‘NCIS: Origins’ Officially Announces Season 2 Premiere Date

If your fall calendar is already packed with pumpkin-spice commitments and “definitely going to watch this later”
streaming bookmarks, congratulations: CBS just gave you a real deadline. NCIS: Origins Season 2 has an
official premiere datemeaning it’s time to stop “meaning to” catch up and start actually catching up.

And yes, the announcement came with the kind of schedule placement that feels like CBS is gently taking your hand,
guiding you to the couch, and whispering: “Don’t fight it. Just enjoy the whole NCIS night.”

The official Season 2 premiere date (and why you should care)

CBS has confirmed that NCIS: Origins Season 2 premieres Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
It’s part of a three-hour NCIS lineup: NCIS at 8 p.m., Origins at 9 p.m., and NCIS: Sydney at 10 p.m.
In other words: Tuesday night is now a “don’t talk to me, I’m busy solving fictional crimes” situation.

Quick schedule cheat sheet

• Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
• Time: 9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT
• Network: CBS
• Streaming: Paramount+ (live with select plans; on-demand options vary)
• Lead-in: NCIS Season 23 premiere at 8 p.m. ET/PT
• Follow-up: NCIS: Sydney Season 3 premiere at 10 p.m. ET/PT

The “why should I care?” part is easy: a premiere date doesn’t just mean new episodesit signals that a show is
officially a priority in the network’s fall strategy. Placing Origins right after the flagship series is the TV equivalent of
the best seat at the family table. It’s a vote of confidence, and it’s designed to keep you watching.

What exactly is NCIS: Origins again?

Think of NCIS: Origins as the franchise’s “how it started” chapterexcept instead of a humble garage startup,
it’s a gritty early-’90s Naval Investigative Service office and a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs learning how to exist with
grief, anger, and a badge.

The prequel is set in 1991, back when NCIS was still NIS, and it follows a younger Gibbs (played by
Austin Stowell) as a probationary agent at Camp Pendleton. Mark Harmon returns as the older Gibbsprimarily as
the show’s narratorgiving the series a built-in emotional echo: you’re not just watching events, you’re watching memories.

The vibe is familiar enough to feel like NCIS, but different enough to justify existing: more rough edges, more origin-story
tension, and more “wow, the early ’90s really had no interest in ergonomic office chairs.”

Why CBS’s timing is smarter than it looks

October premieres are nothing new, but October 14 is a particularly strategic landing spot. It’s within the network’s
big fall rollout window, when audiences are settling into weekly routines againschool schedules, sports schedules, “I need
something predictable after this day” schedules.

Also: pairing the Season 2 premiere with the flagship NCIS season premiere is a classic franchise move. You show up for the
familiar series you’ve watched for years, andoopsyou’re already emotionally invested in young Gibbs by 9:07 p.m.
That lead-in matters, especially for a prequel that lives and dies on character investment.

Where Season 1 left fans: cliffhangers, consequences, and one very bad night

Season 1 didn’t just end with a tease; it ended with the kind of dramatic punctuation that makes you stare at the “Next episode”
button like it personally betrayed you. A major focal point was Special Agent Cecilia “Lala” Dominguez (played by
Mariel Molino), whose trajectory became increasingly central to Gibbs’ storyespecially because longtime NCIS viewers
know she’s never mentioned in the original series, which immediately makes her feel like a secret with an expiration date.

The finale chaos also swirled around the fallout from Gibbs’ pastparticularly the long shadow of Pedro Hernandez and
the moral compromises that shape the Gibbs we eventually meet in NCIS. Origins is at its best when it shows you the cost of
those compromises: not just plot consequences, but personal corrosion.

In short: Season 2 isn’t arriving to reset the board. It’s arriving to collect the bill.

What Season 2 is likely to explore (based on what’s been teased)

The Season 2 conversation has been dominated by one question: What happened to Lala? Promotional materials and early
coverage made it clear the show isn’t interested in quickly shrugging off that cliffhanger. The uncertainty is the point:
it forces viewers to sit in the same discomfort that defines Gibbs’ early lifenever knowing when the next loss is coming.

Beyond the emotional fallout, the show still needs to do what NCIS shows do best: deliver weekly cases that feel grounded,
twisty, and just personal enough to sting. Early previews for the Season 2 opener suggested a case involving a missing Marine
connected to a mysterious compound led by a charismatic figureexactly the kind of “this is definitely going to get weird”
setup that lets the team’s dynamics shine.

Expect these Season 2 themes to hit harder

• Accountability: Not just “who did it,” but “what did it cost you to do what you did?”
• Loyalty under pressure: When the team protects one of their own, who gets burned?
• Gibbs becoming Gibbs: The rules, the walls, the instinctsnone of that is accidental.
• The burden of secrets: Some truths don’t explode; they leak, slowly, into everything.
• Mentorship with teeth: Mike Franks isn’t a gentle life coachhe’s a forge.

Cast watch: who’s back, and who’s popping up from NCIS history

Prequels live or die on casting, and Origins leans into characters fans already care aboutwithout turning the show into a
nonstop cameo parade. The core lineup includes Stowell as Gibbs and Kyle Schmid as the younger Mike Franks, with Molino
as Lala, plus a broader team that gives the office its personality and friction.

Season 2 also leans into one of the franchise’s favorite pleasures: folding in familiar names from the original series’ universe.
Coverage around Season 2 highlighted the return of a younger version of Duckybecause if you’re going to build NCIS history,
you might as well bring in one of the most beloved presences in the entire franchise.

And then there’s the emotional slow-burn fan candy: hints toward Gibbs’ future relationships. When a prequel introduces someone
like Dianewho longtime viewers recognize as part of Gibbs’ personal timelineit’s not just trivia. It’s narrative gravity.
It tells you the story is moving toward known heartbreak, whether Gibbs wants it to or not.

How to watch Season 2 without losing your mind (or your place on the couch)

The simplest way is the old-school way: tune in live on CBS on October 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. If you’re more of a streamer,
Paramount+ offers options to watch live (depending on your plan) and to watch on demand after episodes air.

A practical catch-up plan before the premiere

1. Rewatch the pilot and the finale. You’ll remember the emotional “bookends” fast.
2. Then pick 3–4 key episodes in the middle. Look for major Gibbs/Lala/Franks shifts, not just the coolest cases.
3. Read one recap per missed episode. You don’t need a doctorate in NIS paperwork; you need the big turns.
4. Watch the Season 2 trailer once… then stop. You deserve at least one surprise in this economy.

Also, consider making it a full NCIS night. CBS clearly wants the block to feel like an event, and honestly? It’s kind of nice
to have one evening a week where the plan is simply: “Watch competent people solve problems for an hour.”

The bigger picture: why Gibbs’ origin story keeps pulling viewers in

Gibbs is one of those rare TV characters who functions like a myth: everyone knows the rules (the stare, the gut instincts,
the boat in the basement), but the “why” has always carried extra weight. Origins isn’t trying to rewrite what fans already know.
It’s trying to make the emotional math feel inevitable.

And because NCIS has been on the air for so long, a prequel has a built-in advantage: it can aim straight at dramatic irony.
The audience knows where the character ends up. The show’s job is to make you understand how he gets therestep by step,
loss by loss, choice by choice.

That’s what makes the Season 2 premiere date feel like more than scheduling trivia. It’s a promise that the story isn’t done
shaping the man behind the legend.

Fan experiences: what it feels like when a premiere date finally drops

A premiere date announcement hits differently for franchise showsespecially ones like NCIS that have lived in people’s routines
for years. For many fans, it’s not just “new episodes are coming.” It’s “my Tuesday nights have a familiar anchor again.”
That might sound dramatic, but television has always been a small form of timekeeping. Sports seasons mark years. Holidays mark
memories. And for a certain kind of viewer, a dependable procedural marks the week: this is the night I exhale.

With NCIS: Origins specifically, the experience has an extra layer: it’s both comfort food and emotional damage. You’re stepping into
a world you recognizemilitary cases, sharp dialogue, team chemistrybut you’re watching a character who hasn’t yet learned how
to protect himself from the worst parts of the job. That tension creates a very particular kind of viewing ritual. Fans tend to
“prep” for this show differently than they would for a lighter spinoff. There’s often a rewatch involved, but not always a full
binge; it’s more like revisiting the emotional map. People rewatch the pilot to remember the tone, then jump to the finale to
relive the cliffhanger (because pain is apparently a hobby), then maybe pick a middle episode that shows Franks at his most
mentor-y and Gibbs at his most raw.

Then comes the social partthe group chats that slowly wake up from hibernation. Someone posts the date with about twelve exclamation
points. Someone else asks, “Wait, what time is that again?” Another person replies, “Nine. Like it’s a law of nature.” Fans start
making practical plans that feel oddly ceremonial: “We’re doing snacks.” “We’re watching live.” “No spoilers until midnight.”
Even viewers who normally avoid appointment TV will sometimes choose to watch live for premieres, because being part of the
collective reaction is half the fun. It’s not just about avoiding spoilers; it’s about sharing the moment when the cold open
hits and you realize you missed this specific rhythm.

The anticipation also builds in smaller, nerdier ways. Viewers talk about the early-’90s details like they’re time travelers:
the clunky tech, the office vibe, the pre-smartphone investigative chaos. Some fans love spotting the “proto-NCIS” momentsthose
tiny behavioral tells that foreshadow the Gibbs everyone knows. Others are there for the emotional archaeology, watching how a
person becomes guarded, how trust gets rewired, how a mentor’s influence can turn into a life philosophy.

And yes, there’s also the slightly unhinged hope that this season will answer questions without destroying your spirit. When a
show ends a season with a major character’s fate uncertain, the waiting period becomes its own mini-story. Fans replay scenes,
argue theories, and convince themselves that a single line of narration is “definitely a clue.” A premiere date doesn’t just
end the waiting; it turns the waiting into something productive. Suddenly you can plan. Suddenly there’s a finish line.
Suddenly the question isn’t “when will we know?” but “how ready am I to know?”

That’s the funand the dangerof being invested in a long-running universe. You’re not just watching a series. You’re participating
in a shared tradition. So when CBS says, “October 14,” fans hear, “Okay. We’ll see you then.” And a lot of them will show up
with snacks, opinions, and a suspicious readiness to be emotionally wrecked… again.

Final takeaway

The headline is simple: NCIS: Origins Season 2 premieres Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
The subtext is even better: CBS is treating it like a key piece of its fall lineup, and the story is poised to dive deeper into
the consequences that forged Gibbs into the legend NCIS fans already know.

Mark the date. Clear the Tuesday night schedule. And maybejust maybedon’t get too attached to anyone with a mysterious backstory.
(This is NCIS. We know how this goes.)