. Secretary of Defense
- Zane Holtz as Dale Sawyer, NCIS Special Agent
- Tijuana Ricks as Pamela Walsh, CIA Agent
- Chris Browning as Tom Dalton, NCIS REACT Special Agent
- Katrina Law as Jessica Knight, NCIS REACT Special Agent
Episodes
{{see also|List of NCIS episodes}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 399
|EpisodeNumber2 = 1
|Title = Sturgeon Season
|DirectedBy = Michael Zinberg
|WrittenBy = Scott Williams
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|11|17}}
|ProdCode = 1801
|Viewers = 10.35{{cite web|url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-tuesday-cable-originals-network-finals-11-17-2020.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118211214/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-tuesday-cable-originals-network-finals-11-17-2020.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 18, 2020|title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.17.2020|last=Metcalf|first=Mitch|date=November 18, 2020|work=Showbuzz Daily|access-date=November 18, 2020}}
|ShortSummary = While the team tries to figure out the whereabouts of a missing body, Gibbs assists Fornell in tracking down the leader of the drug ring that supplied opioids to Fornell's daughter Emily.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 400
|EpisodeNumber2 = 2
|Title = Everything Starts Somewhere
|DirectedBy = Terrence O'Hara
|WrittenBy = Steven D. Binder
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|11|24}}
|ProdCode = 1802
|Viewers = 10.15{{cite web|url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-tuesday-cable-originals-network-finals-11-24-2020.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125211254/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-tuesday-cable-originals-network-finals-11-24-2020.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 25, 2020|title=Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.24.2020|last=Metcalf|first=Mitch|date=November 25, 2020|work=Showbuzz Daily|access-date=November 25, 2020}}
|ShortSummary = The discovery of a dead body in the basement of NCIS headquarters is linked to a group Gibbs investigated in his past. Flashbacks reveal how Gibbs was introduced to Ducky and the agency. The episode ends with Gibbs accepting invitations from the team to go out for drinks.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 401
|EpisodeNumber2 = 3
|Title = Blood and Treasure
|DirectedBy = Diana Valentine
|WrittenBy = Christopher J. Waild
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|12|8}}
|ProdCode = 1803
|Viewers = 8.53{{cite web|url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-tuesday-cable-originals-network-finals-12-8-2020.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209231755/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-tuesday-cable-originals-network-finals-12-8-2020.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 9, 2020|title=Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.8.2020|work=Showbuzz Daily|first=Mitch|last=Metcalf|author-link=Mitch Metcalf|date=December 9, 2020|access-date=December 9, 2020}}
|ShortSummary = A murder investigation is linked to a years-long treasure hunt. The team investigates while recovering from their night of drinking. Also, Gibbs and Fornell continue their secret investigation into the drug ring, with Fornell going undercover as a fast food restaurant employee.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 402
|EpisodeNumber2 = 4
|Title = Sunburn
|DirectedBy = Rocky Carroll
|WrittenBy = Marco Schnabel
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|19}}
|ProdCode = 1804
|ShortSummary = McGee and Delilah's vacation in the Bahamas turns into a high-risk mission when a case NCIS is tracking from a dead escape room manager has ties to the island. Gibbs fears the worst when his search for Fornell leads to blood.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 403
|EpisodeNumber2 = 5
|Title = Head of the Snake
|DirectedBy = Tawnia McKiernan
|WrittenBy = Brendan Fehily & David J. North
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|19}}
|ProdCode = 1805
|ShortSummary = Gibbs and Fornell's crusade to find the head of the drug gang responsible for Fornell's daughter Emily's overdose, climaxes. In addition, Gibbs and Vance finally inform the team about a case that has dangerous implications.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 404
|EpisodeNumber2 = 6
|Title = 1mm
|DirectedBy = Diana Valentine
|WrittenBy = Gina Lucita Monreal
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|26}}
|ProdCode = 1806
|ShortSummary = Following a lead on arms smuggling, Bishop and Torres engage in a shootout at the home of a former sheriff which is now a historic site, only to find themselves locked in abandoned cells there.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 405
|EpisodeNumber2 = 7
|Title = The First Day
|DirectedBy = James Whitmore Jr.
