As fans are still reeling from the season 22 NCIS finale death, the cast is gearing up for a quest of revenge to start off next season.
“You’re going to see a team that’s going to be willing to go rogue,” Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Special Agent Nick Torres, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2025 CBS Fest on Wednesday, May 7.
He teased that season 23, which will premiere sometime this fall, will pick up after Special Agent in Charge Alden Parker’s (Gary Cole) father, Roman (Francis X. McCarthy), was found murdered.
“I think our badges are going to go in a drawer at some point,” Valderrama, 45, said, hinting that revenge won’t just be on Parker’s mind.
During the NCIS season 22 finale, which aired on Monday, May 5, Parker was kidnapped by the leader of the Nexus cartel and former mob boss, Carla Marino (Rebecca De Mornay). Carla threatened Parker’s life, claiming that he was responsible for her son dying in a motorcycle accident that transpired while he was trying to escape her and her shady business.
While Parker’s life was spared, Carla escaped NCIS custody and went on the run. Parker, meanwhile, returned home to find his father dead. There were two wine glasses sitting beside the body, one with a lipstick mark, which some fans think point to Carla as the murderer.
“This isn’t just another murdered victim that this team runs across. This is one of our own,” Cole, 68, exclusively told Us. “It becomes that to some other team members.”
Cole explained that because Torres is so personally invested in his team’s families, the actor expects the character to feel Roman’s death just as much as Parker does. Valderrama exclusively told Us on Wednesday that is a very good prediction.
“I think that Torres learned to unlearn what a lone wolf was and really gave himself to this family, to this team and devoted himself to not only protect those who serve, but also protect those beside him,” Valderrama said while attending the TV fest on the Paramount Lot in Los Angeles. “And when someone hurts, Torres hurts. And Torres is a little more unhinged than most.”
He pointed out that Torres “doesn’t really follow Gibb’s rules,” so he should be the No. 1 choice for getting not only justice for Roman’s death, but perhaps revenge.
Torres, however, isn’t the only one of Parker’s agents that will be willing to skirt a few rules to solve the case come season 23. Katrina Law, who plays Special Agent Jessica Knight, told Us they’re family and family sticks together.
“Our team’s going to come together in a way for Parker that you’ve never seen this particular group of characters come together,” Law, 39, exclusively revealed on Wednesday. “And I’m really interested to see what we are willing to do for one of our own and how far we’re willing to go for the love of one of our own.”
During the season finale, fans also learned that Inspector General Gabriel LaRoche (Seamus Dever) was secretly working with the Department of Defense without NCIS’s knowledge. LaRoche’s secret, which Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) uncovered, was tied to trying to bring down the Nexus cartel.
While LaRoche handed the case over to NCIS during Monday’s episode, it might not be the last we see of him now that the team has been played by Carla and the Nexus cartel was not dismantled.
“I think we’re going to see a little more,” Murray, 47, told Us on Wednesday, referring to the McGee and LaRoche faceoff. “I think it would be unfair of us to not see a little more, you know what I mean?”
NCIS returns to CBS on Tuesdays this fall. All episodes are currently available to stream on Paramount+.
