An opinion piece from Collider argues that NCIS should have concluded when Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, departed at the end of Season 19. Gibbs, who first appeared in a 2003 JAG backdoor pilot, had been the show's central figure for two decades, and the article contends his retirement to Alaska left a void that his replacement as team leader, Alden Parker (Gary Cole), has not filled. The piece argues that long-running procedurals depend heavily on strong, consistent lead characters to sustain audience engagement, especially since crime shows like NCIS rarely feature memorable recurring villains.

The article highlights Gibbs' role as the defining, grounding presence of the original Washington D.C.-based series, contrasting his gruff but principled character with the more relaxed tone of spin-offs such as NCIS: Los Angeles. It suggests he was the one character who fully embodied what made the flagship show distinct within the wider NCIS franchise, and notes that LL Cool J's Sam Hanna is due to return to the franchise the following month, underscoring the franchise's continued expansion even as the original series' identity has shifted since Harmon's exit.