NCIS Kills Off A Major Character In Season 22 Finale, Sets Up A 'Chaotic' Season 23

NCIS has been a crime drama TV staple for decades. Started in 2003, the show has just wrapped its 22nd season, and the finale left off with a heartbreaking character death.

With the shocking loss of a character, the other cast members have since spoken out about what this means for the future of the TV show. Wilmer Valderrama, one of the series regulars, has opened up about how one character’s exit from the show will set the stage for an exciting Season 23.

Parker Lost His Father In The Season 22 Finale

Fans of the show will be very familiar with the character of Parker, brilliantly portrayed by actor Gary Cole. In the final moments of Season 22, Parker returns home after a tumultuous episode; previously, he’d gone up against mob boss Carla Marino, and the two had a conversation where Carla explained that she blamed Parker for her son’s death.

It seems that Carla’s resentment boiled over and she’d decided to seek her revenge on Parker. Simply killing him, however, wouldn’t have been painful enough, and in the final scene of the finale, Parker finds that his father has been murdered, potentially sending him into an emotional spiral just as the season concludes.

The Executive Producer of the show, Steven D. Binder, explained to TV Insider the reasoning behind killing off Parker’s family member, noting it was a way to destabilize an otherwise very grounded character:

Writers get together and are like, ‘Yeah, this character is really turning out to be even and balanced,’ and then, ‘Let’s throw him off balance,’ just sort of an instinct you have. So that was always there circulating in our head: What is it going to take to send this guy, turn this guy into a man on fire?

Wilmer Valderrama Says Season 23 Will ‘Go Rogue’

In the wake of such a major loss, no doubt Season 23 will deal with the fallout of the Season 22 finale. Actor Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Special Agent Nick Torres, noted that the death of Parker’s father would have a major ripple effect on the episodes to come.

Wilmer explained to E! News how impactful the loss would be in setting up the drama for the next season:

It’s going to be very earth-shattering and really heartbreaking… It’s going to shake up the team and I think it’s going to probably really push us to go rogue in Season 23. The biggest idea was to say, ‘How do we disrupt the peace of Season 22 and set up the tone for season 23?’

As of now, the air date for Season 23 has yet to be announced, though it’s likely fans of the show will be able to tune in again in September or October of this year.