The sixteenth season of the American police procedural drama NCIS originally aired from September 25, 2018, through May 21, 2019, at the same time slot as in the previous seasons, Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. and contained 24 episodes.
NCIS depicts a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Season 16 features two major storylines after the premiere concludes the plot from the previous season's finale: a season-long arc involving a vigilante justice ring, and the reveal that Ziva David is actually alive halfway through the season. The latter fact is confirmed by her physical appearance in the final moments of the finale, "Daughters". This season takes on a darker undertone for Gibbs as he reveals to his team that he killed the man responsible for his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly's deaths.
Contents
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, Assistant Medical Examiner for NCIS (episodes 1–17), Chief Medical Examiner for NCIS (episodes 17–24)
Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines, Forensic Specialist for NCIS
Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance, NCIS Director
David McCallum as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, Chief Medical Examiner for NCIS (episodes 1–17), NCIS Historian (episodes 17–24)
Special guest star
Cote de Pablo as Ziva David, former Mossad Officer and former NCIS Special Agent