Could NCIS get to 400th episode? When would it air?
Let’s kick off this discussion further with a simple reminder that there are very few scripted drama series that ever hit the threshold — think along the lines of Law & Order, Gunsmoke, and even the current Law & Order: SVU. It’s so difficult to make it this far just because you have to produce so many shows in a given year and, beyond that, also have some sort of mechanism in place in order to ensure that you can keep the show going beyond the inevitable cast and showrunner changes that happen over time.
The good news when it comes to the future of NCIS is simply this: It already has a season 16, and with that, this will bring it past the 375-episode mark. Provided that the next two seasons each have 24 episodes, which is the standard tradition for this show, it will have a chance to celebrate the big 400 near the end of season 17. You could make the argument that if there was ever a time in which to start wrapping the show up, it is at the moment in which it hits this milestone. Yet, there’s also a case to just keep it going however long the ratings stay strong and the cast is still interested in doing it.
As of right now, NCIS does remain one of the most-watched series in the entire world. It’s a syndication monster, it performs well in DVR ratings, and its characters are almost immediately recognizable. The only thing that is potentially set to hurt it is the departure of Pauley Perrette as Abby, mostly given she is such an instantly-recognizable character who helped, almost from the get-go, to bring in viewers from all over the world. There are so few other characters who both look and act like Abby that it makes her stand out. (Hopefully, there is going to be a great replacement for her that can at least match some of her creativity.)
If we do get a 400th episode, fingers crossed that it becomes a great celebration of the series complete with some familiar faces turning up. It would be really great if we could see a cameo from Michael Weatherly and Pauley — also, we’re still firmly of the belief that Ziva is still out there and there could be a really cool way in which to bring Cote de Pablo back.
Related – Check out more details of what’s coming up close to the finale
For now, let’s just end this piece with this: Do you want there to be an NCIS episode 400? What would you want to see in it? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments!
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