|WrittenBy = Margaret Rose Lester
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|2|9}}
|ProdCode = 1807
|ShortSummary = While the team investigates the murder of a Navy officer who was killed while driving home a recently released inmate, Palmer grieves the loss of his wife Breena from COVID-19. In addition, Sloane confides in Gibbs that she is "ready for a change", hinting she may leave the team.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 406
|EpisodeNumber2 = 8
|Title = True Believer
|DirectedBy = Terrence O'Hara
|WrittenBy = Jill Weinberger
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|3|2}}
|ProdCode = 1808
|ShortSummary = "Sloane NCIS" is written on an abandoned school bus in Afghanistan that contained girls thought to have been kidnapped by the Taliban. At NCIS, Sloane admits to Gibbs that she wants to put an offer down on a house in Costa Rica. Their conversation is interrupted by Vance, who gives them the green light to search for the missing girls in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the rest of the team tries to determine who killed a "hacktivist" suspected of providing GPS coordinates of the bus to the Taliban. In Afghanistan, Sloane is reacquainted with Darya, a woman who helped Sloane during her torturous time there. Darya’s death at the hands of terrorists is the last straw for an emotionally exhausted Sloane, the stress of one bad guy taking the place of another having built up over time. After rescuing the girls, Sloane voices her intention to stay in Afghanistan to help other young girls in similar predicaments and shares a goodbye kiss with Gibbs.
Note: Final appearance of Maria Bello as Jacqueline Sloane.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 407
|EpisodeNumber2 = 9
|Title = Winter Chill
|DirectedBy = Michael Zinberg
|WrittenBy = Scott Williams
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|3|9}}
|ProdCode = 1809
|ShortSummary = When a Navy Officer is found dead in a freezer truck, the team get stuck in the middle of a battle between two competing food trucks. Meanwhile, after Sloane's departure from NCIS, Gibbs comforts Fornell when his daughter Emily unexpectedly dies from a drug relapse.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 408
|EpisodeNumber2 = 10
|Title = Watchdog
|DirectedBy = Diana Valentine
|WrittenBy = Brendan Fehily & David J. North
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|3|16}}
|ProdCode = 1810
|ShortSummary = When a stray pitbull accidentally tumbles a navy convoy with a missile carried on, the team discovers the dog was abused. Gibbs confronts the abuser, Luke Stana, with force, which has him arrested. The rest of the team tries to prove Gibbs’ innocence and arrest Stana, but although they are successful, Gibbs confesses his role in the attack to Inspector General Eugene Coyle. As such, Vance is forced to suspend Gibbs indefinitely. Additionally, Gibbs takes the abused dog, Lucy, home with him.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 409
|EpisodeNumber2 = 11
|Title = Gut Punch
|DirectedBy = Rocky Carroll
|WrittenBy = Christopher J. Waild
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|4|6}}
|ProdCode = 1811
|ShortSummary = As punishment for their actions in the case against Gibbs, the team is assigned to be COVID-19 officers for an event the Secretary of Defense is hosting with the Yemeni Government, while night shift agents spearhead a murder investigation. McGee, Bishop, and Torres discover a link between that case and the SecDef's event, and later have to intervene when they find out that the SecDef has been targeted by a hitman. Meanwhile, Gibbs is met at the diner by investigative reporter Marcie Warren (Pam Dawber, Harmon's real life spouse) and reluctantly tells her the truth about his confrontation with Stana. With the story out there for the public, Vance visits Gibbs and tells him he cannot save him from the fallout this time.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 410
|EpisodeNumber2 = 12
|Title = Sangre
|DirectedBy = James Whitmore Jr.
