NCIS season 17

The seventeenth season of NCIS, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired on CBS from September 24, 2019 through April 14, 2020. The season was produced by Belisarius Productions and CBS Television Studios. The season only contained 20 episodes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first, and so far only, season in the series to not end in the usual May. It’s also the first season to not feature Joe Spano as Tobias Fornell.

NCIS
Season 17
Season 17 U.S. DVD cover
Starring	Mark Harmon Sean Murray Wilmer Valderrama Emily Wickersham Maria Bello Brian Dietzen Diona Reasonover Rocky Carroll David McCallum
No. of episodes	20
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 24, 2019 (2019-09-24) – April 14, 2020 (2020-04-14)
Season chronology
List of episodes

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.

In May 2020, CBS renewed the series for an eighteenth season.^[1][2]

Cast and 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
• 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
• 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 and former Chief Medical Examiner

Special guest star

• Cote de Pablo as Ziva David, former Mossad Officer and former NCIS Special Agent

Recurring

• Laura San Giacomo as Dr. Grace Confalone, psychotherapist
• Megan Gallagher as Jennifer Leo, Under Secretary of the Navy
• Don Lake as Phillip Brooks, Navy Captain
• Louise Barnes as Mira Sahar Azam / Sarah, Gibbs's neighbor and terrorist
• Mouzam Makkar as fake Mira Sahar Azam
• Jack Fisher as Phineas, Sarah's son
• Usman Ally as Victor Mir, NCIS target
• Damon Dayoub as Adam Eshel, Mossad Agent
• Elayn J. Taylor as Odette Malone, owner of Ziva's private office and former CIA Operative
• Kate Hamilton as Faith Tolliver, Jack Sloane's biological daughter
• Karri Turner as Micki Kaydar, Phineas' aunt

Guest

• Devale Ellis as Dante Brown, Kasie's childhood best friend
• Patrick Duffy as Jack Briggs, retired Navy Lieutenant Commander
• Kevin Kilner as Patrick Norian, NSA Access Manager
• Lisa LoCicero as Elena Devol, Torres's girlfriend
• Camryn Grimes as Laney Alimonte, Marine Corporal
• Ellen Geer as Esther Daniels
• Daphne Zuniga as Stacy Gordon, Navy Commander
• Christopher Lloyd as Joseph "Joe" Smith
• Scott Menville as Army Sergeant Donald Ptorias

