NCIS Season 20 is officially here. During a recent interview, showrunner and executive producer Steven D. Binder outlined what we may expect from the upcoming season. Here's what we know about the TV show's 20th season.
NCIS Season 20 Will Feature Familiar Faces
Some known faces will return for NCIS Season 20. Dr. Grace Confalone is one character who will appear again. According to Binder, we'll also see agent Parker's ex-wife, Vivian, and some of the character's family members.
We're also looking forward to seeing more of Ducky (David McCallum) and Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano).
More Character Focus
Although we get a look inside the agents' lives, the episodes are largely on the cases. That will change this season. Binder tells TV Line that there would be a greater emphasis on the characters.
NCIS will "really be focusing each episode on one of our characters," says Binder. "We're really leaning into our characters this time around and focusing full episodes around them."
During NCIS Season 20, one treat will be a look at McGee's (Sean Murray) life as a father. "We see McGee as an agent, but he's also a dad, so we're going to have a show that focuses around him being a dad, which should be fun," says Binder.
There Will be References to Gibbs
Though Gibbs (Mark Harmon) is no longer on the show, his legacy endures. Throughout the entire season, his presence will be felt. Despite Gibbs' departure, the show still makes references to him occasionally. An instance of this was when a few of the agents received funding from his scholarship fund.
"When he has 'appeared' so far, it was things like the college trust fund that he deposited money into, things that gave us no shape to who or what kind of life he is living right now," Binder said in the interview. "We do have plans to involve him in those ways again… ways that don't rip off the scab and don't ruin what I thought was the only fitting ending we could have given this guy."
A Dive into Jimmy and Knight's Relationship
The relationships of Ziva and Tony, as well as Torres and Bishop, were shrouded in mystery. Binder claims that Jimmy and Knight's connection will be distinct from these others. Instead of a will-they-won't-they dynamic, we'll see these two take a more direct path. Thankfully, we won't be left in the dark about the condition of their relationship.
"This one is something that we birthed ourselves, in a vacuum," Binder explained. "We didn't want to go down the same road we went down before. Instead, we wanted it to play out more realistically — two people at work, who actually having feelings towards each other, and they're not being so coy about it."
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NCIS Season 20 Episode 1 will release on Monday, Sept. 19 at 9 pm (ET).