After a dramatic fall finale, the next new episode of NCIS is on a scheduled break. The series will not return with a new episode on December 23 or December 30. Instead, NCIS Season 23, Episode 10, which serves as the mid-season premiere, is set to air on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. CBS will air special programming and repeat episodes during the hiatus. The break is longer than usual, likely due to the network’s scheduling around the upcoming Winter Olympics in 2026.
The wait for new episodes follows the major cliffhanger of Episode 9, “Heaven and Nature,” which featured the surprising return of former agent Ellie Bishop, played by Emily Wickersham. The episode also brought closure to a personal mystery for team leader Alden Parker.
NCIS Episode 10 Release Date and How to Watch
The official return date for new episodes is confirmed for February 24, 2026. The show airs in its regular time slot.
- Broadcast Time: 8:00 PM Eastern Time / 7:00 PM Central Time on CBS.
- Live Streaming: Viewers can watch live as it airs on Paramount+ with Showtime.
- On-Demand Streaming: The episode will be available for on-demand streaming the next day, Wednesday, February 25, for subscribers to Paramount+ Essential.
During the winter break, CBS will fill the Tuesday 8 PM time slot with specials and reruns. On December 23, the network will air the “48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.” The following week, on December 30, a repeat of NCIS Season 23, Episode 1 (“Prodigal Son, Part I”) will air.
What Happened in the NCIS Fall Finale?
The fall finale, Episode 9 titled “Heaven and Nature,” focused on two major storylines. The primary plot resolved the long-running mystery about the death of Agent Alden Parker’s mother, Eleanor. Parker and the team discovered that his mother was murdered while helping a friend and her daughter escape an abusive husband. The man, a corrupt former state trooper, had covered up the crime for decades, allowing Parker to finally lay his mother to rest.
The episode’s final moments shifted to Jessica Knight. Director Leon Vance gave Knight her first assignment for the secretive NCIS: Elite unit. He informed her that her target is former NCIS Special Agent Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop. Knight was told to keep the mission a secret from the team. The episode ended with a brief shot of Bishop herself, watching the NCIS team from a car, confirming the return of actress Emily Wickersham.
The Major Return: Ellie Bishop and What It Means
The appearance of Ellie Bishop marks her first return to the series since her departure in Season 18. Bishop left the team to take on a deep-cover operation, a exit that was abrupt and left her relationships with her colleagues, especially Nick Torres, unresolved.
Showrunner Steven D. Binder confirmed that Bishop is now a target because she has “done something wrong” during her years of dangerous undercover work.
“She left on a pretty dangerous, interesting mission in a foreign land… and she is not the same person that left the show. She’s a very different person. A lot has happened to her, and that will go a long way to explain why we are looking for her,” Binder stated.
A key point of tension will be how Nick Torres reacts to Bishop’s return. The two shared a close partnership and a budding romantic relationship that was cut short by her sudden departure. Binder explained that Torres never received proper closure from Bishop’s exit. Her return is expected to directly impact Torres’s current dynamic with Jessica Knight, who is now the one tasked with finding her.
Actress Emily Wickersham has acknowledged her return. She reposted a social media video from her co-star Wilmer Valderrama (Nick Torres) that showed her chair on set, hinting at her comeback.
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Who Will Be in the Cast for Episode 10?
The main team is expected to return for the mid-season premiere. The starring cast includes:
- Gary Cole as NCIS Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker
- Sean Murray as Senior Special Agent Timothy McGee
- Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nick Torres
- Katrina Law as Special Agent Jessica Knight
- Brian Dietzen as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer
- Diona Reasonover as Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines
- Rocky Carroll as NCIS Director Leon Vance
Emily Wickersham will reprise her role as former Agent Ellie Bishop as a guest star. Showrunner Steven D. Binder has indicated that Bishop’s current storyline is planned to be resolved in the upcoming episode, though the door remains open for future appearances.
“We’re gonna run this story out and have it end, so expect to see her right now in one episode that will run it out… She’s sort of back on the roster, so to speak,” Binder told TVLine.
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