The fifteenth season of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

drama ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'' premiered on September 26, 2017, in the same time slot as in the previous seasons, Tuesdays at 8 PM. The season premiere was watched by 17.42 million viewers, picking up two months after Gibbs and McGee were last seen fighting a group of rebels in Paraguay and focused on the aftermath of those events. The season concluded on May 22, 2018 and contained 24 episodes. ''NCIS'' revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the

Naval Criminal Investigative Service The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate criminal activities involving the Navy and Marine Corps, though its ...

, which conducts criminal investigations involving the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

and

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

Jennifer Esposito Jennifer Esposito is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the feature films ''Summer of Sam'' (1999), ''Don't Say a Word'' (2001), ''Welcome to Collinwood'' (2002), as well as ''Crash'' and ''Taxi'' (both 2004). She has also appea ...

, who portrayed Special Agent Alexandra Quinn, did not return as a series regular this season.

Maria Bello Maria Elena Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress and writer. Her film roles include ''Permanent Midnight'' (1998), ''Payback (1999 film), Payback'' (1999), ''Coyote Ugly (film), Coyote Ugly'' (2000), ''The Cooler'' (2003), ''A Hist ...

joined the cast as Dr. Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane, NCIS Senior Resident Agent and operational psychologist (episodes 4–24). After 15 years of playing

Abby Sciuto Abigail "Abby" Beethoven Sciuto is a fictional character from the '' NCIS'' television series on CBS Television, and is portrayed by Pauley Perrette. In a season 10 episode entitled "Hit and Run", a young Abby was played by Brighton Sharbino in ...

Pauley Perrette Pauley Perrette (born March 27, 1969) is an American retired actress and singer. She played Abby Sciuto in the television series '' NCIS'' from 2003 to 2018. Early life Perrette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised throughout the so ...

left the show in episode 22 - "Two Steps Back."

Duane Henry Duane Henry (born 18 March 1985) is an English actor. Henry is most notable for his work on '' NCIS'', ''Doctors'', and ''W.E.'' He currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Early life Duane Henry was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, En ...

, who plays Clayton Reeves, also left the show as he was killed off in the same episode. CBS renewed NCIS for both seasons fourteen and fifteen on Monday, February 29, 2016.

Cast

Main

Mark Harmon Thomas Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor. He is most famous for playing the lead role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in '' NCIS''. He also appeared in a wide variety of roles since the early 1970s. After spending the majority of ...

Leroy Jethro Gibbs Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a fictional character and the original protagonist of the CBS TV series '' NCIS'', portrayed by Mark Harmon. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper turned special agent who commands a team for the Naval Criminal I ...

, NCIS Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) of the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) assigned to Washington's Navy Yard *

, Forensic Specialist for NCIS (episodes 1-22) * Sean Murray as

Timothy McGee Timothy Farragut "Tim" McGee () is a fictional character from the CBS television series '' NCIS''. He is portrayed by Sean Murray. McGee specializes in cybersecurity and computer crime, and is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and MIT. Mur ...

, NCIS Senior Special Agent, second in command of MCRT *

Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in ''Encanto'', and as Carlos ...

Nick Torres Nick Torres is an American songwriter from Huntsville, Alabama. He was the singer for the now defunct indie rock quartet Northstar. He currently performs under the moniker Cassino. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Discography Northstar * ''Har ...

, NCIS Special Agent *

as Dr. Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane, NCIS Senior Resident Agent and Operational Psychologist (episodes 4–24) *

Emily Wickersham Emily Kaiser Wickersham (born April 26, 1984) is an American actress best known for her role as NCIS Special Agent Eleanor Bishop on '' NCIS''. Early life Wickersham has Austrian and Swedish (Värmland) ancestry. She was born in Kansas but ...

as Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop, NCIS Special Agent *

Brian Dietzen Brian Dietzen (born November 14, 1977) is an American actor who has played the supporting role of Dr. Jimmy Palmer on '' NCIS'' since 2004. In 2012, he was promoted to a series regular at the beginning of the show's tenth season. Early life Die ...

as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Assistant Medical Examiner for NCIS *

as Clayton Reeves, MI6 intelligence operative (episodes 1-22) *

Rocky Carroll Roscoe "Rocky" Carroll (born July 8, 1963) is an American actor and director. He is known for his roles as Joey Emerson on the Fox comedy-drama '' Roc'' (1991–94), as Dr. Keith Wilkes on the CBS medical drama ''Chicago Hope'', and as NCIS Direc ...

Leon Vance Leon Robert Vance Jr. (August 11, 1916 – July 26, 1944) was a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Early life and family Leon Robert Vance Jr. was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. Van ...

, NCIS Director *

David McCallum David Keith McCallum Jr. (born 19 September 1933) is a Scottish actor and musician. He first gained recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E''. In recent years, McCallum ...

as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, Chief Medical Examiner for NCIS

Recurring

Joe Spano Joseph Peter Spano (born July 7, 1946) is an American actor best known for his roles as Lt. Henry Goldblume on ''Hill Street Blues'' and FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell on '' NCIS''. He also voiced the Chuck E. Cheese (at the time Chuck E. Che ...

