We have to start the post off with some bad news. NCIS season 23 will not be one of the shows returning in January 2026. That’s despite the huge cliffhanger at the end of the fall finale.

NCIS season 23, episode 9 wrapped up the Lily mystery for Parker. We learned exactly what happened to Parker’s mom, Eleanor, and it turned out that Lily was key to the case. However, she wasn’t dead and she wasn’t some secret sister.

While Parker gained closure and answers, another mystery came up. Knight finally got her first ELITE mission, but it’s one that brings back a former team member. It’s time for NCIS to track down Eleanor Bishop.

Why isn’t NCIS season 23 back in January 2026?

Usually, we get shows back in January. NBC, ABC, and even FOX have opted for January returns, but CBS has opted to hold things off for the whole month. In fact, we have to wait until Tuesday, Feb. 24 for new episodes of NCIS. The entire NCIS Tuesday lineup is back on that date.

What’s the deal? It’s all linked to the Winter Olympics. While the other networks have opted for January returns, they will need to take their shows off in February for the airing of the Winter Games. It doesn’t make sense to go up against such a big sporting event that the world will be watching, and while we’ve seen shows come back and take breaks before, it does lead to consistency problems.

CBS has opted for a different approach. Instead of taking the shows off the air later, we’re getting a longer break and then better consistency on the other side. There’s no need to just get into the swing of a new case and a new mystery to then take a break after four episodes or so.

NCIS will benefit from consistency after its winter break

There is further good news for those waiting for new episodes of NCIS season 23. On the other side of the break is more consistency. There are fewer weeks between the end of February and May to fill, and that means less of an on-off schedule, which many of the other networks will fall into the trap of.

So, when NCIS returns, we know that we’ll get a story that involves Ellie Bishop. The last we saw of her, she joined Ziva’s former handler to help tackle some of the darker cases out there. Of course, that can mean some illegal activities, and it looks like that’s catching up on her. Bishop knows that the team is after her, as we saw her at the end of the fall finale watching them at the graveyard, so at least she can be one step ahead of them.

NCIS returns on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 8/7c on CBS.