Episodes

See also: List of NCIS episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
379	1	"Out of the Darkness"	Terrence O'Hara	Gina Lucita Monreal	September 24, 2019 (2019-09-24)	1701	12.57[3]
When Ziva returns, warning Gibbs that his life is in danger, the two are forced on the run to locate Sahar, the mastermind responsible. Meanwhile, the team investigates, with the revelation of Ziva's survival leaving major rifts amongst them.
380	2	"Into the Light"	Tony Wharmby	Steven D. Binder	October 1, 2019 (2019-10-01)	1702	12.51[4]
The investigation into the threat on Gibbs and Ziva takes a turn when attacks are made on Congressmen. After being cornered by NCIS and Ziva, Sahar enacts "plan C", which results in her and her henchmen being killed. During these events, Gibbs and Ziva make peace after the latter reveals to having felt abandoned by Gibbs not looking for her when her death was reported, and Ziva tells Gibbs she has one more thing she needs to do alone before reuniting with her family.
381	3	"Going Mobile"	Thomas J. Wright	Scott Williams	October 8, 2019 (2019-10-08)	1703	11.19[5]
After a body is found underneath a truck entering the Navy Yard, the investigation into the man's death leads them to a trailer park with a number of interesting residents. Sloane tries to get the team to talk regarding Ziva's recent appearance and departure.
382	4	"Someone Else's Shoes"	Michael Zinberg	Christopher J. Waild	October 15, 2019 (2019-10-15)	1704	10.87[6]
The NCIS team investigates a bizarre crime scene at Arlington National Cemetery which is linked to a string of attacks on homeless veterans. Meanwhile, as a punishment for lying to Director Vance regarding Ziva's sudden reappearance, McGee, Bishop and Torres will have to spend their entire day conducting evidence garage cleanup.
383	5	"Wide Awake"	Diana Valentine	Brendan Fehily	October 22, 2019 (2019-10-22)	1705	11.34[7]
NCIS investigates Marine Corporal Laney Alimonte after evidence suggests she murdered her neighbor while being treated for insomnia by a hypnotherapist. Meanwhile, Gibbs befriends his new neighbors, a single mother and her 9-year old son, after the latter’s baseball accidentally crashes through his window.
384	6	"Institutionalized"	Tony Wharmby	David J. North	November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05)	1706	10.88[8]
When investigating the death of a formerly imprisoned Naval officer, Kasie has to fight tooth-and-nail when the prime suspect is her childhood friend.
385	7	"No Vacancy"	Rocky Carroll	Marco Schnabel	November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)	1707	11.65[9]
While investigating a Marine’s murder, the NCIS team uncovers a labyrinth of live-streaming spy cameras hidden in the rooms of a Virginia motel.
386	8	"Musical Chairs"	Michael Zinberg	Kate Torgovnick May	November 19, 2019 (2019-11-19)	1708	11.12[10]
The NCIS team investigates the murder of a musician in the Navy's most elite band that performs at diplomatic events around the world.
387	9	"IRL"	Terrence O'Hara	Christopher J. Waild	November 26, 2019 (2019-11-26)	1709	11.06[11]
NCIS investigates the murder of a petty officer that was live-streamed on a popular video gaming app. Meanwhile, Gibbs watches his 9-year old neighbor, Phineas (Jack Fisher), when his mother must leave on a last-minute trip.
388	10	"The North Pole"	James Whitmore Jr.	Gina Lucita Monreal	December 17, 2019 (2019-12-17)	1710	11.10[12]
Gibbs helps Phineas's mother, Sarah, with a plumbing issue and notices a cut on her hand. She brushes it off as scraping it against a pipe. Meanwhile, Ziva's landlady Odette instructs Bishop to retrieve a flash drive at a club in exchange for $100k, but instead of handing it to Odette (revealed to have been fired from a special CIA operation), she presents it to the team. The lone file on the drive is a picture of an unidentified man dragging Ziva's friend Adam Eshel into an abandoned factory. Flashbacks show Ziva in the time elapsed from Eli's farmhouse explosion. The investigation reveals that the "Sahar" killed previously is an impostor. Gibbs and Ziva arrive too late to save Adam, but he tells them that the real Sahar is "someone you know" before dying. They come to realize Adam was talking to Gibbs instead of Ziva, leading them to the conclusion that Sahar is Sarah, and Gibbs is forced to kill her during her confrontation with Ziva. Odette offers "special training" to Bishop at Ziva's office, and Gibbs reluctantly heads upstairs at his house to tell Phineas about his mother.
389	11	"In the Wind"	Rocky Carroll	Scott Williams	January 7, 2020 (2020-01-07)	1711	10.39[13]
Gibbs gets deeply and personally involved in a case when Phineas goes missing, to the concern of his team regarding his well-being. The case also hits home with Torres, having busted a child trafficking ring while deep undercover. Victor Mir, the club owner who NCIS has crossed paths with before, is revealed to be Halabi, a man working in a terrorist ring with the brother of Phineas’s biological father, and the team arrests him before he can take Phineas to his uncle in Libya. Phineas is then reunited with his foster parents, from whom he was separated when his mother lied to him about them not wanting him anymore. Ziva then bids her farewells to the team as Jimmy prepares to take her to the airport so she can fly to Paris and reunite with her family.
