9 burning questions NCIS season 22 needs to answer

NCIS season 22 is ready to begin production and fans have lots of questions on what can happen!

A quick refresher for the NCIS season 21 finale: Parker and Jessica were stuck on a ship by a killer where a wounded Parker hallucinated a girl named Lily from his past. Meanwhile, Jessica was being offered a big promotion by Vance to REACT Training Officer, which would mean leaving the team and her boyfriend Jimmy. The final scene had Jessica telling Vance she was taking the job. 

So fans have a lot to wonder about season 22. There’s always the typical questions if Gibbs or other past characters can return and what cases are coming but here’s some big questions we hope season 22 can answer!

Is Jessica really leaving?

Obviously the big question is if Jessica really is leaving the team. There’s no word Katrina Law is departing the show and it’s hard to see her written out so soon yet this is a huge opportunity that Jessica would hate to pass up. Her eagerness to take on that role at the end was clear and seemed set to leave. 

It may only be a temporary situation with Jessica realizing she misses the team. It’s also possible we get the old bit of Jessica deciding she can’t play politics over justice to go back to being a regular agent. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean we truly have seen the last of Jessica. 

What happens to Jimmy?

Even if Jessica returns, her relationship with Jimmy will take a hit. That Jessica was willing to choose a career over Jimmy and his daughter, even if briefly, is going to be a wedge between them. A reunion is nice, but a long-distance romance can hurt the pair too much to overcome. 

It’d be a hard thing for Jimmy who’s endured the loss of his wife and later mentor Ducky so losing Jess (especially when they have to keep working together) may be too much for the fun medical examiner. Let’s hope this heartbreak isn’t severe. 

Who is Parker’s mystery girl?

The big question about Parker is just who is the mystery girl he hallucinated seeing. He claims to have no idea, but it sounds like the next season will delve into his past and childhood. The obvious idea is that she was Parker’s sister, and something happened to her that affected him. 

That could explain more about Parker and how he turned out the way he did, as we don’t know too much about his past. Hopefully season 22 fully explains this girl and her impact on Parker as we also get to learn more on what makes this guy tick. 

Can McGee step up more?

A big move for McGee was when Vance was shot, and he had to take up the role of acting director. He did great in the role and it was a testament to how far the former "probie” has come. It's also led to fans wondering if McGee might want more out of the job and maybe take over leadership in the future. If Vance is considering stepping down for good, having McGee as the boss would be a fine way to continue NCIS’ legacy and pay off this character’s development. 

Will we see Tony and Ziva?

With plans for their own spinoff coming, there’s an idea if Tony and Ziva can make some sort of appearance on the main show. It would make sense for an episode to set up the spinoff with Micahel Weatherly and Cote de Pablo briefly showing up to help on a case and that sets up their own adventures. At the least, some sort of crossover can make sense to boost the planned spinoff even more for fans. 

Are Vance and his son on better terms?

The 1000th episode of the NCIS franchise focused on Vance being shot after a fight with his son, Jared. A good part of the episode was how Jared was angry at NCIS over his mom’s death and amazed to see how much they did when their lives were on the line. That seemed to cool things down between him and his dad. 

So it’d be nice to see Jared back and if he and Vance are keeping together, overcoming their past issues and so on. Maybe Jared is being tempted to join the Navy himself, but either way, some focus on Vance is good. 

Will Curtis Hubley join the team?

Curtis Hubley (J. Claude Deering) has been a recurring figure on NCIS for a few seasons but has gotten more spotlight in season 21. The seemingly nerdy guy has proven his actual skills and said he was hoping to graduate to a real agent. It might be nice to see him achieve that dream and aid the team more. Imagine McGee with his own “probie” and helping Curtis as the guy has been a fun presence in small roles. Making him a full agent could be a great spark to the team in season 22. 

What about NCIS: Hawaii?

Fans of NCIS: Hawaii are still steamed at CBS canceling the highly-rated show with no warning. It’s worse given the final left off on a cliffhanger of Tennant discovering her former mentor turned traitor Maggie waiting at home to warn her of a new threat. 

Clearly, the producers had a big plan for season 4, so maybe NCIS season 22 can finish it up. It’d be easy to get the NCIS: Hawaii crew to make some appearances to face this threat and give that show the closure it deserved. If nothing else, at least some explanation of what the NCIS: Hawaii crew is up to would be good. 

Are there more romances coming? 

Romance and NCIS don’t always go well but besides Jimmy and Jessica, there is the question of any possible romances for the team. Parker seemed to gel with a  surgeon he had to rescue from a hostage situation and there’s some potential it can go further. It’d also be nice for Kasie to get another love interest to get her out of the lab while Torres would be challenged by a more steady love interest than his usual one night stands. McGee, of course, is happily married and we can see more of that family life unfold. Yet the rest of the team can use more in the love department to add some fun to the series. 

So as fans await the return of NCIS, here’s hoping some of these questions get answers. Season 22 will air Mondays at 9/8c on CBS this fall.