NCIS’s Season 23 “new team member” is a Department of Justice AI chatbot being tested during an investigation—not a new actor or character replacing Tony DiNozzo or Ziva David. CBS identifies the chatbot in the description for “Stolen Moments,” while its current NCIS page says Michael Weatherly returns as Tony in Season 24.
Who is NCIS’s new team member in Season 23?
The reveal comes in “Stolen Moments,” Season 23, Episode 8, which CBS lists as airing December 9, 2025. The episode concerns a man shot by the Secret Service outside the vice president’s official residence. CBS’s episode guide says NCIS is aided by a new team member; the network’s official press description identifies that helper as “an AI chatbot being beta-tested by the Department of Justice.” CBS’s Season 23 episode guide and official episode press listing
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The wording describes a tool assisting the team on a case. The official descriptions do not say the chatbot permanently joins the cast, name it, identify a performer or voice, or establish whether it appears again.
Is the chatbot replacing Tony and Ziva?
No. The episode description does not frame the AI as a replacement for either character. It is a case-solving plot device, not a human agent taking over Tony or Ziva’s place on the team.
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Tony and Ziva also remain central to a separate series. Paramount announced NCIS: Tony & Ziva on February 28, 2024, with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo reprising Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David for Paramount+. Paramount’s announcement
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does the reveal fit the NCIS team?
CBS’s current NCIS show page describes Season 24, says Weatherly returns as Tony, and identifies the team around Special Agent Alden Parker as Timothy McGee, Nick Torres and Jessica Knight, with Jimmy Palmer and Kasie Hines supporting them. That current-season context is another reason not to read the Season 23 chatbot as a permanent franchise-wide replacement.
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- Genre: TV Action & Adventure
- Number of Discs: 24
- Number of Tracks: 0
- Playback Duration: 4128
- Rating: NR
Season 23 also has other character developments. In an interview published October 7, 2025, executive producer Steven D. Binder discussed storylines involving Parker’s family and Carla Marino, and confirmed Zane Holtz’s return as Special Agent Dale Sawyer. The interview does not describe the episode 8 chatbot as replacing Tony or Ziva. TVLine’s interview with Binder
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- Genre: TV Action & Adventure
- Number of Discs: 24
- Number of Tracks: 0
- Rating: NR
- Number of Movies: 0
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