NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder recently addressed the status of Jessica Knight, discussing whether the character will return. Despite NCIS’s landmark season 21 being limited to 10 episodes due to writers and actors strikes, the long-running procedural managed to end on a surprising note with the potential departure of Katrina Law’s Special Agent Jessica Knight.
In an interview with TVLine previewing the future of the popular CBS franchise, Binder discussed the likelihood of Law returning as Knight for NCIS season 22. While he did not confirm Knight’s future, he did reference characters “who just disappear like Gibbs.” Binder then promised that audiences will be satisfied with where the story ends up. Read his full quote below:
“We’ve set something up there, and I will point you toward our track record where ‘You never know.’ We’ve had people look like they were going away and then it’s found out they weren’t going away, and then people who just disappear like Gibbs.
We’re really trying to follow what I call ‘the Tony DiNozzo departure’ where, in his case, he actually did leave the show, but you ask yourself, ‘What would it take to get a certain character away?’ In the case of Tony DiNozzo, we thought he wouldn’t be going anywhere — except for a child, and suddenly that’s the motive that would make him leave. And to get [Knight] to leave this team, it’s a combination of a thing that she had applied for and wanted to do — she’s talked about the plan with her father — and then having this relationship with Jimmy where suddenly things are in flux in a way that it makes it easier for her to say goodbye.
So, I will say this. We do aim to please, and we think the audience will be satisfied with where they see this go. Sometimes that satisfaction is bittersweet and sometimes it’s just pure joy. You’ll have to wait to find out which one it’s going to be.”
