In NCIS season 22, the team will face the emotional aftermath of Jessica Knight’s departure, with each member reacting in their own way, according to producer Steven D. Binder. The new season, set to air next month on CBS, picks up months after the events of the previous season, which ended with a shocking twist for Knight (played by Katrina Law). After a heated argument with her boyfriend Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) and a harrowing rescue of team leader Alden Parker (Gary Cole), Knight made the decision to accept a new role within NCIS, meaning she would be leaving the team she had been a part of for several seasons.
Binder, in an interview with TV Insider, confirmed that when season 22 begins, Knight has officially left the team, and her absence is felt deeply by her former colleagues. Their reactions to her departure vary widely. Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), for example, seems to have taken it in stride and has begun to focus on his career, while Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) is struggling much more.
“Poor Torres,” Binder explained. “Every time he gets close to someone, they leave. So he’s back to feeling like, ‘It’s just solo Torres again.’ He ends up going undercover with some dangerous people, and things spiral out of control. He gets into a lot of trouble as he navigates this path of being a loner, not really forming relationships.” Binder hinted at a potential turning point for Torres when he’s paired with “a grizzled, hard-boiled private detective,” someone who embodies what Torres fears his own future might look like. This detective is at the end of his rope, ready to give up on humanity, retire to a beach, and drink himself into oblivion. “Is this Torres’ future, or is he able to bring this guy back from the brink?”
Knight’s departure not only affects Torres but also sets off a ripple effect within the rest of the team. McGee, for instance, applies for a deputy director position in Colorado, a significant career move that fans have long speculated about. Binder explained, “It’s an open position, and it’s going to be filled by the end of the premiere episode.”
Meanwhile, Kasie (Diona Reasonover) is still adjusting to Knight’s absence and feeling the loss of her close teammate. Team leader Alden Parker is also grappling with the change. Binder described Parker’s situation as akin to having an “empty nest” in the squad room. Despite his desire to have his team back together, circumstances quickly pull him into a new case, one that sees Knight getting into trouble.
This case will bring the team back into each other’s lives, but it won’t be a simple reunion. As Binder hinted, it’s not a matter of “yay, we’re all back at NCIS.” Instead, their paths will cross in complex ways, with their personal and professional lives intersecting as they work through Knight’s departure and the new challenges ahead.
NCIS season 22 promises to be filled with emotional tension, new challenges, and evolving relationships as the team adjusts to life without Knight while facing a new set of obstacles that will test their bonds and individual futures.
