NCIS season 18 episode 9 spoilers: ‘Winter Chill’ + more Fornell

NCIS season 18 episode 9 is coming to CBS on Tuesday, March 9, and it could be notable for a couple of different reasons. This could serve as the first episode following the departure of Maria Bello (provided she does leave in episode 8), and it also marks the return of Tobias Fornell.

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Why bring Joe Spano back here? Maybe it’s to get an update on everything that happened with him and Gibbs earlier this season, but he does not appear to be connected to the case. The title for this episode is “Winter Chill,” and the synopsis indicates that this is more of a standard murder-mystery as opposed to something involving a drug ring:

“Winter Chill” – NCIS dives into the competitive world of food trucks after finding a man frozen to death in the back of one, on NCIS, Tuesday, March 9 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Could that be proven wrong? We have to imagine it’s possible, given that we did see a burger joint become a central location in the previous Fornell saga. We’re just happy to see him again, and in general we hope that a number of familiar faces pop up following Bello’s exit as Jack Sloane. There is no replacing her, but different guest stars could inject the show with a little bit more in the way of energy. We would not be shocked if the series did eventually cast a new regular, but there is probably not that much of a hurry to make that happen. With this season being so strange and likely having a limited episode order (the plan was 16 early on), it may just be easier to make do with the cast that is there for the time being. There could be a chance to reset things further entering a potential season 19. (The show has not been officially renewed as of yet.)

Related – Have you heard the news about an NCIS: Hawaii series as of yet?

What do you want to see coming up on NCIS season 18 episode 9?

Be sure to let us know right away in the comments. Once you do that, stick around — there are more updates coming that you don’t want to miss. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.