Heading into its 21st season, NCIS has a tough job: properly paying tribute to David McCallum, who died at the age of 90 in September, and his character, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, who was first introduced in the backdoor pilot episodes of JAG in 2003.
Season 21 Episode 2, airing on February 19, 2024, is the one tasked with doing just that, and it will be cowritten by the actor whose character we first met as Ducky’s assistant, Brian Dietzen. (Jimmy Palmer is now a doctor himself and the chief medical examiner.) Dietzen is once again collaborating with Scott Williams, with whom he wrote Season 19’s “The Helpers” and Season 20’s “Old Wounds.”
“In the episode, the team will learn of Ducky’s passing and reflect on their memories of him as they grieve,” co-showrunners/executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North told TVLine. “And true to Ducky’s meticulous and compassionate nature, even after he’s gone, he still manages to solve one last crime with the team.” They also promised “a very touching and special moment you won’t want to miss.”
But what moments need to be in what is sure to be one of the most powerful, touching episodes of the series? We suggest just those below.
NCIS, Season 21 Premiere, Monday, February 12, 2024, 9/8c, CBS
An episode worthy of David McCallum and Ducky
Listen, this should go without saying and it’s more likely than not that we’ll get it, but it’s the only way to kick off this list. Whatever the tribute ends up being, it should be one that would make McCallum proud and properly reflects what both his and Ducky’s legacies mean for the show and franchise. That, of course, would include flashbacks to significant moments over the past 20 seasons.
Major returns — or at least mentions
While Dietzen and Sean Murray (who plays Tim McGee) have both been part of the show s ince Season 1, they were both introduced (and recurred) then. But Gibbs (Mark Harmon) has a long history with Ducky — the 400th episode detailed its origins — and Tony (Michael Weatherly), too, was part of the JAG episodes. We also saw what Ducky meant to characters who have since left like Ziva (Cote de Pablo) and Abby (Pauley Perrette) over the years. (Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, and Abby are also characters Dietzen told TV Insider in February he “would be ecstatic to write for.”) At least one major return would be great — especially from Harmon, given Ducky and Gibbs’ friendship — but if that doesn’t happen, these characters need to at least be mentioned in a significant way.
What could also be a bonus: a mention (or an appearance) of Ducky’s first assistant on NCIS, Gerald (Pancho Demmings).
At least one flashback with Young Ducky
Adam Campbell has appeared in four episodes since Season 12, including the 400th, as young Ducky, and from his first, it was clear he was perfect casting. And if Mark Harmon isn’t in the episode, his son Sean Harmon could always return as young Gibbs for a flashback highlighting the early days of that friendship.
Palmer sharing an anecdote about Ducky…
… just like Ducky did all the time. He’s the perfect person to deliver it, and it would be especially fitting if that is what helps the team solve its case, given Binder and North’s tease in their statement.
Heartfelt emotion, grief, and joy
It’s going to be a heartbreaking hour. We already know that. But there needs to be (at least a little) joy as well as Ducky’s life is celebrated. Not only could that work, but it could also fit the bill of what Dietzen previously told us he wanted to tackle when it came to writing his next episode: “I would love to do a lighter show, for sure. … But that said, if I could dig into some darker stuff with any one of these characters, that would be a joy to do as well.” Ducky lived a long life. There are some stories still to be told. Those could certainly bring some laughs.
Acknowledgement of what Ducky meant to NCIS beyond the team (and their memories)
Sometimes it’s easy to forget about the rest of the agency, but Ducky didn’t just work with this one team. And he continued to mean quite a deal to NCIS as its historian after he left the chief ME position. There could be some sort of gathering — outside of a funeral, if that’s shown — or not, but what there definitely needs to be is something permanent in the building that serves as a reminder of the legacy Ducky has left behind.