NCIS has had a kind of wild season between unexpected news about not-so-dead characters and Gibbs having an internal crisis, and that may just be the beginning. It looks like both of these plot points will come into play in the Season 16 finale, in which viewers will see a truly unexpected character make her return. No, we're not talking about Ziva David, but rather Gibbs' ex-wife Diane Sterling. Take a look and say "WTF" along with everyone else.<doc-sep>Finally, there is a happy ending for Pride. He was beaten and drugged within an inch of his life on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 24. But he came out the other side, decidedly the worse for wear. The celebration at his bar echoed the ending on NCIS: New Orleans Season 4 Episode 24 when he went up to his apartment only to have three bullets pumped into him by Parsons. This time around, fortunately, he just got the joy. That isn't to say that Dwayne hadn't been through a hard few days. The action picked right up after his capture by Apollyon at the end of NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 23. Pride was being pumped full of mind-altering drugs by Walker's best pharmacologist so he could probe to find out what information about Apollyon that Dwayne had. Related: NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 23 Review: The River Styx, Part 1 The laptop that Walker recovered had gotten fried to a crisp, so he needed the laptop which Pride had ... somewhere. So Dwayne spent the episode talking to people past and present who are important to him, including the Angel of Death, his frequent companion this season. What does it say about Pride that his inner voice is a symbol of death instead of a cute cartoon animal such as Jiminy Cricket? But Dwayne resisted Walker and his drug pusher at every turn. Does crossing over give a person a tolerance for hallucinogens? Or has Pride been hallucinating so much recently that he's learned to manage it somewhat? Eventually, we learned that Walker wasn't out to protect Apollyon but was specifically after something personal to him. That was why he kept directing Pride to his file. Dwayne instinctively knew he shouldn't cooperate with that effort. Like Pride himself, I figured the little boy he kept seeing was himself. Having it be Walker's son who he was seeking to steal away and protect was an enjoyable twist. In the end, Pride's mother convinced him to give Walker what he wanted, but to fight to escape and eventually win the day (not in so many words, mind you). Dwayne was even there at the end for the showdown with Walker. As weak as it was, it's a good thing that he had sniper Gregorio in position just in case Walker did something stupid, as he did. Of course, nothing was simple for the home team, either. After the international incident and Isler's "death," naturally some bureaucrat decided to take over the investigation, if for no other reason than optics. Agent Parker had to be the mole, since, well, she was the only new character introduced this episode, and someone got a photo of dead Isler from Autopsy. Related: Watch NCIS: New Orleans Online: Season 5 Episode 23 Also, she seemed determined to shut the locals out of the investigation and did everything in her power to do so. So Hannah and company took a page out of the Dwayne Pride playbook and went around Parker. Is it any wonder the DC bureaucrats don't trust the New Orleans office? I was disappointed that Isler had died despite the efforts of Pride and Lasalle. Disappointed, mind you, not distressed. Isler doesn't rate that highly on the character scale. Naturally, it was a ruse, aimed to unearth the mole helping out Apollyon. It's N'awlins, y'all, so the dead coming back to life ain't no big thang. Before long, Jimmy was read in on what's happening, and he and his new buddy Isler were tossing Pride's apartment, looking for the laptop. Did anyone else guess the piano contained a hidden clue? That note led to the Pride family crypt. What a clever hiding place! But Parker had a cleverer tailing method with an NSA satellite and quickly grabbed the prize, taking Hannah out of the game in the process. Then Isler rose from the dead to tail Parker, pulling in Gregorio and Sebastian to help. Gregorio has learned damn near all of Pride's bad habits, and had no hesitation about breaking into a secure government facility, dragging Sebastian along. What are housemates for? Before long, Gregorio was brawling with Parker, then Sebastian shot up the servers because it was the quickest way of halting the information upload. Unplugging it wouldn't work? Related: 13 Stuttering Shows That Made a Comeback What was amazing was the facility manager trying to sort everything out. Summoned by a dead man, Rita breezed in just in time to proclaim Parker the mole and get the investigation back on track, somewhat. Patton got a timely communications blip and everyone headed to Texas, for the glorious final assault on the Appolyon compound. Wasn't that a subtle hideout? Dwayne reappeared to give everyone perspective and to be a guide to the showdown with Walker. I was afraid Walker was going to disappear again, but not this time. That's not to say that an offshoot of Apollyon might not reappear down the road, but Walker's gone. The best part was the celebration at the Tru Tone, especially watching husband and wife dance with joy. Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV! Then everyone got into it, even Isler. I guess coming back from the dead, first professionally then physically, will help a person to lighten up. Pride remained Special Agent in Charge at season's end, but I'm sure that will be remedied by the season of NCIS: New Orleans Season 6 rolls around. That position was supposed to be a way for him to recuperate. He never took advantage of that, so let's bring in a bureaucrat at heart as SAC and let Dwayne go back to what he does anyway. To relive Season 5, watch NCIS: New Orleans online. Did you think Isler was dead? Wasn't Parker the obvious mole? Did you feel any sympathy for Walker? Comment below. Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.<doc-sep>So don't cry for NCIS, but go ahead and wonder if the bloom is off the rose a bit. That said, NCIS has exciting plans for how it's ending Season 16, and it has already been renewed for Season 17. So it sounds like Mark Harmon's idea of when the show should end hasn't quite come about yet. That's good news for fans, as long as the stories stay fresh and the characters stay interesting.<doc-sep>CBS has ordered a 17th season of its flagship drama series NCIS for the 2019-2020 broadcast season. The renewal comes after NCIS star and executive producer Mark Harmon has signed a new agreement with the series’ producer, CBS TV Studios, to continue on the long-running crime procedural. Mothership NCIS is the first of the franchise to be renewed for next season, with spinoffs NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS:New Orleans also fully expected to come back. NCIS, CBS’ longest-running scripted series currently on the air, has been a ratings powerhouse and solid new show launching pad for CBS as well as a huge profit generator for CBS Studios, making its renewal a no-brainer. Now in its 16th season, NCIS is averaging 16.0 million viewers and continues to be the most watched drama and second-most watched entertainment series in all of television, behind only the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. On the digital side, NCIS is one of the most-watched primetime series across CBS’ digital platforms, including CBS All Access and in the Electronic Sell Through market. The series also continues to be a big seller in the global market, licensed in more than 200 territories. Related Story 2020-21 TV Season Rankings: NFL, 'NCIS' & 'Masked Singer' Lead Top 40 In A Year Like No Other Additionally, NCIS repeats very well. In syndication, it is cable television’s most-watched off-network drama, out-delivering the next closest competitor by +27%. NCIS is also cable’s second-most-watched off-net series, behind only The Big Bang Theory. NCIS premiered on CBS in 2003. During the 2009-2010 broadcast season, it became the #1 drama/scripted program on television, and has remained so for eight of the last nine seasons. “NCIS has been a global juggernaut for almost two decades,” said Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment. “Its viewers are clearly the most loyal of any drama on television. They are passionate about the characters, the plot lines, and the storytelling. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the gifted production team, and the cast, led by the extraordinary Mark Harmon. We are delighted that the show will remain a lynchpin of the CBS schedule this coming season.” Like Law & Orders and its star Mariska Hargitay, NCIS’ renewal is considered contingent mainly on CBS TV Studios closing a new deal with Harmon. He has deep ties with the NCIS franchise, serving as an executive producer on both the mothership series and offshoot NCIS: New Orleans. NCIS is the latest early series renewal at CBS. It joins comedies Young Sheldon and Mom, both picked up for two more seasons, crime drama Criminal Minds, which will return for a final season, as well as freshmen FBI, God Friended Me, The Neighborhood and Magnum P.I..<doc-sep>
NCIS: LA is airing multiple crossover episodes with former JAG stars David James Elliott and Catherine Bell. Season 10's "The Guardian" and "False Flag" will finally reveal answers about Mac and Harm's relationship—including who won the coin flip during the series finale. We’re too excited to play it cool about this week’s NCIS: Los Angeles: The JAG reunion is finally here! David James Elliott and Catherine Bell are both reprising their roles as Harmon Rabb, Jr., and Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie on multiple episodes of NCIS: LA. CBS shared a sneak peek of Harm’s triumphant return and we can hardly wait until Sunday night. Of course, Harm and Mac’s reemergence sparks a lot of questions: Will there be a full-fledged JAG reboot? Did Harm and Mac actually get married? And, most importantly, who won that high-stakes coin flip when the series ended? Mac is back. 🙌 Bill Inoshita Many will remember the final moments of JAG, but here’s a quick refresher, just in case: Harm and Mac finally got engaged, but agreed that one of the two had to resign from their positions. Mac had been planning to accept an assignment in San Diego, while Harm was rallying for London. So how did they choose who had to quit? Well, they “let fate decide.” Fate took form in a JAG coin, and every viewer collectively held their breath to see who would continue their career. However, the show decided to leave us in suspense, as we never found out if it was heads or tails—— UNTIL NOW! It’s Harm!!! Bill Inoshita Yes, you read that right. “We will learn who won the coin flip,” NCIS LA showrunner R. Scott Gemmill promised TVLine. We’ll also, “see where their lives went subsequently” and “get the best of the past plus what the future is for these people.” With that in mind, we’re dying to know what theories you have about what Mac and Harm have been up to. While that last answer is so obviously yes, we still have to wait to find out the rest. Tune into NCIS: LA starting Sunday, May 12 at at 10 p.m. EST for all the long-awaited details. Megan Stein Megan Stein is the executive editor for The Pioneer Woman, and oversees entertainment, features, and news for the website.