Sean Murray has been playing Timothy McGee on NCIS for nearly the entirety of its run, as he started out in a recurring capacity in early on into Season 1, then was upgraded to a series regular the following season. McGee has come a long way in the two decades since, and NCIS Season 22, which premieres on the 2024 TV schedule in just a few weeks, will actually see Murray becoming the actor with the most appearances in the procedural franchise. The upcoming season will also explore McGee attempting to score a major promotion, although his plan will be complicated after he discovers something is amiss.
As previously revealed, Jessica Knight agreeing to become the new REACT instructor at Camp Pendleton in the NCIS Season 21 finale created a “chain reaction” that’s led to the main team no longer being together when Season 22 starts. While this isn’t the first we’ve heard about McGee looking to become an NCIS deputy director, showrunner Steven D. Binder shared additional information with TVLine about this journey of professional advancement, saying:
… Being the investigative hound that Tim is, he’s going to sniff something on the way to this journey. He’s going to see that something is not right in the halls of government around him.
This is a relatively vague statement, but it almost sounds like McGee will come across some kind of corruption within the law enforcement agency. Assuming this is the case, while we can confidently say that Director Leon Vance isn’t involved with this, that’s not to say any other high-ranking NCIS officials aren’t up to no good, as we’ve seen at various times throughout this TV show’s run. Or, to go a step further, perhaps McGee will learn about some kind of conspiracy unfolding not just within NCIS, but other agencies and areas of the United States government.
Whatever’s afoot here, given that Timothy McGee is a man of character and we need him to stick around as one of NCIS’ principal players, it’s safe to say that his aspiration to become a deputy director will be sidelined by the shadiness he discovers. When the day comes that NCIS ends, I’m hoping McGee earns that leadership position he’s more than earned. For now though, I’m simply curious to see what McGee will specifically do when he learns about what’s going on.
Other things to look forward to in NCIS Season 22 include the mystery of the little girl Alden Parker hallucinated seeing in the Season 21 finale being explored, Nick Torres going on another undercover mission, and Jimmy Palmer and Jessica Knight getting back together to have a long overdue conversation about their relationship. The premiere, titled “Empty Nest,” arrives Monday, October 14, and the extended debut of the prequel series NCIS: Origins will follow afterwards.