NCIS is switching things up early into its 18th season.
The beloved CBS procedural, which has been off the air since April, will be revisiting a plot that confused fans during NCIS Season 17.
“We had an episode last year called ‘Musical Chairs,’ where Gibbs disappears from the squad room to go on a mission, and then he shows up at the end of the episode with a black eye,” Co-Showrunner Steve Binder explained to TVLine.
This decision means that the early episodes will take place before the COVID-19 pandemic, and will give fans answers to the most burning questions from that mission.
“We are going to pick up season 18 with that mission that Gibbs was on, back in time. We’re in a pre-COVID world for a little while.”
The storyline is described as a multi-episode arc, so it means that storylines left lingering at the end of the most recent season will not be wrapped up as quickly as you would think.
It’s still unclear how the show will be addressing the pandemic, but given that it is picking up before it, fans might get to see how the NCIS team reacts to news of stay at home orders amid the health crisis.
Binder says that the COVID episodes of the series might not air until February, so it will all come down to whether the episodes will be ready in time.
NCIS Season 18 has been in production for over a week, and it all appears to be going swimmingly, which will be good news for fans.
It is also unclear how this storyline will affect Maria Bello’s looming exit as Jack Sloane, who was announced to be departing earlier this summer.
Reports at the time said it would be during the first half of the season, but it could be delayed if much of the first half of the season is taking place in the past.
What do you think of this decision, NCIS Fanatics?
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A premiere date has yet to be announced, but it’s likely to be late October or early November.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.