Spoilers for NCIS Season 23 follow: the show has written out Rocky Carroll’s Leon Vance, who dies in the 500th episode, “All Good Things.” The episode ends Carroll’s 18-season run, but the claim that he was NCIS’s last original cast member is not strictly accurate.
Spoilers for NCIS Season 23, including the 500th episode and the season finale, follow.
NCIS has written out Rocky Carroll’s Leon Vance, but the “last original cast member” wording is not technically correct. Vance is killed in “All Good Things,” the show’s 500th episode, which aired on March 24, 2026. The episode ends Carroll’s 18-season run as a regular cast member and removes one of the drama’s most established characters from its continuing story.
Carroll, however, was not part of the original cast when NCIS premiered in September 2003. CBS announced his addition in June 2008, and Carroll has said he joined near the end of Season 5 before becoming a series regular in Season 6. The more accurate continuity headline is that NCIS has lost one of its longest-serving veterans—not its last original cast member.
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What happens to Leon Vance in NCIS Season 23?
In “All Good Things,” Vance sacrifices himself while helping the NCIS team stop a weapons-smuggling conspiracy and a plan to destroy evidence. He defuses a bomb, but a corrupt Army CID agent shoots him immediately afterward. His death is presented as a deliberate final act of service rather than an off-screen departure or an unexplained retirement.
The episode is both the series’ 500th installment and Carroll’s farewell. Carroll described the final sequence as a substantial goodbye and referred to it as a “curtain call.” The production gives Vance a major tribute, reflecting the character’s importance as the agency’s director and as a link between the show’s field agents and its institutional history.
Vance’s death also changes the structure of the series. Showrunner Steven D. Binder said the writers did not necessarily want to replace him immediately with another permanent supervisory character. Instead, the loss allows the show to return its attention to the field-team core: Alden Parker, Timothy McGee, Jessica Knight and Nick Torres, with Jimmy Palmer and Kasie Hines continuing in their established roles.
Rocky Carroll was not an original 2003 cast member
The distinction matters because several different ideas are often collapsed into the phrase “original cast member”:
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- Original-series cast: actors present when NCIS launched in 2003.
- First-season performer: an actor who appeared during Season 1, whether or not they were a regular.
- Longest-serving current cast member: the performer with the longest continuing tenure among the actors still associated with the series.
- Early-era veteran: a performer who joined during the show’s formative years and remained for many seasons.
Carroll clearly belongs in the last category. He was a major veteran of the series, but he joined several years after the 2003 launch. His regular-cast tenure lasted 18 seasons, not 22 years. The “22 years” figure appears to describe the approximate span of the NCIS franchise from its 2003 premiere to the Season 23 storyline, rather than Carroll’s exact time on the show.
Sean Murray remains the key original-cast continuity link
Sean Murray’s Timothy McGee is the stronger candidate for the show’s remaining original-cast connection. Murray appeared in the first season and is described in current coverage as the franchise’s longest-running cast member. Paramount’s Season 24 announcement also lists him among the returning principal stars.
That makes the Season 23 ending especially important to interpret carefully. The finale leaves McGee’s teenage son, Mateo, and Nick Torres caught in a dangerous cliffhanger after a closing gunshot. The available reporting does not establish that Murray is leaving NCIS. McGee’s unresolved family storyline is separate from Carroll’s completed exit.
How Season 23 ends
Season 23 concludes with “Sons and Daughters,” which aired on May 12, 2026. The episode takes place one year after a deadly coffee-shop bombing. A new explosion suggests that the earlier attack may not have been the work of a lone actor, forcing the team to reconsider what happened and to confront questions about legacy and loyalty.
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The episode’s final moments add a separate personal crisis. Torres and McGee’s son Mateo are involved in the cliffhanger, and the gunshot leaves the immediate outcome unresolved. That ending sets up Season 24, but it should not be treated as evidence that McGee—or Sean Murray—is being written out.
