Warning! Spoilers ahead for NCIS season 23, episode 20, "Sons and Daughters."If Nick Torres ends up dying in the NCIS season 23 finale, it would be the worst timing ever for a tragedy involving Wilmer Valderrama's character. While 2025-2026 TV cycle was eventful for network shows in general, it was particularly special for CBS's longest-running series. NCIS season 23 featured a lot of important moments, including the sad and unexpected but well-executed death of Director Leon Vance, marking Rocky Carroll's exit from the series after nearly two decades. That said, the final hour of the year floated the idea that another MCRT member was leaving.
After a harrowing case that involved protecting the legacy of Vance and seeing the return of Gabriel LaRoche, "Sons and Daughters" ended with a standoff between Tim McGee's son, Mateo, and Torres. The final scene of the season was an aerial shot of DC's skyline, with a single gunshot echoing in Navy Yard. This left a major cliffhanger, prompting viewers to worry about the MCRT member's well-being, especially after the team's consecutive losses in NCIS season 23.
NCIS Season 23 Finale Was Wilmer Valderrama's 200th Episode In The Show
As confirmed by Valderrama himself on his official social media account, NCIS season 23 marked his 200th episode playing Torres in the procedural. For context, the character was introduced in NCIS season 14, episode 1, "Rogue," which was released on September 20, 2016. With Michael Weatherly's Tony Dinozzo Jr. leaving MCRT in the previous season to take care of Tali and search for Ziva David, Leroy Jethro Gibbs' MCRT was understaffed, hence the need to recruit for a brand-new member.
Ever since then, Valderrama's Torres has been a series regular in NCIS, only missing a handful of episodes due to external factors. Throughout his 10-year tenure on the job, the MCRT member has seen the exits of Abby Sciuto, Alexandra Quinn, Jack Sloane, Ellie Bishop, and Gibbs, as well as the deaths of Ducky Mallard and Vance. Considering the importance of "Sons and Daughters" in the character's personal history in the show, NCIS killing him off at the same time would make the tragedy much worse.
How Torres's NCIS Season 24 Future Might Be Worse Than Death
Deaths are not new in NCIS. Aside from dealing with them on a regular basis, considering the team's line of work, there has been some major MCRT losses throughout years, starting with the murder of Kate Todd in the season 2 finale. While showrunner Steven D. Binder has heavily hinted that Torres would survive the NCIS season 23 finale, he's facing a more difficult future, considering what he now knows about Mateo.
NCIS Season 24: Release Date, Returning Cast & Everything We Know
As CBS's longest-running series, NCIS has amassed a massive fanbase for over two decades — the majority of them are looking forward to its future.
McGee is a proud father, and he's doing everything to make up for all the lost years with his secret son. If Torres ends up shooting Mateo, and he refuses to come clean about his real intentions for trying to get into the agency, it creates a serious rift between the MCRT co-workers. While conflicts within the team have happened before, it's the worst type of crisis, because the unit is used to operating on the same page. Assuming that a feud indeed happens, it's going to be at a particularly precarious time in NCIS's history, as LaRoche attempts to take over Vance's vacated post.
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NCIS
- Directors
- Dennis Smith, Terrence O'Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. Wright, Michael Zinberg, Arvin Brown, Rocky Carroll, Diana Valentine, Leslie Libman, Tawnia McKiernan, Colin Bucksey, William Webb, Bethany Rooney, Alrick Riley, Jeff Woolnough, Alan J. Levi, Lionel Coleman, Martha Mitchell, Peter Ellis, Michael Weatherly, Edward Ornelas, Stephen Cragg, Tom Wright
- Writers
- George Schenck, Frank Cardea, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Don McGill, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh
- Franchise(s)
- NCIS
- Creator(s)
- Don McGill, Donald P. Bellisario
