Fresh off the exhilarating celebration of the NCIS franchise’s monumental 1,000th episode, star Brian Dietzen, known for his role as the affable chief medical examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer, is teasing fans with promises of epic twists in the upcoming season 21 finale.
Titled “Reef Madness” and set to air on May 6, the finale marks the culmination of a truncated 10-episode season, a result of the previous year’s acting and writing strike. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dietzen hyped up the anticipation, assuring viewers that the final episode will be nothing short of breathtaking.
“Expect the unexpected,” he teased. “As per usual with NCIS, it’s gonna leave a lot of people with their mouths wide open after the credits start to roll. I think everyone’s pretty damn proud of what we put together.”
Despite the condensed season, Dietzen assured fans that the show’s writers have packed in plenty of excitement leading up to the finale. “There’s still some huge moments to come,” he explained. “Each of our writers is really swinging for the fences, and they are not disappointing.”
Dietzen also hinted at an upcoming episode that spotlights Gary Cole’s character, Parker, promising uproarious laughter. “One that’s coming up pretty soon here highlights Gary Cole’s character Parker in a way that, to me, is some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen in a long, long time on the show,” he shared. “Having read it, I can’t wait to see what Gary does with the material.”
Excitement for NCIS continues to soar, with the recent announcement of the show’s renewal for a 22nd season set to premiere in the autumn. Additionally, fans can look forward to not one, but two new spin-offs: a prequel chronicling the early days of Leroy Gibbs, narrated by Mark Harmon himself, and a contemporary series reuniting beloved characters Ziva David and Tony DiNozzo.
As viewers eagerly await the gripping finale and anticipate the future of the NCIS universe, the show continues to captivate audiences on CBS in the US, while UK fans can catch up on seasons 1-20 on Disney+ with season 21 currently streaming.