Who is returning for NCIS Season 24?
NCIS has been renewed for Season 24, scheduled for fall 2026. The series is set to continue Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS, with episodes also streaming through Paramount+. Individual episode and season availability can vary by country and subscription tier.
The continuing cast and major continuity points are:
| Actor | Character | Season 24 status |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Murray | Timothy McGee | Returning; the principal cast member most closely associated with the show’s original-era continuity. |
| Gary Cole | Alden Parker | Returning as a core member of the team. |
| Katrina Law | Jessica Knight | Returning as a core member of the team. |
| Wilmer Valderrama | Nick Torres | Returning, with the Season 23 cliffhanger involving Mateo still unresolved. |
| Brian Dietzen | Jimmy Palmer | Continuing in the supporting/core ensemble. |
| Diona Reasonover | Kasie Hines | Continuing in the supporting/core ensemble. |
| Michael Weatherly | Tony DiNozzo | Returning for a season-long Season 24 arc. |
Tony DiNozzo is returning—but not as a permanent replacement for Vance
Michael Weatherly will return as Tony DiNozzo for a season-long arc in the 2026–27 season. Weatherly was a main cast member for 13 seasons and appeared in more than 300 episodes, making his return a significant event for the franchise.
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It does not undo DiNozzo’s earlier departure. The character left the original series in the Season 13 episode “Family First.” Weatherly later appeared in the Season 21 episode honoring Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, but that guest appearance did not restore him to the regular cast. His Season 24 arc is therefore a return by a popular former character, not a reversal of the show’s previous continuity.
There is also no indication that DiNozzo is being brought back to take over Vance’s role as director. The post-Season 23 plan described by Binder emphasizes the field team rather than introducing another permanent agency chief.
What Rocky Carroll is doing after leaving the regular cast
Carroll’s exit from the regular cast does not necessarily mean a complete break from NCIS. He remains connected to the production as a director, even though Leon Vance has been removed from the continuing storyline. That distinction leaves open the possibility of Carroll’s creative involvement behind the camera without weakening the finality of Vance’s on-screen death.
Where to watch or collect the relevant NCIS seasons
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The accurate takeaway
NCIS has killed off Leon Vance in its 500th episode, ending Rocky Carroll’s 18-season run as a regular. That is a major cast shake-up and a genuine end-of-an-era moment for the series. But Carroll was not an original cast member of the 2003 launch, and the show has not written out its last original cast connection: Sean Murray’s McGee remains part of the Season 24 ensemble.
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The next season therefore begins with two contrasting pieces of continuity. Vance’s death permanently changes the show’s leadership structure, while DiNozzo’s return temporarily reconnects the series with its past. The unresolved Torres-Mateo-McGee cliffhanger supplies the immediate forward momentum.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Leon Vance die on NCIS?
Leon Vance dies in “All Good Things,” NCIS Season 23’s 500th episode, which aired on March 24, 2026. He is shot by a corrupt Army CID agent after defusing a bomb during the team’s effort to stop a weapons-smuggling conspiracy.
Was Rocky Carroll an original NCIS cast member?
No. Rocky Carroll joined NCIS near the end of Season 5 and became a series regular in Season 6. He was not part of the original cast when the series premiered in September 2003.
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Sean Murray’s Timothy McGee is the stronger remaining original-era continuity link. Murray appeared in Season 1 and is returning as a principal cast member in Season 24.
Is NCIS returning for Season 24?
Yes. NCIS Season 24 is scheduled for fall 2026 on CBS, Tuesdays at 8/7c, with streaming through Paramount+. Michael Weatherly is also returning as Tony DiNozzo for a season-long arc.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Rocky Carroll’s Leon Vance is killed in NCIS Season 23’s 500th episode, “All Good Things,” ending Carroll’s 18 seasons as a regular. The “last original cast member” label is inaccurate: Carroll joined after the 2003 premiere, while Sean Murray remains with the series for Season 24.
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