|WrittenBy = Marco Schnabel
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|4|27}}
|ProdCode = 1812
|ShortSummary = The lead suspect in the death of a Marine sergeant in an open house is Torres' father, who walked out on Torres when he was young. Meanwhile, Gibbs takes the opportunity to get caught up on household chores while suspended from the agency. He is visited by Marcie Warren, who asks him to review some of her work.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 411
|EpisodeNumber2 = 13
|Title = Misconduct
|DirectedBy = Tawnia McKiernan
|WrittenBy = Brendan Fehily & Margaret Rose Lester & David J. North
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|5|4}}
|ProdCode = 1813
|ShortSummary = While biking with a friend, a petty officer is killed in a hit-and-run. The team comes to realize the friend was the intended target, as he was an accountant set to testify against Parker James, accused of a Ponzi scheme against sailors. The team later finds the witness dead, and though Gibbs testifies against James, the prosecutor is reluctant to put him on the stand due to his suspension from NCIS. James' lawyer attacks Gibbs' credibility, and the jury finds the defendant not guilty. However, NCIS is able to arrest him and his estranged wife for ordering the hit on his accountant.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 412
|EpisodeNumber2 = 14
|Title = Unseen Improvements
|DirectedBy = Diana Valentine
|WrittenBy = Steven D. Binder & Scott Williams
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|5|11}}
|ProdCode = 1814
|ShortSummary = NCIS' investigation into the murder of a captain in the National Military Command Center leads them to Hassan Sayegh, the biological uncle of Gibbs' former neighbor Phineas (Jack Fisher). Hassan was after the captain's laptop to hack into NCIS case history so he can get to Phineas after causing his foster parents' car to crash. Phineas runs to Gibbs' house and bonds with Lucy. The team arrests Hassan, but not before he reveals his own son needs a bone marrow transplant, which Phineas agrees to donate, and Gibbs allows Phineas to take Lucy home. Elsewhere, Torres and Bishop agree to discuss their apparent feelings for each other after questioning by Palmer and Kasie.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 413
|EpisodeNumber2 = 15
|Title = Blown Away
|DirectedBy = Michael Zinberg
|WrittenBy = Marco Schnabel & Christopher J. Waild
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|5|18}}
|ProdCode = 1815
|Viewers = 8.73{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-technology-entertainment-sports-nba-96fd259f28418539af05715b7590bbf1|title=Triumph of the unhip: 'NCIS' tops TV, streaming rankings|last=Bauder|first=David|date=May 25, 2021|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=May 25, 2021|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531032815/https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-technology-entertainment-sports-nba-96fd259f28418539af05715b7590bbf1|url-status=live}}
|ShortSummary = NCIS REACT agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) successfully talks down a hostage situation, but then an explosion kills her team. Knight joins in the investigation, which leads to the revelation that the REACT team was the target all along. Elsewhere, Gibbs and Marcie Warren investigate a cold case off the books.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|NCIS season 18
|EpisodeNumber = 414
|EpisodeNumber2 = 16
|Title = Rule 91
|DirectedBy = Diana Valentine
|WrittenBy = Brendan Fehily & David J. North
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|5|25}}
|ProdCode = 1816
|Viewers = 8.96{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-television-entertainment-business-804fbdd417093715611a385399eda323|title=CBS is champ of television season for 13th consecutive year|last=Bauder|first=David|date=June 2, 2021|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=June 2, 2021|archive-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210614004837/https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-television-entertainment-business-804fbdd417093715611a385399eda323|url-status=live}}
|ShortSummary = While pursuing a dangerous arms dealer, the team is shocked when Bishop is implicated in an old NSA leak. McGee and Knight attempt to prove her innocence, but ultimately Bishop reveals her complicity and quits. Torres realizes that Bishop's exit was a planned maneuver between her and Odette Malone (Ziva David's contact), so as to set Bishop up on a long-term, undercover mission which required her to be a "disgraced NCIS agent." The two share a goodbye kiss after an intense argument, and Bishop leaves. Meanwhile, Gibbs and Marcie realize that the killer they've been tracking may be on to them. The episode ends with Gibbs' newly completed boat, named "Rule 91", blowing up and Gibbs swimming away from the wreckage.
Note: Final appearance of Emily Wickersham as Eleanor Bishop.
