The WORST episodes of NCIS
Every episode of NCIS ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of NCIS!
Explore the inner workings of the government agency that investigates all crimes involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position. Leading this team is NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a skilled investigator and interrogator who is smart, tough and willing to bend the rules to get the job done.
#1 - Army of One
Season 23 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/10/2026
When a desperate man barricades himself inside an ammo warehouse, Knight is the only negotiator he’ll talk to, claiming she once saved him before. As explosives tick and trust frays, Knight clashes with the CID officer running the standoff, each convinced theirs is the only way out.
#2 - God Only Knows
Season 23 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/2/2025
A kidnapped teen leads the team to a Navy SEAL who survived captivity by the Taliban but may have committed murder after returning home. Also, Jimmy finally shares his findings about the mysterious death of Parker’s mother with his boss.
#3 - Humbug
Season 22 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/16/2024
When a shocking tell-all threatens to ruin Christmas for a decorated Marine, NCIS must unwrap the truth and deliver a holiday miracle — before the book hits shelves and turns a hero's legacy into a holiday disaster.
#4 - Peacekeeper
Season 19 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/29/2021
NCIS investigates the case of a Navy reservist whose body is found in a beat-up car at the end of a gun range. Kasie weighs the pros and cons of buying a gun.
#5 - Docked
Season 19 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/8/2021
NCIS investigates the death of a man on a cruise ship whose body is discovered in the ship's sauna by none other than McGee's mother-in-law, Judy.
#6 - Reboot
Season 23 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/21/2026
With most of NCIS away and the mainframe shut down for a midnight upgrade, Kasie and a skeleton crew are left in a darkened building when someone begins hunting from inside. What starts as a routine reboot becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse through powerless hallways until an unexpected ally, Sam Hanna, steps into the fight.
#7 - Enigma
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/24/2004
Gibbs risks his career when his former commanding officer is accused of stealing the funds.
#8 - Dead Reckoning
Season 6 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/31/2009
Gibbs and the team must work with the shady Trent Kort to put away one of NCIS's most wanted.
#9 - The Truth Is Out There
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/16/2004
When the body of a sailor is found after a party in an illegal night club, the team investigates a number of possible leads - including blackmail and accidental death.
#10 - Jack-Knife
Season 7 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/9/2010
When a Marine is found dead, Gibbs, Fornell and the team hit the open road to bust an illegal trucking operation.
#11 - Knockout
Season 6 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/17/2009
The death of a boxer leads Vance to borrow the NCIS team and start investigating his death, while Gibbs digs into Vance's past.
#12 - Blast From the Past
Season 12 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/24/2015
A covert identity created for one of Gibbs’ undercover cases 20 years ago resurfaces after a murder victim is found living under the alias.
#13 - The Missionary Position
Season 9 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/10/2012
Following the murder of a Marine, Tony and Ziva join Ziva’s longtime friend and mentor in Columbia in a search for a missing Marine Lieutenant and Navy Chaplain. Meanwhile, Jimmy Palmer decides who will be his best man.
#14 - Designated Target
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/13/2007
A murder investigation of a Navy Admiral takes a shocking turn when a woman, a political refugee, returns home to search for her husband.
#15 - A Weak Link
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/2004
Gibbs and his team investigate the death of a SEAL that occurred during a training exercise. As the investigation progresses, they come to suspect that the death was a murder rather than an accident.
#16 - Double Identity
Season 7 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/9/2010
Gibbs and the team investigate the shooting of a Marine and uncovers more to his life than anyone would have ever imagined.
#17 - Mother's Day
Season 7 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/2/2010
Secrets arise when Gibbs former mother-in-law surfaces as a witness in a murder investigation.
#18 - No Good Deed
Season 12 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/7/2015
DiNozzo is partnered with his girlfriend ATF Special Agent Zoé Keates after evidence reveals that the murder weapon in an NCIS case was originally purchased for the controversial ATF sting operation “Operation Fast and Furious.” Also, Anthony DiNozzo Sr. returns to town for a special dinner to meet his son’s girlfriend.
#19 - Love & War
Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/27/2009
The team discovers a link between a sergeant's murder and his possibly treasonous private life.
#20 - Eye Spy
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/2004
When a Navy commander, who was a technical advisor to a civilian contractor for a Navy weapon, is found dead on the beach, the NCIS team investigates the murder using satellite technology.
#21 - Flesh and Blood
Season 7 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/12/2010
Gibbs is worried about Tony's ability to handle his job when Tony's father turns out to be linked to their newest investigation, an assassination attempt on a foreign prince.
#22 - Cadence
Season 12 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/10/2015
DiNozzo returns to the military academy he attended as a teenager after a murdered Marine and alumni of the school is found clutching the photo of a current student. Also, Bishop and her husband invite Gibbs and the team out for a special dinner.
#23 - South by Southwest
Season 6 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/24/2009
When a fellow agent is murdered, the NCIS teams heads into the desert to locate a woman who might hold the answer to the mystery murder.
#24 - Capitol Offense
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/2008
A distinguished senator asks Gibbs for help in solving the murder of a young female Naval officer.
#25 - Prime Cut
Season 21 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/29/2024
After discovering the remains of a Marine captain, the NCIS team travels to Texas to interrogate the suspected killer.