NCIS can’t get enough of festive specials and this year is no different, as the team are preparing for another problem to solve. The series returns for its annual tradition on Monday December 16 at 9 PM on CBS in the episode entitled “Humbug”, and it’ll be highly dramatic when a scandalous tell-all book threatens to destroy Christmas for a decorated Marine, so NCIS races against the clock to uncover the truth and save a hero’s legacy—before the book’s release turns the holiday season into a nightmare.
NCIS has a long history of putting on holiday-themed episodes that blend festive elements with the show’s regular crime-solving shenanigans. One of the earliest holiday episodes is “Silent Night” from Season 6, where the team investigates a case involving a Marine who was once presumed dead, yet who reappears during the Christmas season. In Season 9’s “Newborn King,” the team protects a pregnant Marine on Christmas Eve, and in Season 10’s “You Better Watch Out”, we see Tony DiNozzo’s father visiting for the holidays. “House Rules” from Season 12 focuses on McGee looking back on how the team has worked best together, and Season 16’s “What Child Is This?” involves the team caring for an abandoned newborn during Christmas.
What Other ‘NCIS’ Shows Can I See?
At the moment, NCIS: Sydney is bringing the action Down Under, airing on Paramount+ in Australia and CBS in the U.S, and the newest addition to the lineup, NCIS: Origins, premiered on October 14 earlier this year. Set in 1991, the series explores the early days of a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Austin Stowell. Mark Harmon also returns in voiceovers and occasional on-screen cameos, while the show also goes into Gibbs’ formative relationship with NCIS legend Mike Franks.
The series will also go further with NCIS: Tony & Ziva, a spin-off that will follow the two fan favourite characters Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), which will premiere next year. Weatherly recently spoke about how much the NCIS franchise meant to him and how excited he was to reprise his role as Tony.
“I had the opportunity, with NCIS , to travel to Australia, Italy, and Germany, and it became this very clear, international show. It’s that global impact… It’s about a family in jeopardy, in peril, trying to find a way to do the right thing, inhaling circumstances, two people trying to communicate, two people trying to love each other.”
New episodes of NCIS air every Monday on CBS, while past episodes are available on Paramount+. Be sure to check out the holiday special on December 16, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.