Two more seasons of NCIS have officially arrived on Netflix. Seasons 16 and 17 are now available in the US as of June 30, where they’ve joined the already-streaming Seasons 12-15.

The military police procedural, which originally debuted in 2003 as a spin-off of JAG, hails from creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill. Now more than two decades into its run, the one-hour prime-time series is the third longest-running US scripted drama program behind only Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order. NCIS has 467 episodes (and counting), cementing its place in the upper echelon of US TV dramas after the aforementioned Law & Orders and Gunsmoke — the only programs to have made more episodes.

If you’re looking to take a deeper dive into NCIS, here’s everything you need to know about the series — including details on the latest seasons dropping on Netflix.

What is NCIS about (and what does NCIS stand for)?

NCIS, an acronym for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, follows a team of special agents led by Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) as they investigate Navy- and Marine-related crimes while also navigating their complex personal lives and pasts. It has numerous spin-offs, including NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–2023), NCIS: New Orleans (2014–2021), NCIS: Hawai’i (2021–2024), and NCIS: Sydney (2023–present).

Who’s in the cast of NCIS?

Characters come and go as NCIS gets deep into double-digit seasons, but here’s a look at the main cast members you’ll meet throughout the series (including ones pivotal to Seasons 16 and 17):

• Mark Harmon as NCIS supervisory special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs
• Sasha Alexander as special agent Caitlin Todd
• Michael Weatherly as senior field agent Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo
• Pauley Perrette as forensic specialist Abby Sciuto
• David McCallum as chief medical examiner turned NCIS historian Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard
• Sean Murray as senior field agent Timothy McGee
• Rocky Carroll as NCIS director Leon Vance
• Lauren Holly as NCIS director Jenny Shepard
• Brian Dietzen as assistant medical examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer
• Emily Wickersham as special agent Eleanor Bishop
• Wilmer Valderrama as special agent Nick Torres
• Maria Bello as special agent and psychologist Dr. Jacqueline Sloane
• Diona Reasonover as forensic specialist Kasie Hines
• Jennifer Esposito as special agent Alexandra Quinn 

What happens in NCIS Seasons 16 and 17? 

Years of history are already established between the majority of the characters in NCIS by the time these two seasons come around. The team find themselves embroiled in a Season 16 mystery involving a shady government-bankrolled vigilante justice ring. The NCIS leader, Gibbs (Harmon), also makes a stunning confession related to the deaths of his first wife and daughter.

Midway through Season 16, former Special Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) is discovered alive and not dead from a mortar attack, as we learned in Season 13. It turns out Ziva faked her own death and has been in hiding all this time in an effort to protect her family — an assasin wants to kill her daughter, Tali. In the closing minutes of the Season 16 finale, Ziva suddenly appears in Gibbs’ basement, warning him that he’s in grave danger.

Season 17, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, doesn’t waste any time dealing with the aftermath of Ziva’s return. She and Gibbs are on the lam with the assassin hot on their heels, all while mending their fractured relationship. Meanwhile, the team members, notably McGee (Murray), address their feelings about Ziva’s arrival. 

Why did Cote de Pablo return to NCIS? 

De Pablo joined NCIS in Season 3 and remained a series regular until Season 11, when her departure in the second episode shocked viewers. That made her return in the Season 16 finale a huge surprise — and a major coup for NCIS fans. 

The actor also appeared in four episodes the following season to continue her character’s storyline, which included working alongside Gibbs. “There was obviously a decision. It’s always, ‘Would you want to [return]?’ And my decision was made fairly quickly,” de Pablo told Entertainment Tonight in 2019.

When can I watch NCIS on Netflix?

Stream Seasons 12-17 of the show right here. 

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