Tobias Fornell '' NCIS'' is an American police procedural television series, revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The series was ...

, former FBI Senior Special Agent *

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television. He is known for starring in the television shows '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch'' (1975–1978), and ''Hart to Hart'' (1979– ...

as Anthony DiNozzo, Sr., father of former NCIS Special Agent

Anthony DiNozzo Anthony D. "Tony" DiNozzo, Jr.Season 3, Episode 9 "Frame Up" is a fictional character from the CBS TV series '' NCIS'' portrayed by American actor Michael Weatherly. An original cast character created by producer Donald P. Bellisario, he is cr ...

* Jack Conley as Danny Sportelli, Metro P.D. Detective Sergeant *

Margo Harshman Margo Cathleen Harshman (born March 4, 1986) is an American actress known for the roles of series regular Tawny Dean on ''Even Stevens'', Sheldon Cooper's assistant Alex Jensen on ''The Big Bang Theory'', and Timothy McGee's wife Delilah Field ...

as Delilah Fielding-McGee, DoD Intelligence Analyst and McGee's wife *

Patrick Labyorteaux Patrick Francis Labyorteaux (born July 22, 1965) is an American actor, television producer and television writer. In many of his earlier credits, his last name is spelled as "Laborteaux". He is best known for his roles of Andrew "Andy" Garvey on ...

Bud Roberts Bud J. Roberts Jr. is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series (played by Patrick Labyorteaux), created by Donald P. Bellisario as a work-for-hire for Paramount Television. Bud Roberts made two appearances in the first season of ''JAG'' ...

, JAG Captain from Falls Church *

French Stewart Milton French-Stewart IV (born February 20, 1964), known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for playing Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. He also played Marv Murchins in ''Home Alone 4'', In ...

as Paul Triff, incarcerated serial killer *

Laura San Giacomo Laura San Giacomo (born November 14, 1962) is an American actress. She played Cynthia in the film ''Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' (1989) for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Kit De Luca in the film ''Pretty Woman ...

as Dr. Grace Confalone, psychotherapist *

Marco Sanchez Marco Sanchez is an American actor, producer, and writer. Life and career Sanchez studied theater throughout junior high and high school and graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television in 1992. His television work includes ...

as Alejandro Rivera, incarcerated former official in the Mexican Justice Department and enemy of Gibbs *

Pej Vahdat Pejman "Pej" Vahdat ( ) is an American actor known for his role of Arastoo Vaziri in ''Bones'' from 2009 to 2017. In 2022, Vahdat was cast as Dex Dexter for the fifth season of the CW reboot series ''Dynasty''. Career Before his acting caree ...

as Nigel Hakim, British Humanitarian *

Kent Shocknek Kent Shocknek is an American television and film personality who branched into acting toward the end of a successful career as a TV newscaster. Because of the length of his journalism career, duration of his broadcasts, and breaking news events, ...

as Guy Ross, ZNN News Anchor *

Sumalee Montano Sumalee Montano (born August 3, 1972) is an American actress who worked as an investment bank analyst in New York City and Hong Kong before starting her acting career. For TV and film, Sumalee has appeared on '' Close to Home'', '' Days of Ou ...

as Nicole Taggart, NCIS Special Agent *

Diona Reasonover Diona Reasonover (born January 6, 1992) is an American actress. She starred as Charmaine Eskowitz in the television show '' Clipped''. She portrays Kasie Hines in the crime drama series '' NCIS''. Early life Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan ...

as Kasie Hines, Forensic Specialist for NCIS and temporary replacement for Abby after she resigns * Naomi Grace as Kayla Vance, Leon Vance's daughter * Hilary Ward as Jessica Shaeffer, Defense Attorney *

Don Lake Donald Lake (born November 26, 1956) is a Canadian actor, writer, and television producer. He is frequently cast by director Christopher Guest, and is also a close friend and the collaborative partner of Bonnie Hunt. He had a role in ''The Bonn ...

as Phillip Brooks, Navy Captain *

Peter Jason Peter Edward Ostling (born July 22, 1944), also known as Peter Jason, is an American character actor. He has appeared in over eighty films and a hundred television series. He played Con Stapleton in the series '' Deadwood''. He was a frequent col ...

as Robert King, Biological Weapons Specialist

Guest appearances

Muse Watson Muse Watson (born July 20, 1948) is an American stage and screen actor. He became known for his roles as Ben Willis, the primary antagonist in the ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' franchise, Charles Westmoreland on the Fox television series ...

as Mike Franks, deceased retired Senior Special Agent for NCIS and Gibbs' former boss *

Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, ''The Drew Carey Show'', an ...

