The search for the next NCIS director is on after Vance’s shocking season 23 death — and even the cast isn’t sure what to expect from their new leader.
“I don’t think we quite know what is in store with the director position,” Sean Murray, who plays Special Agent Timothy McGee on NCIS, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2026 CBS Fest on Wednesday, April 15.
Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Special Agent Nick Torres, agreed with his costar’s assessment, telling Us, “We don’t know yet.”
The actor, 46, explained that the NCIS writers are “reeling in the season finale [idea wise]” and finalizing who will take the helm as director, teasing that the conclusion for this year “definitely touches upon all those story lines.”
“I think [it] will also be just as shocking and complicated, and specifically involved with McGee,” Valderrama said of the finale and the ongoing hunt for a new director.
Katrina Law, who plays Special Agent Jessica Knight, also hinted that McGee could be in the mix for the position as he is the most senior agent behind Gary Cole’s Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker.
“That’s so up in the air right now. It’s going to be just as much of a shock for the audience as it is for us but that’s kind of the fun about transitions,” Law, 40, said while attending CBS Fest at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
She further teased, “You never know what’s coming. You never know who’s going to come on the show or who might move up — or come back.”
Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover, who play medical examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer and forensic scientist Kasie Hines, respectively, all exchanged glances with Law on the red carpet after her comment about a possible “move up” or “come back,” hinting that a familiar face could factor into their office shakeup going into next season.
While fans will have to wait to see who takes over the director chair — a reveal that most likely won’t come until the finale or new season — the cast, like the audience, are still processing Director Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll, dying so suddenly.
During the Tuesday, March 24, episode, which served as the 500th episode of NCIS, Vance was shot by a CID agent. While fans initially thought he was wearing a vest, through a series of memories — and a visit from a Young Ducky Mallard — it was later revealed that he bled out from the fatal gunshot.
Carroll, 62, later told TV Insider that he didn’t see it coming, only learning about his character’s exit two episodes prior.
“No, it was not my choice,” Carroll told the outlet in March. “It was basically presented to me that the studio and the network wanted to do something really spectacular, really big, and something that would really send shockwaves through the NCIS fan base and the community.”
The cast was also stunned by the series of events, as Carroll has played Vance since season 5 in 2008.
“When we found out about it, it was difficult. It was difficult to wrap my head around, and it was also difficult because Sean [Murray] and I were involved in the actual death scene,” Cole, 69, told Us on Wednesday. “Which was strange because we spent a lot of time together. But it made for a very powerful, kind of historic moment in the show, so we have to walk away and say there’s value in that.”
Law admitted at CBS Fest that she is “still not over it,” to which Dietzen, 48, added, “I think a lot of us are shook.”
Reasonover, 34, confirmed that yes, they are all “shook, absolutely” by Carroll’s departure.
Dietzen noted that looking back, it was “incredible” to watch how Carroll handled his goodbye and the heartbreaking death scenes.
“I think it serves as a reminder to not only us as an actor but also to the audience that the people who we are portraying, we are putting their lives on the line every single day and it’s been a long time since we lost a family member like that,” he shared. “It was really, really traumatic I think for everyone.”
Although there is a heart-shaped hole where Vance once sat in the NCIS director’s office, Valderrama told Us that the death does offer the chance for even more unexpected story lines going into next season.
“I will say it kinda sets the tone for the season premiere. I think a lot of those answers are going to lie in the season premiere of the show,” he teased. “It’s going to be something pretty big happening.”
Valderrama revealed that the cast is “about to put it in gear,” confirming that it “won’t be very long” before everyone comes into focus.
“It’ll make you lean forward,” Cole added of the ah-ha moment that is coming down the pipeline.
NCIS airs on CBS Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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