390	12	"Flight Plan"	Tawnia McKiernan	Brendan Fehily	January 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)	1712	10.12[14]
While investigating the crash of a Navy fighter jet, the team discovers the pilot had faked her death. Meanwhile, McGee is concerned about getting a vasectomy.
391	13	"Sound Off"	William Webb	Lisa Di Trolio	January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)	1713	11.36[15]
When the body of a Marine is found at a drone testing site, NCIS must determine if it was murder or an accident. Meanwhile, Jimmy carefully interviews candidates for the medical examiner assistant position.
392	14	"On Fire"	Mark Horowitz	David J. North & Steven D. Binder	January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)	1714	12.12[16]
While Torres and Bishop are out jogging, Torres is hit by a speeding car. As Torres is comatose, NCIS and a vengeful Bishop must navigate a political minefield involving Xavier Zolotov, the spoiled son of an influential Russian family. During the investigation, the team finds Zolotov murdered, presumably by his girlfriend, who was a material suspect in Torres's previous undercover assignment years earlier. A strand of blonde hair is found at the crime scene (the girlfriend is blonde), leading the team to suspect her, though McGee is uneasy that Bishop may have followed through with her intention to kill Zolotov. However, after she confirms she did not do so at the end of the episode, McGee begins to suspect that Gibbs may have killed Zolotov to protect her.
393	15	"Lonely Hearts"	Michael Zinberg	Marco Schnabel	February 11, 2020 (2020-02-11)	1715	11.75[17]
The lead suspect for the murders of two Marines is a woman that Gibbs' friend, Phillip Brooks (Don Lake), met on a dating website. Meanwhile, Sloane has a secret admirer on Valentine's Day, and Torres is out of the hospital from the hit-and-run incident.
394	16	"Ephemera"	Diana Valentine	Christopher J. Waild	February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18)	1716	11.91[18]
While investigating the suicide of a retired Navy chief petty officer who left a rare, valuable - and possibly stolen - coin to the National Museum of the Navy, the team imagines themselves in his life story in order to piece together how the coin ended up in his possession.
395	17	"In a Nutshell"	Michael Zinberg	Katie White	March 10, 2020 (2020-03-10)	1717	10.75[19]
NCIS investigates the murder of a petty officer who was killed in the exact same manner as his parents were 10 years prior. The victim's sister, Claire, has recreated "nutshell" displays depicting her parents' deaths, which assists the team in the investigation. Meanwhile, the team agrees to clean out some of their personal belongings to donate to a charity, but some have a harder time letting go than others. The episode ends with Bishop receiving a text from Odette.
396	18	"Schooled"	Alrick Riley	Kate Torgovnick May & Steven D. Binder	March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)	1718	13.22[20]
When a seemingly well-regarded Marine is found dead in a lake near where a popular community event is being held, the team comes to realize he is a wanted hacker. Meanwhile, Sloane’s biological daughter Faith, requests her father’s medical history, unintentionally forcing Sloane to confront that man: he had raped her after a college party. Sloane makes sure he’ll give Faith what she asks for, lie about the circumstances of her birth, and to never contact her again, but Faith puts two and two together and thanks Sloane for giving her up for adoption in order to protect her from her biological father.
397	19	"Blarney"	Rocky Carroll	Scott Williams	March 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)	1719	13.65[21]
Jimmy and Kasie are held hostage in the diner Gibbs frequently visits after three armed burglars mismanage a heist at a nearby jewelry store. The leader kills their driver beforehand due to the latter spilling details to his wife, who later relays it to Vance and Sloane. A cook at the diner shoots one of the burglars in an attempt to free the patrons, later resulting in the crook’s death and his fellow robbers forcing Jimmy to cut out the diamonds he had swallowed. This gives Jimmy and Kasie the idea to convince them they are bleeding internally from broken glass, saving the other patrons and ending the hostage situation.
398	20	"The Arizona"	James Whitmore Jr.	Gina Lucita Monreal	April 14, 2020 (2020-04-14)	1720	13.49[22]
The team tries to verify the identity of Joe Smith, who claims to have served on the U.S.S. Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attacks and wants his ashes interred there when he dies. Meanwhile, McGee unwittingly gets roped into a family reunion of people he doesn't know. Note: This episode was dedicated to the Pearl Harbor victims as well as the first responders and those on the frontlines battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Production

