NCIS backdrop
Crime•Drama•Action & Adventure

The Best Episodes of NCIS

Every episode of NCIS ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of NCIS!

Binge this in 15d 4h•Peaking at 10.0/10

From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has any connection to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.

Airs on
CBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons23

All1234567891011121314151617181920212223

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    NCIS Season 21 Episode 10 - Reef Madness
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Reef Madness

    S21:E10

    Parker and Knight discover three bodies on an old Navy ship that's about to be sunk and turned into an artificial reef, when they're suddenly locked inside by a mysterious figure.

    Director:José Clemente Hernandez
    Writer:Scott Williams

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. NCIS Season 23 Episode 7 - God Only Knows
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #2 - God Only Knows

    S23:E7

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. NCIS Season 23 Episode 9 - Heaven and Nature
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #3 - Heaven and Nature

    S23:E9

    McGee and Torres try to recover a stolen truck filled with toys for the Navy’s annual Christmas drive while the truth about Parker’s mother is finally revealed. Also, Knight is given her first NCIS: Elite mission, which involves tracking down a former member of the team.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writer:Scott Williams

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. NCIS Season 23 Episode 10 - Her
    10.0/10(3 votes)

    #4 - Her

    S23:E10

    On her first NCIS: Elite mission, Knight is given orders to hunt down and arrest Eleanor Bishop after the former member of the NCIS team is designated a wanted cyber-terrorist. In need of someone to trust, Bishop turns to Torres, and the two come face to face for the first time since she abruptly left nearly five years ago.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. NCIS Season 23 Episode 11 - Army of One
    10.0/10(3 votes)

    #5 - Army of One

    S23:E11

    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.

    Director:Tawnia McKiernan
    Writer:Amy Rutberg

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. NCIS Season 23 Episode 12 - In Too Deep
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #6 - In Too Deep

    S23:E12

    A murdered drone pilot leads the team to a missing woman from McGee’s past and a relationship he thought was long behind him. But as the case deepens, McGee realizes her reappearance could unravel more than an investigation, it could change the course of his life.

    Director:Michael Zinberg
    Writer:Marco Schnabel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of NCIS

    READ
  7. NCIS Season 23 Episode 13 - All Good Things
    10.0/10(3 votes)

    #7 - All Good Things

    S23:E13

    When the son of a Marine that Gibbs once helped comes to NCIS in desperation, the fractured team reunites off the books; chasing justice without a badge may cost them more than their careers.

    Director:José Clemente Hernandez
    Writer:Steven D. Binder

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. NCIS Season 23 Episode 14 - Fleeting
    10.0/10(4 votes)

    #8 - Fleeting

    S23:E14

    Navy Week turns electric when a stolen squad car flips and reveals a sailor stabbed in the trunk; as D.C. spirals into chaos, the team chases a killer while carrying the weight of recent events.

    Director:Marc Roskin
    Writer:Andrew Bartels

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. NCIS Season 23 Episode 15 - Knick-Knack
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #9 - Knick-Knack

    S23:E15

    A murder aboard a museum ship becomes a cryptic treasure hunt when a dying Navy captain leaves a final clue; to solve it, the team must decode what was worth killing -- and dying -- for.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. NCIS Season 23 Episode 17 - Reboot (1)
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #10 - Reboot (1)

    S23:E17

    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.

    Director:Lionel Coleman
    Writer:Scott Williams

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. NCIS Season 23 Episode 18 - Bad Impressions (2)
    10.0/10(2 votes)

    #11 - Bad Impressions (2)

    S23:E18

    The team races to help one of their own who has been framed for murder and caught in a widening conspiracy that could compromise national security.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writer:Marco Schnabel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. NCIS Season 23 Episode 16 - S.O.S.
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #12 - S.O.S.

    S23:E16

    S.O.S. A Navy lieutenant resurfaces a year after her plane vanished with a story that doesn’t quite add up. As the team peels back the mystery of a crash that was anything but accidental, every answer sparks a new twist.

    Director:Rocky Carroll
    Writers:Sydney Mitchel, Amy Rutberg

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. NCIS Season 19 Episode 4 - Great Wide Open
    9.4/10(7 votes)

    #13 - Great Wide Open

    S19:E4

    Gibbs and McGee head to Alaska while the team works at home to uncover the conspiracy behind the serial killer.

