Brace yourself NCIS fans, our first major break of the season is upon us.
Since kicking off its season on Oct. 14, NCIS season 22 has aired without much interruption at all with just one break in the season thus far this season. However, that’s all about to change as CBS’s longest-running drama is about to take what will be its longest break so far this season.
On December 16, CBS will air the fall finale which will serve not only as the show’s final episode of 2024 but the show’s last new episode for over a month! That’s right, we’ve got quite a long break ahead following the fall finale which is due in large part thanks to CBS’s decision to keep its shows on air longer than most networks as many broadcasters began sending their shows on break in late November for the holiday season.
CBS took a different approach with new episodes of its originals coming through the third week of December, which has been great for those looking for new episodes to enjoy outside holiday offerings. The downside is that because the CBS shows didn’t go on break as early as other networks’ shows, they also won’t be returning as early in the new year.
So when exactly will NCIS be back after its break? Following the fall finale, the next new episode of NCIS won’t arrive until Jan. 27, 2025. For those doing the math, that means we have a six-week break ahead after the fall finale airs and honestly we can accept that.
It’s been nice getting more episodes of NCIS in the fall before its winter break and CBS’s scheduling choice has helped to give fans some scripted originals to enjoy while other networks handed their schedules over to holiday programming. Honestly, with the holidays coming, the break probably won’t even feel that long at all as the first two weeks of the upcoming break will be full of holiday festivities to enjoy when many aren’t around watching TV.
When NCIS does finally return in January, our hope is that in taking a longer winter break we won’t see quite as many weird breaks in the schedule and should hopefully get at least a few weeks of episodes before another break arrives.
And if fans end up wanting to enjoy some NCIS while the show is on break, they can always look to Paramount+ which is the streaming home to every season of the show as well as its many spinoffs. With a long break ahead, that also gives any fans who might have fallen behind on the current season, plenty of time to catch up before the show returns on Jan. 27 with its first episode of the new year. It’s also a great time to start NCIS: Origins if you haven’t already begun watching CBS’s NCIS prequel series, which will also be back on Jan. 27 following a long break of its own.
Don’t miss the NCIS season 22 fall finale on Monday, Dec. 16 which will begin the countdown to the show’s return on Jan. 27 after its winter break.