Why is there no new episode of NCIS season 23 this Wednesday (December 24, 2025)? Details explained

CBS Original procedural drama, NCIS season 23, is taking a winter vacation mid-season for the long festive holidays. However, this year the break is more than two months long due to the Winter Olympics, slated for most of February 2026. As such, after airing its episode 9 of the season, with a cliffhanger around Agent Bishop’s story arc, NCIS season 23 episode 10 will arrive on February 24, 2026.

As with most previous years, CBS takes a year-end break for Christmas and New Year and its shows get a long mid-season hiatus. The previous years found CBS shows returning on-screen in January of the new year. However, this time, NBC is scheduled to broadcast the Winter Olympics for the most part of February 2026. As such, instead of returning, only to break again, CBS is taking a longer pause till after the Winter Olympics are over.

The show had its fall finale on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, and was available for streaming on December 17, 2025. As such, fans may expect to watch episode 10 of the season on December 23, 2025 or stream it on December 24, 2025. However, the show is not slated to return with a new episode on the following week for the above-mentioned reasons. 

As fans already know, the long-running investigative drama presents the team comprising Timothy McGee, Alden Parker, Nick Torres, Jessica Knight, Leon Vance, Jimmy Palmer and others solving cases connected to Marine Corps and the US Navy. NCIS season 23 premiered on October 14, 2025. 

NCIS season 23 episode 9: A quick look back at the fall finale

The fall finale episode before taking a break, titled Heaven and Nature, gave the long-needed closure to Parker. Grieving his father’s death, Parker learnt that his mother had not abandoned them but left trying to shield a small girl, Lily, from her abusive father. While she could not save Lily’s mother, Judy, Eleanor Parker, herself fell victim to the villain’s evil actions.

Parker met Lily who went around with a new identity, and received a corroboration of his mother’s generous actions and her brave sacrifice. While the criminal, Lester Burm, was arrested, Parker held a special burial for his mother. Elsewhere, Vance tasked Knight with the ELITE job of tracking down former Agent, Eleanor Bishop, who has turned rogue. While the team took up its duty, Bishop was seen watching them from a distance.

NCIS season 23’s return after the fall break

As mentioned before, NCIS season 23 will return after its long hiatus with episode 10 on February 24, 2026, at 8 pm ET. While it is speculative, the storyline is expected to follow on Knight’s assignment as she traces Bishop’s movements while the latter does the same for the other. As the cat-and-mouse play will continue, reasons for Bishop’s turning into a fugitive will be revealed for the show’s fans.

Since showrunner Steven D Binder spoke to TVLine about Bishop’s arc being only for a short while, the plot will likely showcase Knight’s loyalty towards her duty, as she chooses to stay with the department under similar conditions as Bishop. Whether, she is able to turn Bishop in or shows empathy towards the former agent remains to be seen. Alternatively, NCIS season 23 may return with a new crime for the team to unravel.

Tune in to CBS to catch the tenth episode of NCIS season 23 on February 24, 2026, or stream it the next day on Paramount Plus.