|LineColor = 5AA498
}}
{{End|Episode table|html=y}}
Production
=Development=
The season was ordered on May 6, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/cbs-renewals-1202927097/|title=CBS Renews 18 Series, Including Freshmen 'FBI: Most Wanted', 'Bob ♥ Abishola', 'All Rise' & 'The Unicorn'|work=Deadline|first1=Peter|last1=White|first2=Nellie|last2=Andreeva|date=May 6, 2020|access-date=May 6, 2020|archive-date=May 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506203757/https://deadline.com/2020/05/cbs-renewals-1202927097/|url-status=live}} On June 3, 2020, Steven D. Binder announced that the writers had begun working on the season.{{cite tweet|user=stevebinder|number=1268047908282101760|title=Stay turned. We are in the (z)room working on the next season as we speak.|date=June 3, 2020|access-date=August 14, 2020}} Scripts initially written for cancelled Season 17 episodes were integrated into this season's second and fourth episodes, "Everything Starts Somewhere" and "Sunburn." The exit of Maria Bello's Jacqueline Sloane, which would have occurred in the unproduced Season 17 finale, was integrated into the season's eighth episode, "True Believer," though similarities to the originally planned storyline remain undetermined. On August 12, 2020, it was announced that CBS Television Studios had signed a deal with the law enforcement advisory group 21CP Solutions, to consult on its crime and legal dramas, which includes NCIS. 21CP Solutions would help the series to more accurately portray law enforcement; this comes after the George Floyd protests, which caused the television industry to rethink their portrayal of law enforcement.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cbs-tv-studios-brings-advisory-group-cop-shows-1307148|title=CBS TV Studios Brings on Advisory Group for Crime and Legal Shows|date=August 12, 2020|last=Porter|first=Rick|access-date=August 14, 2020|work=The Hollywood Reporter|archive-date=September 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917084232/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cbs-tv-studios-brings-advisory-group-cop-shows-1307148|url-status=live}} On September 21, 2020, it was announced that the season would start by exploring where Gibbs, played by series star Mark Harmon, disappeared to during the episode "Musical Chairs" from the previous season, before returning to the present day.{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2020/09/21/ncis-season-18-backwards-time-jump-gibbs-secret-mission/|title=NCIS Will Start Season 18 With a Backwards Time Jump — Find Out Why|date=September 21, 2020|last=Mitovich|first=Matt Webb|work=TVLine|access-date=October 14, 2020|archive-date=October 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013094539/https://tvline.com/2020/09/21/ncis-season-18-backwards-time-jump-gibbs-secret-mission/|url-status=live}} On October 27, 2020, it was announced that season would comprise sixteen episodes.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/cbs-cuts-episode-orders-ncis-blue-bloods-the-neighborhood-bull-covid-impact-2020-21-season-1234603767/|title=CBS Trims Episode Orders As Broadcast Series On All Nets Face Abbreviated Runs In COVID Impacted 2020-21 Season|date=October 27, 2020|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=October 27, 2020|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116175500/https://deadline.com/2020/10/cbs-cuts-episode-orders-ncis-blue-bloods-the-neighborhood-bull-covid-impact-2020-21-season-1234603767/|url-status=live}}
=Filming=
The planned twenty-first episode of the seventeenth season, which was postponed due to production on the season being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, was the first episode filmed of season eighteen. The planned twenty-second episode of season seventeen, which would have been the 400th episode of the series, was filmed and aired second, which kept it as the 400th episode.{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2020/07/24/ncis-maria-bello-leaving-season-18-jack-sloane/|title=Maria Bello Exiting NCIS in Season 18|date=July 24, 2020|last=Mitovich|first=Matt Webb|access-date=August 14, 2020|work=TVLine|archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414144714/https://tvline.com/2020/07/24/ncis-maria-bello-leaving-season-18-jack-sloane/|url-status=live}} Production on the eighteenth season began on September 9, 2020, and the series continued to be filmed in Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/ncis-ncis-los-angeles-set-tentative-start-dates-bull-magnum-pi-cbs-tv-studios-dramas-go-ahead-resume-filming-cbs-fall-lineup-take-shape-1203013083/|title='NCIS' & 'NCIS: Los Angeles' Set Tentative Start Dates; 2 More CBS TV Studios Dramas Get Go-Ahead To Resume Filming As CBS' Fall Lineup Begins To Take Shape|date=August 13, 2020|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|access-date=August 14, 2020|work=Deadline|archive-date=January 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103132059/https://deadline.com/2020/08/ncis-ncis-los-angeles-set-tentative-start-dates-bull-magnum-pi-cbs-tv-studios-dramas-go-ahead-resume-filming-cbs-fall-lineup-take-shape-1203013083/|url-status=live}} Filming for season 18 wrapped up on March 29, 2021.{{cite web|title=Instagram: Brian Dietzen: Aaaaaaand that's a wrap!|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CNBYZMxBFpd/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/CNBYZMxBFpd |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|access-date=October 21, 2021}}{{cbignore}}
