The Worst Episodes of NCIS
Every episode of NCIS ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of NCIS!
From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has a shred of evidence connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "NCIS" is "Gut Punch", rated 6.9/10 from 532 user votes. It was directed by Rocky Carroll and written by Christopher J. Waild. "Gut Punch" aired on 4/6/2021 and is rated 0.0 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "First Steps".
6.9/10 532 votes#1 - Gut Punch
Season 18 Episode 11 - Aired 4/6/2021
Vance assigns McGee, Torres, and Bishop to Covid compliance duty at a foreign affairs summit, where they discover a link to another NCIS team's murder case.
Director: Rocky Carroll
Writer: Christopher J. Waild
6.9/10 417 votes#2 - First Steps
Season 19 Episode 14 - Aired 3/7/2022
As NCIS investigates the cause of death of a reservist Navy SEAL surgeon, they're forced to bring Vance's daughter to help with a highly dangerous mission.
Director: Michael Zinberg
Writer: Yasemin Yilmaz
7.0/10 817 votes#3 - 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.
Director: Tony Wharmby
Writer: Jesse Stern
7.1/10 375 votes#4 - The Good Fighter
Season 20 Episode 6 - Aired 10/24/2022
When an NCIS agent turns up dead and Kasie goes unaccounted for, the team must work quickly to find the killer.
Director: José Clemente Hernandez
Writer: Kimberly-Rose Wolter
7.2/10 576 votes#5 - Sturgeon Season
Season 18 Episode 1 - Aired 11/17/2020
Gibbs and Fornell attempt to track down the leader of a drug ring who supplied drugs to Fornell's daughter. Also, the team deals with the case of a missing cadaver from the NCIS autopsy room.
Director: Michael Zinberg
Writer: Scott Williams
7.2/10 391 votes#6 - Turkey Trot
Season 20 Episode 8 - Aired 11/21/2022
After an unknown shooter causes chaos at an annual Thanksgiving 5K, time is of the essence for the NCIS team to find the culprit. Also, Kasie joins Knight for Thanksgiving lunch at Knight’s sister’s house.
Director: Lionel Coleman
Writer: Scott Williams, Diona Reasonover
7.2/10 255 votes#7 - 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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/10 1,127 votes#8 - The Immortals
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/14/2003
The NCIS team investigates when a seaman's body is found at the bottom of the sea in his dress whites, with a ceremonial sword. They discover that he was addicted to a MMORPG. Now, the team must figure out how involved he was in the game and how far he would go to get revenge on his arch enemy, another sailor.
Director: Alan J. Levi
Writer: Darcy Meyers
7.3/10 883 votes#9 - Vanished
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/2004
The NCIS team is called in to investigate when a perfectly functioning Marine helicopter is found in the middle of a crop circle.
Director: James Whitmore Jr.
Writer: Frank Cardea
7.3/10 758 votes#10 - Brothers in Arms
Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 4/24/2007
Director Shepard makes a huge mistake by meeting a man alone to inform her about Le Grenouille, as their meeting turns into a murder of the informant. Now the NCIS team must gather all the existing info and try to finally hunt down their enemy.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: Steven D. Binder
7.3/10 749 votes#11 - Tribes
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 1/15/2008
After a young Muslim Marine is murdered near his Mosque, Ducky refuses to perform autopsy due to his religious beliefs, so the NCIS team tries to talk to the father of the deceased, and they send McGee to plant a bug in the Mosque, only to discover that the FBI already planted their bug.
Director: Colin Bucksey
Writer: Reed Steiner
7.3/10 678 votes#12 - 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.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: Allison Abner
7.3/10 665 votes#13 - Hereafter
Season 10 Episode 15 - Aired 2/19/2013
On leave from NCIS while still grieving the loss of his wife and his kids’ mother, Director Vance discovers unexpected personal information that causes him to question everything.
Director: Tony Wharmby
Writer: Nicole Mirante-Matthews
7.3/10 606 votes#14 - Philly
Season 14 Episode 5 - Aired 10/18/2016
When a missing MI6 Officer is linked to a murdered petty officer, Gibbs sends Quinn and Bishop to Philadelphia to work with MI6 Officer Clayton Reeves. Also, Quinn painfully recounts the NCIS case that made her leave field work.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/10 577 votes#15 - Pay to Play
Season 14 Episode 9 - Aired 12/6/2016
The NCIS team investigates a series of escalating threats against congresswoman Jenna Flemming, while Director Vance oversees her temporary protection detail.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: Cindi Hemingway
7.3/10 512 votes#16 - Institutionalized
Season 17 Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/2019
After a petty officer’s son is found murdered at his “welcome home from prison” party, evidence suggests Kasie’s lifelong best friend, Dante Brown, is the suspect.
Director: Tony Wharmby
Writer: David J. North
7.3/10 475 votes#17 - False Start
Season 19 Episode 6 - Aired 11/1/2021
NCIS investigates the death of a beloved Navy commander who trained some of the top athletes in the country.
Director: James Whitmore Jr.
Writer: Christopher J. Waild, Katherine Beattie
7.3/10 420 votes#18 - 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.
Director: Rocky Carroll
Writer: Scott Williams, Margaret Rose Lester
7.3/10 368 votes#19 - Old Wounds
Season 20 Episode 14 - Aired 2/13/2023
Parker grapples with his emotions when a conman from his past turns up as a prime suspect in the murder of a navy officer transporting millions of dollars’ worth of opioids.
Director: Diana Valentine
Writer: Scott Williams, Brian Dietzen
7.4/10 939 votes#20 - 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.
Director: Dennis Smith
Writer: Jack Bernstein
7.4/10 938 votes#21 - A Weak Link
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/2004
Gibbs' team investigates the death of a SEAL during a training exercise, and come to suspect that it wasn't an accident, but a murder.
Director: Alan J. Levi
Writer: Jack Bernstein
7.4/10 851 votes#22 - Heart Break
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 11/30/2004
A strange case for Gibbs and his team opens when a Navy Commendar dies after successful surgery. While researching through commander's past, the team finds out that he collected a lot of enemies lately and tracks down a ensign making him the prime suspect. Soon Abby realizes that they got the wrong man...
Director: Dennis Smith
Writer: Frank Cardea, George Schenck
7.4/10 835 votes#23 - Pop Life
Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 3/1/2005
NCIS starts the investigation after petty officer Manda King is found dead in the bartender's bed. The suspect is the owner of the competing club where Manda's sister sings.
Director: Thomas J. Wright
Writer: Frank Military
7.4/10 836 votes#24 - Switch
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/18/2005
When an officer is shot to death on the freeway, the NCIS team takes upon the investigation. The first lead, a fact that the victim was leading a double life, takes them to a possible solution of the crime, but the tables are turned when the victim's dying message is discovered and it leads them to a totally different clue.
Director: Thomas J. Wright
Writer: Gil Grant
7.4/10 858 votes#25 - Model Behavior
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 12/13/2005
While filming a reality show on a Marine base, a supermodel dies and the NCIS team must discover who is the model's murderer. They discover a love triangle between the model and three other men, all suspects. Meanwhile, Jenny is disturbed by Gibbs when he doesn't want to attend an award ceremony in his honor.
Director: Stephen Cragg
Writer: David J. North