'NCIS' Season 23 Left Some Major Questions and Opened the Door to Season 24 Cast Changes

In the Season 23 finale of NCIS, fans are left with a brutal cliffhanger. Special Agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) is in an alley with McGee's son, Mateo (Patrick Keleher), when we hear gunshots.

Fans immediately clamored for answers, but none were forthcoming, and the season ended with that massive cliffhanger and the million-dollar question: who shot who?

With Season 24 in the works, fans now want to know who's reprising their roles and who's leaving, which may help them determine who died and where the storyline is going next. Here's what we know about NCIS's plans for Season 24 cast changes.

So, if we're leaving Season 23 with some major questions and looking ahead to Season 24 to answer them, here's what we can surmise about which characters will be returning, and which ones won't.

Us Weekly took a look at some of the biggest actors in the series, and here's what we think will happen for them.

According to the outlet, since Sean Murray is the only original character left on the series from Season 1, and there's no hint of dropping him any time soon, he will likely be staying. As will, they believe, Gary Cole, Katrina Law, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, and other major characters.

Wilmer and Patrick, of course, are anyone's guess.

However, Wilmer himself may have dropped a hint in a June 2026 interview with People, saying, "Look, every couple of years, you guys know NCIS has to make sure you're watching. So we shake up the TV a little bit and we listen. And we listen to where you as fans want to see us do. So we always really pay attention to what our fans want to really experience on the show."

He went on to add, "So if you ask me to speculate, I think there's a major, major shakeup happening and that episode one is going to bring both ... I don't want to get in trouble for this one. Let me get in trouble. How about this? Next season, there's some major changes, and there are some major additions. What does that mean for Torres? I can only hope that he makes it out alive."

So, "major changes" and "major additions"? What exactly does that mean? Wilmer was mum on the details, but we know something big is coming.

However, in the meantime, people are still having a bit of a come apart over the Season 23 finale. After all, a cliffhanger that could end with either character dead is any fan's worst nightmare.

On TikTok, people are raging in comment sections, with one user writing, "I can't believe they left us with THAT. Torres better be okay!"

Others believe there will be a plot twist in Season 24, and that an old favorite may appear.

But for now, it's all speculation.