While we all continue to speculate about Parker’s fate, Knight’s future in NCIS has already been confirmed ahead of the season 22 premiere. According to the official promotional materials, Katrina Law isn’t leaving the CBS series. Since rumors about her departure started circulating back in May, I’ve followed the clues closely, and it turns out my hunch was right: Knight will remain part of Parker’s MCRT team in NCIS season 22. However, this news comes with a downside.
Katrina Law’s NCIS Season 22 Return Makes Palmer & Knight’s Breakup Pointless
Don’t get me wrong—I’m thrilled that Knight is staying with the team. After so many cast exits in recent seasons, NCIS could use some stability. While cast changes are common in long-running shows like this one, losing Knight would have been a shame; she’s a great addition to the series, and Law brings so much to the role. That being said, her return has left me frustrated about the impact on her relationship with Jimmy Palmer.
Knight and Palmer began dating in season 19, shortly after Law joined the show and around the time Mark Harmon exited. Unlike the slow-burn romances we’ve seen before, their relationship developed quickly and naturally, which made their forced breakup in the NCIS season 21 finale all the more heartbreaking. Initially, it seemed like the split would be a way to ease Knight’s departure from the team. But now, with Knight staying, it feels like the entire breakup was unnecessary.
Palmer & Knight’s Breakup Adds Unnecessary Tension in NCIS Season 22
Now, NCIS season 22 will have to navigate the awkwardness of Palmer and Knight working together post-breakup. While NCIS isn’t typically focused on romance, the show has featured several romantic storylines over the years. Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David’s will-they/won’t-they dynamic was incredibly popular, even leading to Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo’s new spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Other office pairings have occurred throughout the series, though none have really lasted—usually because one character leaves the show.
What makes this situation different is that both Palmer and Knight are still on the team, forcing the show to deal with the fallout of their relationship ending. This creates an unnecessary distraction from the team’s work, especially when their split only happened because Knight was supposedly leaving. Now, instead of focusing on the cases at hand, season 22 will have to address the tension between the two, making their breakup seem pointless in hindsight.