as John Ross, retired Marine Sergeant *

Kevin Pollak Kevin Elliot Pollak (born October 30, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and podcast host. He has appeared in over 80 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's legal film ''A Few Good Men'', Jacob Goldman in '' Grump ...

as Albert Hathaway, convicted Investment Advisor *

Dan Lauria Daniel Joseph Lauria (born April 12, 1947) is an American actor, known for playing the role of Jack Arnold in ''The Wonder Years'' (1988–1993), Jack Sullivan on '' Sullivan and Son'' (2012–2014), and Al Luongo on '' Pitch'' (2016–2017). Ea ...

as Morgan Cade, Emergency Room Guard *

Trevor Donovan Trevor Donovan Neubauer (born October 11, 1978), known professionally as Trevor Donovan, is an American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Teddy Montgomery on the hit teen drama television series '' 90210.'' Life and career Donova ...

as Thomas Buckner, Navy Commander *

Susan Blakely Susan Blakely is an American actress and model. She is best known for her leading role in the 1976 ABC miniseries '' Rich Man, Poor Man'', for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. Blakely also has ...

as Cadence Darwin, Ducky's friend *

Gwendoline Yeo Gwendoline See-Hian Yeo (; born 10 July 1977) is a Singaporean actress, musician and writer best known for her roles as Dr. Kelly Lee on ''General Hospital'', Xiao-Mei on ''Desperate Housewives'' and Sun Fu in ''Broken Trail''. She is also known ...

as Joanna Wright, NCIS Special Agent *

Jake Busey William Jacob Busey is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in 1996's ''The Frighteners'', Ace Levy in 1997's ''Starship Troopers'', Kyle Brenner in 2001's '' Tomcats'', Aiden Tanner in the 20 ...

as Whit Dexter, Radio Host * Mike Wolfe as himself *

Amanda Payton Amanda Payton is an American actor. She is best known for playing Nina Rudolph on the NBC sitcom '' Trial & Error'', Dr. Alison Parfit on the Sky Comedy/Peacock police comedy-drama '' Code 404'', and Holly in the CBS sitcom '' United States of Al ...

as Misty Boxlarter

Production

The series was renewed for fourteenth and fifteenth seasons by CBS on Monday, February 29, 2016. It was announced that

, who portrayed NCIS agent Alexandra Quinn, had departed and would be replaced by

as Agent Jackie Sloane — a new series regular, beginning with episode 15:5. Bello inked a three-year deal to remain with the show through until the end of its seventeenth season. Production began in July 2017 with the rest of cast members returning. Showrunners Frank Cardea and

George Schenck George Schenck is an American screenwriter. His credits include ''Futureworld'', the TV-movie ''The Phantom of Hollywood'' and numerous episodes of '' NCIS''. He also had a production company Schenck/Cardea Productions, which at one time, in th ...

(in their first full season at the helm) wanted to focus Season 15 around a "good mystery and more stand-alone episodes than two or three-parters." However, they noted that they wouldn't shy away from multi-part episodes if the story was deemed worth it. This season included a three-episode arc revolving around serial killer Gabriel Hicks, the episodes being: "Burden of Proof", "Keep Your Friends Close", and "Keep Your Enemies Closer". As to Quinn's departure, Special Agent

Torres Torres may refer to: People *Torres (surname), a Spanish and Portuguese surname *Torres (musician), singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott **Torres (album), ''Torres'' (album), 2013 self-titled album by Torres Places Americas *Torres, Colorado, an un ...

(Wilmer Valderrama) stated in 15:1 ("House Divided") that Quinn is now on leave taking care of her mother; this coincides with a running story-arc her character had maintained for some time. The specific turnover point between Quinn & Sloane's characters occurs at the end of 15:4, when Bello's character premieres. In another central casting announcement, ''TV Line'' reported on October 4, 2017, that founding NCIS actress

would be leaving the role of "Abby Sciuto" after the conclusion of season fifteen. Perrette's final episode was episode 22, which aired on May 8, 2018. Also, in this episode,

(Clayton Reeves) was written off the show. NCIS was renewed for a sixteenth season on April 13, 2018, following a deal with

to return for an additional two years.

Episodes

Reception

Season 15 was praised for its sharp cases and bringing new life into characters and series, with Matt Carter of CarterMatt.com citing "the arrival of

and the creative direction of the new showrunners; this has been the best season overall since season 10" as chief reasons for this revival. Sara Netzley of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' said, in reference to the positive changes, "now here's the show we’ve enjoyed for years", noting that it was "dark and twisty", giving it an 'A' rating. Season 15 of ''NCIS'' was

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

's most watched and highest rated drama on their network for another year. Whilst being the most watched drama nationally, beating

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's megahit ''

This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...

'' and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's '' The Good Doctor'', it also finished as the sixth most watched television program overall for 2017–2018 season.

Home media

A DVD and Blu-ray of the fifteenth season of ''NCIS'' was announced for August 21, 2018.

Ratings

References

{{NCIS (franchise) 2017 American television seasons 2018 American television seasons NCIS 15