Leon Vance is gone, and NCIS Season 24 is entering an era that could look very different from anything the series has done before. Rocky Carroll’s longtime character was killed off during Season 23, bringing an end to one of the most recognizable leadership eras in the show’s history. Vance had been the director of the agency since Season 6, making his presence a constant part of the series for years. His absence leaves more than an emotional hole because it also creates a major question about who will guide the NCIS team from here.
The answer, at least when it comes to the field team, is Alden Parker. CBS currently describes Gary Cole’s character as the person leading the NCIS team, with McGee, Torres, Knight, Jimmy Palmer, and Kasie Hines working alongside him. Parker has already spent several seasons establishing his own leadership style, but Season 24 gives him a much bigger opportunity to prove that he can hold the team together without Vance overseeing the larger agency.
That distinction is important because Parker and Vance were never the same kind of leader. Vance was the director of the entire agency, while Parker has primarily been the person responsible for the field team and its investigations. Vance’s leadership was often based on authority, experience, and his ability to see the bigger picture. Parker, on the other hand, tends to lead through observation, humor, patience, and his ability to understand how different personalities work together.
For years, Vance provided a stable presence above the team even when everything around them was changing. Gibbs left, new agents arrived, relationships changed, and the agency faced countless threats, but Vance remained the person viewers could expect to be somewhere in the background. Losing him changes that sense of stability. Season 24 therefore has to establish what the organization looks like when the person who occupied that role is suddenly no longer there.
Interestingly, the series does not appear to be rushing to introduce a permanent replacement for Vance. Showrunner Steven D. Binder has explained that the character is difficult to replace because Vance was not simply another director. The plan is to take time figuring out what kind of leadership the agency needs next rather than immediately putting another character into exactly the same position. That could make the transition feel more realistic while giving Season 24 an additional storyline to develop.
This could mean that Parker becomes even more important while the larger leadership question remains unresolved. He already has the responsibility of leading the field team, and without Vance around, his decisions may carry more weight. The team could increasingly depend on Parker to make difficult calls without having the familiar safety net of Vance’s authority. That pressure could reveal a side of Parker that viewers have not seen before.
Parker’s leadership will also be tested by the personalities around him. McGee is now a veteran agent who has spent more than two decades in the NCIS world. Torres is experienced but still unpredictable, while Knight has developed into one of the team’s strongest field agents. None of them are inexperienced newcomers waiting for someone to tell them what to do. Parker therefore has to lead a group of people who already know exactly who they are.
That makes his job much more complicated than simply giving orders. The best version of Parker’s leadership will probably involve knowing when to step forward and when to allow his agents to take control. McGee, Torres, and Knight each bring different strengths to the team, and Parker has to recognize how those differences can work together. Vance often played that role from above, while Parker now has to manage it from within the team.
McGee may become particularly important during this transition. As the only remaining character from the show’s first season, he represents a direct connection to the NCIS that existed under earlier leaders. He has worked with Gibbs, Vance, and several generations of agents, and he understands how much the agency has changed. With Vance gone, McGee could naturally become one of the team’s most important sources of institutional knowledge.
But that does not necessarily mean McGee will replace Vance. His role is different, and the current series appears committed to keeping Parker as the team’s leader. Instead, McGee could become the person Parker increasingly relies on when decisions involve the history and culture of NCIS. That relationship could add another layer to their partnership as Season 24 moves forward.
Torres, meanwhile, could make the leadership transition considerably more difficult. His unpredictable nature has always been part of his appeal, but recent events have placed him under even greater pressure. The Season 23 finale ended with a major cliffhanger involving Torres and McGee’s son, Mateo, setting up one of the biggest unresolved stories for Season 24. The show has already teased that significant changes are coming, meaning Torres could enter the new season in a very different emotional state.
That situation could test Parker’s ability to lead more than any ordinary investigation. Torres has always been someone who can make decisions based on instinct, emotion, and personal loyalty. Parker will have to decide how much freedom to give him and when he needs to step in. Their relationship could become one of the defining professional dynamics of the new season.
Jessica Knight could also become more influential as the team adjusts. She has developed considerably since joining NCIS, becoming a confident and capable agent with strong instincts in high-pressure situations. Her experience gives Parker another reliable person to turn to when the team faces complicated cases. At the same time, Knight’s own ambitions and personal relationships could create storylines that challenge the balance inside the group.
The absence of Vance could therefore have an unexpected benefit. It forces the series to distribute leadership across several characters instead of allowing one authority figure to dominate the structure. Parker leads the team, McGee brings experience, Torres provides unpredictability, Knight brings tactical strength, and Jimmy and Kasie support investigations in their own areas. Together, they represent a version of NCIS that no longer depends on one central figure to hold everything together.
That could be exactly what the show needs after more than two decades on television. NCIS has survived the departures of Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Abby, Bishop, and many other major characters. Each time, the series has had to prove that its identity is bigger than any individual. Vance’s death is another major test, but it also creates an opportunity to redefine what the current version of the show looks like.
Tony DiNozzo’s return could make that transition even more interesting. Michael Weatherly is coming back for a season-long arc in Season 24, meaning the current team will soon have to deal with one of the most recognizable agents from the show’s past. Tony knew Vance for years, so his return could bring another emotional reminder of how much the agency has changed. His presence may also give Parker a chance to demonstrate that the current NCIS does not need to recreate its old leadership structure.
The bigger question is whether Vance’s position will eventually be filled. The show has made it clear that there is no immediate replacement being presented as the new version of Leon Vance. That leaves room for Season 24 to explore an interim period in which the agency operates without a permanent figure at the top. Such a storyline could introduce a new character later, but it could also allow viewers to understand why replacing Vance is not as simple as finding another director.
Vance’s importance was never just about his job title. He was part of the emotional history of NCIS. He watched agents come and go, protected his people, dealt with political pressure, and became a father figure in different ways to members of the team. Replacing him with another character who behaves exactly like him would probably make the change feel artificial. The more interesting option is to create someone completely different.
Until then, Parker has an opportunity to step into a new level of responsibility. He does not have to become another Gibbs or another Vance. In fact, the show will probably be stronger if he refuses to. Parker’s calm personality, sarcastic sense of humor, and unusual approach to investigations give him a leadership style that belongs specifically to this era of NCIS.
Season 24 can therefore become less about replacing Vance and more about moving beyond him. The agency has lost one of its most important leaders, but the team itself remains. McGee, Torres, Knight, Jimmy, Kasie, and Parker now have to prove that the NCIS family can continue even when one of its longest-serving figures is no longer there.
And perhaps that is the real story of Season 24. Vance’s absence will undoubtedly be felt, but it does not have to define the future of the series. Parker may be the person leading the team right now, but the next era of NCIS will ultimately be shaped by everyone standing beside him. After years of relying on familiar leaders, the series now has a chance to show what happens when an entire team has to learn how to lead together.