=Casting=
On May 6, 2020, it was announced that Harmon had closed a new deal with CBS Television Studios.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/ncis-stars-mark-harmon-scott-bakula-ll-cool-j-chris-odonnell-new-deals-return-ncis-new-orleans-ncis-los-angeles-renewed-cbs-contracts-1202925748/|title='NCIS' Franchise Stars Mark Harmon, Scott Bakula, LL Cool J & Chris O'Donnell Close New Deals To Return As All 3 Series Are Renewed By CBS|date=May 6, 2020|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|access-date=August 14, 2020|work=Deadline|archive-date=October 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029021842/https://deadline.com/2020/05/ncis-stars-mark-harmon-scott-bakula-ll-cool-j-chris-odonnell-new-deals-return-ncis-new-orleans-ncis-los-angeles-renewed-cbs-contracts-1202925748/|url-status=live}} On July 24, 2020, it was announced that series regular Maria Bello is set to leave the show during the season, and appear in eight episodes to wrap up her character's storyline.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/maria-bello-signs-gersh-nears-exit-from-ncis-season-18-jack-sloane-1202991597/|title=Maria Bello Signs With Gersh As She Nears Exit From 'NCIS'|date=July 24, 2020|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|access-date=August 14, 2020|work=Deadline|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415001501/https://deadline.com/2020/07/maria-bello-signs-gersh-nears-exit-from-ncis-season-18-jack-sloane-1202991597/|url-status=live}} On September 9, 2020, it was announced that Harmon's son Sean, would return in episode two as a younger version of his father's character.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/947451/ncis-episode-400-outlander-season-6-supernatural-final-episodes/|title=Inside Scoop on What's Ahead for 'NCIS,' 'Supernatural' & 'Outlander'|date=September 9, 2020|author=TV Insider Staff|work=TVInsider|access-date=September 14, 2020|archive-date=September 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910223017/https://www.tvinsider.com/947451/ncis-episode-400-outlander-season-6-supernatural-final-episodes/|url-status=live}} On October 21, 2020, it was announced that Adam Campbell would also return in episode two, as a younger version of Ducky.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/953313/ncis-episode-400-mark-harmon-david-mccallum-preview/|title=Inside 'NCIS' Episode 400: Gibbs & Ducky's Meet-Cute, Personal Choices & More|date=October 21, 2020|last=Hahn|first=Kate|work=TV Insider|access-date=October 30, 2020|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031103808/https://www.tvinsider.com/953313/ncis-episode-400-mark-harmon-david-mccallum-preview/|url-status=live}} In March 2021, Katrina Law was cast in the role of Jessica Knight.{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2021/03/10/ncis-katrina-law-season-18-cast-recurring/|title=Katrina Law Joins NCIS as Potential Series Regular for Season 19|last=Iannucci|first=Rebecca|date=March 10, 2021|accessdate=March 11, 2021|work=TVLine|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311011807/https://tvline.com/2021/03/10/ncis-katrina-law-season-18-cast-recurring/|url-status=live}} Law appeared in the final two episodes of the season with the potential to become a series regular if the series is renewed for a nineteenth season.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/ncis-katrina-law-cbs-series-recurring-1234711878/|title='NCIS': Katrina Law Joins CBS Series As Recurring|last=Petski|first=Denise|date=March 10, 2021|accessdate=March 11, 2021|work=Deadline Hollywood|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311004904/https://deadline.com/2021/03/ncis-katrina-law-cbs-series-recurring-1234711878/|url-status=live}} On May 26, 2021, it was confirmed that series regular Emily Wickersham would leave the series after 8 years.{{cite web|title='NCIS': Longtime Series Regular Confirms Exit Following Season 18 Finale|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/ncis-longtime-series-regular-confirms-exit-season-18-finale-emily-wickersham-1234764359/|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=May 26, 2021|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-date=May 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526145227/https://deadline.com/2021/05/ncis-longtime-series-regular-confirms-exit-season-18-finale-emily-wickersham-1234764359/|url-status=live}}