NCIS was renewed for a seventeenth season on April 11, 2019.^[23]

On March 13, 2020, CBS announced that the filming of season 17 had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[24] Storylines planned for what would have been Episodes 21–24 are confirmed to have been integrated into the Season 18 episodes "Everything Starts Somewhere" and "Sunburn." Executive producer Frank Cardea teased a "very surprising ending" that was altered due to the pandemic. Fans have speculated that this was either the exit of Maria Bello's Jacqueline Sloane (which was postponed until the Season 18 episode "True Believer") or an on-screen reunion of former main cast members Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo as Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David, though neither theory was confirmed.

This is the first of two seasons not to feature Joe Spano in his recurring role as Tobias Fornell (the other being season 22), though he is mentioned numerous times in the season's eighth episode, "Musical Chairs." The fact that the opening arc of the next season would conclude the episode's arc regarding Fornell and his daughter, which began in the Season 16 finale, has led to speculation that this story was intended to be the basis for the unproduced final episode of Season 17.

Broadcast

The seventeenth season of NCIS premiered on September 24, 2019.^[25]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of NCIS season 17

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"Out of the Darkness"	September 24, 2019 (2019-09-24)	1.3/7	12.57[3]	0.7	4.36	2.0	16.93[26]
2	"Into the Light"	October 1, 2019 (2019-10-01)	1.3/7	12.51[4]	0.6	4.02	1.9	16.54[27]
3	"Going Mobile"	October 8, 2019 (2019-10-08)	1.1/6	11.19[5]	0.7	4.05	1.8	15.25[28]
4	"Someone Else's Shoes"	October 15, 2019 (2019-10-15)	1.1/5	10.87[6]	0.6	3.63	1.7	14.50[29]
5	"Wide Awake"	October 22, 2019 (2019-10-22)	1.1/5	11.34[7]	0.6	3.71	1.7	15.05[30]
6	"Institutionalized"	November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05)	1.0/5	10.88[8]	0.6	3.80	1.6	14.68[31]
7	"No Vacancy"	November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)	1.1/5	11.65[9]	0.6	3.51	1.7	15.16[32]
8	"Musical Chairs"	November 19, 2019 (2019-11-19)	1.0/5	11.12[10]	0.6	3.50	1.6	14.62[33]
9	"IRL"	November 26, 2019 (2019-11-26)	1.1/6	11.06[11]	0.6	3.74	1.7	14.80[34]
10	"The North Pole"	December 17, 2019 (2019-12-17)	1.0/5	11.10[12]	0.6	3.86	1.6	14.96[35]
11	"In the Wind"	January 7, 2020 (2020-01-07)	1.0/5	10.39[13]	0.6	3.64	1.6	14.03[36]
12	"Flight Plan"	January 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)	1.0/5	10.12[14]	0.7	4.10	1.7	14.22[37]
13	"Sound Off"	January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)	1.0/6	11.36[15]	0.6	3.67	1.6	15.03[38]
14	"On Fire"	January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)	1.1/6	12.12[16]	0.5	3.39	1.6	15.51[39]
15	"Lonely Hearts"	February 11, 2020 (2020-02-11)	1.0/5	11.75[17]	0.7	3.80	1.7	15.55[40]
16	"Ephemera"	February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18)	1.1/6	11.91[18]	0.6	3.59	1.7	15.50[41]
17	"In a Nutshell"	March 10, 2020 (2020-03-10)	1.0/6	10.75[19]	0.5	3.56	1.5	14.31[42]
18	"Schooled"	March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)	1.3/6	13.22[20]	0.5	3.33	1.8	16.55[43]
19	"Blarney"	March 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)	1.3/6	13.65[21]	0.5	2.91	1.8	16.56[44]
20	"The Arizona"	April 14, 2020 (2020-04-14)	1.3/6	13.49[22]	0.5	3.32	1.8	16.82[45]