NCIS season 18 kicks off with a re-tell of special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' (Mark Harmon) past. One of his previous missions will be revisited and fans will see some familiar faces showing up. Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano), in particular, could return at some point in the series.
It's yet to be seen whether or not Fornell will appear in the premiere episode of NCIS season 18. But, considering his connection to Gibbs, there's a huge possibility he'll show up again. The latter went on a "fishing trip" at one point in season 17, though the truth is that he's working on something top-secret.
Perhaps, Gibbs was off to somewhere and doing work with Fornell, something that was shown in the season 16 finale. There have been plans to revisit this storyline when he was away from the team. This could, finally, be addressed once the new season hit the small screens.
Speaking to TVLine, co-showrunner Steven D. Binder made it clear that NCIS season 18 opens with where Gibbs was in season 17 episode 8, titled "Musical Chairs." He took some time off to do a secret, personal mission. Now, the premiere goes back in time to explore the particular mission he's working on.
Also, Binder made it clear that the premiere will be in a pre-pandemic world for a while. This is an interesting move since some stories from the past weren't given proper closure. The opioid ring storyline wasn't particularly addressed in season 17.
The early run won't focus on what's happening in the real world at the moment. The series will try to wrap up all the remaining stories left in the past before opening new chapters. When these stories are properly finished, fans are going to see the deal working amidst the global health crisis.
Meanwhile, Spano seemingly hinted on Twitter that he's coming in NCIS season 18. The actor wrote that they're back on NCIS, which is a strong indication that they're working on new episodes. Although nothing is officially confirmed about his return, a lot of stories are left for him in the series.
Fornell is one of the best parts of NCIS whenever he shows up. Gibbs does not have a lot of close friends, and Spano's character shares understanding with him. Fornell is a former FBI Special Agent and he's occasionally working with the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
NCIS season 18 has no official release date, but it is slated to premiere at some point in November on CBS.