=Release=
The season is set to premiere during the 2020–21 television season as part of CBS's Tuesday lineup with FBI and FBI: Most Wanted.{{cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|title=CBS Plots Business as Usual Fall Schedule — For Now|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cbs-plots-business-as-usual-fall-schedule-now-1295186|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=May 19, 2020|access-date=August 14, 2020|archive-date=July 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709193538/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cbs-plots-business-as-usual-fall-schedule-now-1295186|url-status=live}} On August 26, 2020, it was announced that CBS hoped to begin airing the season in November 2020.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/cbs-fall-schedule-star-trek-discovery-one-day-at-a-time-manhunt-1203023900/|title=CBS Adds 'Star Trek: Discovery', 'One Day At A Time' & 'Manhunt: Deadly Games' To Fall Schedule As Net Eyes November Launch For Scripted Originals|date=August 26, 2020|last=White|first=Peter|work=Deadline|access-date=August 27, 2020|archive-date=August 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826224626/https://deadline.com/2020/08/cbs-fall-schedule-star-trek-discovery-one-day-at-a-time-manhunt-1203023900/|url-status=live}} On October 13, 2020, it was announced that the season would premiere on November 17, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/cbs-premiere-dates-scripted-series-ncis-young-sheldon-bob-hearts-abishola-all-rise-1234596461/|title=CBS Sets Premiere Dates For 10 Scripted Series Including 'NCIS' Trio, 'Young Sheldon' & 'S.W.A.T'|date=October 13, 2020|last1=Andreeva|first=Nellie|last2=Petski|first2=Denise|work=Deadline|access-date=October 14, 2020|archive-date=October 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013175500/https://deadline.com/2020/10/cbs-premiere-dates-scripted-series-ncis-young-sheldon-bob-hearts-abishola-all-rise-1234596461/|url-status=live}} It was also announced that this will be the final season on the Tuesday timeslot, it will be moved on Mondays on its 19th season leading into its new spinoff series NCIS: Hawaiʻi.{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2021/05/19/cbs-fall-lineup-2021-schedule-ncis-monday-season-19/|title=CBS Fall Schedule Shocker: NCIS Exits Tuesdays After 18 Years Amid Dramatic, Multi-Night Overhaul at Eye Network|work=TVLine|accessdate=May 19, 2021|date=May 20, 2021|archive-date=May 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519140032/https://tvline.com/2021/05/19/cbs-fall-lineup-2021-schedule-ncis-monday-season-19/|url-status=live}}
Ratings
{{Television episode ratings
| width = 99
| fontsize = 90
| title1 = Sturgeon Season
| date1 = November 17, 2020
| dvr1 = 0.4
| dvrv1 = 2.97
| total1 = 1.4
| title2 = Everything Starts Somewhere
| date2 = November 24, 2020
| dvr2 = n/a
| dvrv2 = n/a
| total2 = n/a
| totalv2 = n/a
| title3 = Blood and Treasure
| date3 = December 8, 2020
| dvr3 = 0.5
| dvrv3 = 3.21
| total3 = 1.2
| title4 = Sunburn
| date4 = January 19, 2021
| dvr4 = n/a
| dvrv4 = n/a
| total4 = n/a
| totalv4 = n/a
| title5 = Head of the Snake
| date5 = January 19, 2021
| dvr5 = n/a
| dvrv5 = n/a
| total5 = n/a
| totalv5 = n/a
| title6 = 1mm
| date6 = January 26, 2021
| dvr6 = n/a
| dvrv6 = n/a
| total6 = n/a
| totalv6 = n/a
| title7 = The First Day
| date7 = February 9, 2021
| dvr7 = 0.5
| dvrv7 = 3.37
| total7 = 1.4
| title8 = True Believer
| date8 = March 2, 2021
| dvr8 = 0.4
| dvrv8 = 3.18
| total8 = 1.3
| title9 = Winter Chill
| date9 = March 9, 2021
| dvr9 = 0.5
| dvrv9 = 3.27
| total9 = 1.3
| title10 = Watchdog
| date10 = March 16, 2021
| dvr10 = n/a
| dvrv10 = n/a
| total10 = n/a
| totalv10 = n/a
| title11 = Gut Punch
| date11 = April 6, 2021
| dvr11 = 0.4
| dvrv11 = 2.82
| total11 = 1.3
| title12 = Sangre
| date12 = April 27, 2021
| dvr12 = 0.3
| dvrv12 = 2.24
| total12 = 0.9
| title13 = Misconduct
| date13 = May 4, 2021
| dvr13 = 0.3
| dvrv13 = 2.80
| total13 = 1.1
| title14 = Unseen Improvements
| date14 = May 11, 2021
| dvr14 = 0.4
| dvrv14 = 3.02
| total14 = 1.1
| title15 = Blown Away
| date15 = May 18, 2021
| dvr15 = 0.4
| dvrv15 = 3.09
| total15 = 1.1
| title16 = Rule 91
| date16 = May 25, 2021
| rs16 = 0.7/5
| dvr16 = 0.4
| dvrv16 = 3.14
| total16 = 1.1
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb episodes|0364845||season 18}}
{{NCIS (franchise)}}
Category:2020 American television seasons
Category:2021 American television seasons
Category:Television productions postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic