NCIS 21×02 “The Stories We Leave Behind” pays tribute to longtime cast member David McCallum, who passed away last September. McCallum played Ducky for 20 seasons. The episode was written by series star Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer), and Scott Williams and directed by Michael Zinberg. All of this sounds very clinical and it’s probably me trying to prepare you and myself for what is likely to be a tearjerker.
Yeah, this one’s going to hurt.
Ducky’s just …always been there. It’s hard to imagine NCIS without Ducky, or at least without the possibility of Ducky. And yet, it also feels impossible for the show to continue to pretend he is around somewhere. The best they can do is pay tribute to McCallum. He deserves that. We deserve that. So, prepare for the tears we must, even if the show had to deal with the Torres cliffhanger first. Are we ready for the feels? Probably not. But we will face them nonetheless. It’s what Ducky would have wanted.
Here are the pictures for NCIS 21×02 “The Stories We Leave Behind”:
Pictured (L-R): Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer, Katrina Law as NCIS Special Agent Jessica Knight, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, Diona Reasonover as Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines, and Gary Cole as FBI Special Agent Alden Parker. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Diona Reasonover as Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer and Katrina Law as NCIS Special Agent Jessica Knight. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Gary Cole as FBI Special Agent Alden Parker and Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres and Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Pictured (L-R): Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres and Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee. Photo: Michael Yarish/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“The Stories We Leave Behind” – As NCIS mourns the loss of Ducky, the agents find comfort in working on one of his unfinished cases involving a woman whose father was dishonorably discharged from the Marines, on the CBS Original series NCIS, Thursday, Feb. 19 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*
Are you excited for NCIS 21×02 “The Stories We Leave Behind”? Share with us in the comments below!
Man, this is definitely gonna be a hard one to get through!