‘NCIS’ season 21 release window, cast, and episode count

Police procedurals are a mainstay on television, with dozens of competing attempts vying for viewer attention. 

Among the most popular is NCIS, a series centered around a group of agents serving in the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was popular enough to launch an entire franchise, and four spin-off series serve as testament to its staying power. As do a full 20 seasons of existing content, and more yet to come.

NCIS season 21 release window

A 21st season of NCIS is definitely coming, after the show was once again renewed in February of 2023, but when it will drop is still a mystery. Based on previous seasons of the show, however, we can venture a solid guess of when audiences can expect fresh episodes to arrive. 

Every season, barring the show’s 18th, has aired in the same month, and likewise concluded in the same month. Season 18 is likely an outlier due to the year it was released — 2021 — and the complications presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we’ll be ignoring it in our estimation of NCIS release windows, and instead considering the other 19 seasons. 

Each of those seasons aired their first episodes in mid to late September, and concluded their run in mid-May. The consistency across so many seasons indicates that we can expect the same with NCIS season 21, so fans should anticipate the first episode between September 19 and 28. 

Season 21 cast

Fans can expect the same stellar cast to return for season 21 of NCIS. Series mainstays like David McCallum, Sean Murray, Rocky Carroll, Wilmer Valderrama, Diona Reasonover, and Katrina Law are all expected back for the show’s next season, and they’ll likely be joined by Al Sapienza, who cropped up in the later episodes of season 20. His storyline is just getting started, but fans are already intrigued, and looking forward to plenty more. 

How many episodes are in NCIS season 21?

Previous seasons of NCIS have sported anywhere between 16 and 25 episodes, but 24 is the most consistent number. Despite this, many seasons vary in episode number, leaving audiences without a clear idea of how much content they should expect.

Early reports indicate that season 21 of the popular series will pull back on the episode count a touch, releasing only 18 episodes rather than the more typical 24. It’s still a solid run, particularly for a series with so many seasons under its belt, and audiences are sure to experience plenty of action over the course of those 18 episodes.