    Director:Terrence O'Hara
    Writers:David J. North, Brendan Fehily

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. NCIS Season 19 Episode 15 - Thick as Thieves
    9.4/10(5 votes)

    #14 - Thick as Thieves

    S19:E15

    Parker's delinquent past resurfaces when NCIS is called to Philadelphia to investigate the death of a Petty Officer.

    Director:Terrence O'Hara
    Writer:Marco Schnabel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. NCIS Season 19 Episode 16 - The Wake
    9.3/10(6 votes)

    #15 - The Wake

    S19:E16

    A gruesome mishap at a Petty Officer’s gender-reveal party leads NCIS to the case of a missing teacher that was popularized on a true crime podcast.

    Director:Rocky Carroll
    Writer:Katie White

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. NCIS Season 20 Episode 19 - In the Spotlight
    9.3/10(6 votes)

    #16 - In the Spotlight

    S20:E19

    Agent Knight goes viral for saving a mother and child from a potentially fatal car accident.

    Director:Rocky Carroll
    Writer:Yasemin Yilmaz

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. NCIS Season 22 Episode 2 - Foreign Bodies
    9.3/10(3 votes)

    #17 - Foreign Bodies

    S22:E2

    As Vance prepares to host diplomatic talks with Venezuela, the team is called in to investigate the dead body of one of his inside men.

    Director:Lionel Coleman
    Writer:Marco Schnabel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. NCIS Season 22 Episode 3 - The Trouble with Hal
    9.3/10(3 votes)

    #18 - The Trouble with Hal

    S22:E3

    NCIS is called in to investigate when a Lieutenant returns home on the eve of Halloween to find a surprise party being thrown for someone else at his place.

    Director:Michael Zinberg
    Writer:Scott Williams

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. NCIS Season 15 Episode 1 - House Divided
    9.2/10(12 votes)

    #19 - House Divided

    S15:E1

    The NCIS team tirelessly search for Gibbs and McGee two months after they were last seen fighting an elusive group of rebels in a Paraguay jungle.

    Director:Tony Wharmby
    Writer:Steven D. Binder

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. NCIS Season 19 Episode 20 - All or Nothing
    9.2/10(6 votes)

    #20 - All or Nothing

    S19:E20

    NCIS investigates the unexpected death of a Navy reservist who was an investigative journalist.

    Director:Tawnia McKiernan
    Writer:Yasemin Yilmaz

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. NCIS Season 14 Episode 13 - Keep Going
    9.1/10(7 votes)

    #21 - Keep Going

    S14:E13

    During an NCIS hit-and-run investigation, Palmer joins a stranger on the outside ledge of a building in an attempt to save his life.

    Director:Terrence O'Hara
    Writer:Scott Williams

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. NCIS Season 16 Episode 13 - She
    9.1/10(7 votes)

    #22 - She

    S16:E13

    After a malnourished and confused 9-year-old is found hiding in a storage unit, NCIS reopens an old missing persons case when the girl is believed to be the daughter of a Navy recruit who disappeared 10 years ago. Also, Bishop discovers notes that Special Agent Ziva David kept on the case long after NCIS officially stopped investigating.

    Director:Mark Horowitz
    Writer:Gina Lucita Monreal

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. NCIS Season 18 Episode 2 - Everything Starts Somewhere
    9.1/10(7 votes)

    #23 - Everything Starts Somewhere

    S18:E2

    Flashbacks reveal the murder case that first introduced young Gibbs to NCIS and his introduction to young, new-to-America Ducky.

    Director:Terrence O'Hara
    Writer:Steven D. Binder

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. NCIS Season 16 Episode 1 - Destiny's Child
    9.0/10(9 votes)

    #24 - Destiny's Child

    S16:E1

    One month after Director Vance was kidnapped, Gibbs is assigned the role of acting director in his absence while the team searches worldwide for his whereabouts.

    Director:Tony Wharmby
    Writer:Steven D. Binder

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. NCIS Season 19 Episode 3 - Road to Nowhere
    9.0/10(7 votes)

    #25 - Road to Nowhere

    S19:E3

    Gibbs and Parker go on a road trip to find one of the serial killer's victims. Also, Agent Knight goes undercover at a large manufacturing company with ties to the murders.

    Director:Rocky Carroll
    Writer:Marco Schnabel

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Reef Madness" is the best rated episode of "NCIS". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by José Clemente Hernandez and written by Scott Williams, it aired on 5/6/2024. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "God Only Knows".