NCIS: 15 Best Episodes (According To IMDb)

NCIS is one of the longest-running criminal investigation TV series to ever exist. The show has remained on the air since 2003, spanning 18 seasons and over 300 episodes, and that doesn’t even count all of the various spinoffs the show has spawned in the interim.

The series, which stands for Naval Criminal Investigation Service, follows an elite squad of agents led by Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), a former Marine with a prickly attitude. Harmon has appeared in all of the episodes, but the real question is, which one do fans love most?

Updated on March 1, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: As one of the longest-running modern dramas on television, NCIS has a huge and dedicated fanbase. With DVDs, streaming sites, and On-Demand access, fans have more ways to access their favorite episodes than ever before. The longer fans of a series have access to episodes, the more ratings come in — and the more accurate they become. That’s likely why so many of the top-ranked NCIS episodes are actually from the show’s first 10 seasons. The rankings of the top episodes for the series have been updated to reflect their current standings. 

15 “Kill Ari Part II” S3.E02 (8.8)

One of the most emotional storylines in the early seasons of NCIS is that of the death of Kate Todd. This episode is the aftermath of her death as the team tries to track down Ari Haswari, who shot her on a rooftop.

The hour, however, sees the team having to place their search for Ari on hold as Ducky takes the place of a hostage and they have to race to help him instead. It also features the beginning of a storyline for new addition to the series Ziva David. Ziva begins her journey believing Ari to be innocent in Kate’s death but has to confront her own mental blocks as she begins to work with the team.

14 “Judgment Day Part II” S5.E19 (8.9)

NCIS fans truly love their emotional goodbye episodes. While “Kill Ari Part II” sees the farewell for Kate Todd, this episode does the same for Jenny Shepherd. The former NCIS director is killed in a shootout that starts in the previous episode.

This hour focuses equally on the investigation into what exactly happened when she ended up in the middle of a gunfight in a diner and the emotional fallout. Gibbs, who previously had a romantic relationship with Jenny, doesn’t deal with losing people he cares about well. Tony Dinozzo and Ziva, on the other hand, have to deal with the guilt of not going out to protect her when they thought something was off.

13 “Spinning Wheel” S13.E11 (8.9)

This season 13 episode certainly tugs at the heartstrings of the audience as it gives them two emotional storylines to follow. The main story of the episode is that of Ducky and his half-brother, while Emily Bishop’s relationship with her husband takes on the second.

Ducky is attacked by someone who claims to have information about his half-brother. The trouble is that Ducky’s brother supposedly died many years earlier. The team investigates the situation while Ducky reminisces. Bishop has been wrestling with what to do in her now unhappy marriage. She doesn’t want to accept that her husband cheated on her, and as a result, she can’t fully trust him anymore, so she decides to end it.

12 “Scope” S13.E18 (8.9)

Gibbs and his squad are tasked with investigating the death of an officer and her husband on vacation in Iraq. When the team discovers the sniper rifle murder weapon is American-made, Gibbs must determine how it got into enemy hands.

This leads Gibbs to the VA, where he interviews the lone survivor of an ambush that resulted in stolen U.S. weaponry. Gibbs looks to find answers from the solider’s therapist, Dr. Confalone, as well as his daughter. After learning the rifle is key to an assassination plot, Gibbs and the crew must act fast.

11 “Twilight” S2.E23 (8.9)

In the season 2 finale, as Tony resumes work after sick leave, he joins the investigation of two Naval pilots who were murdered in a car during their time off. The cause of death? Three bullets each.

The killer skids away dressed as a Virginia State Trooper, forcing the team to scramble in response. A bomb detonates, prompting Gibbs’ paranoia that someone is out to kill the squad. In the end, a main character is lost during a shootout.

10 “Heartland” S6.E4 (8.9)

When a Marine corporal is left dead in an alley following a pub brawl, Gibbs suspects foul play. He believes the death was in fact a carefully planned ambush.

Gibbs interrogates the lone survivor of the attack, who has become gravely ill. He brings the crew to his hometown, where the survivor hails from, and they meet Gibbs’ father and friends. When the townsfolk reveal they believe the surviving Marine died four years ago, a complex conspiracy comes to light that the crew has to solve.

9 “Requiem” S5.E7 (8.9)

Things get personal when the childhood friend of Gibbs’ daughter, Kelly, asks him to investigate the Marine sergeant who’s been stalking her. Maddy is terrified and doesn’t know where else to turn.

Gibbs confronts the stalker, Rudi, but that doesn’t stop someone from ransacking Maddy’s apartment. When Maddy is kidnapped in Rudi’s vehicle shortly after, Gibbs and crew find Rudi’s physically abused corpse. Gibbs determines that Rudi died before Maddy was taken, meaning someone else is responsible. After further snooping, Gibbs ultimately identifies the culprit but makes a near-fatal mistake that requires Tony to help save the day.

8 “Head Of The Snake” S7.E21 (9.0)

In one of the many secret investigations Gibbs has taken on over the years, he reunites with FBI agent Tobias Fornell. With the help of Director Vance, Gibbs and Fornell have been secretly investigating the drug ring responsible for Fornell’s daughter’s overdose. Unfortunately, little results mean Fornell goes missing and Gibbs needs a little help.

It turns out that Fornell goes undercover with the drug dealers and uncovers a conspiracy to sell poisoned pills to members of the military to thin their numbers. Gibbs and his team try to help Fornell but end up getting Bishop kidnapped, who has to find her way out of a plane before it explodes.

7 “SWAK” S2.E22 (9.0)

Things get hectic when the NCIS headquarters is sent a deadly love letter, entitled SWAK, filled with a mysterious white powder. So, why is the letter addressed from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland?

As Gibbs and crew try to answer such a question, Tony becomes worse for wear. He and Kate travel to Bethesda, where she gives him extra care during his worsening condition. In the end, Abby Sciuto helps Gibbs identify the women responsible for sending the SWAK letter. Meanwhile, an old rape case is explained by a key witness.

6 “Call Of Silence” S2.E7 (9.0)

Gibbs and the NCIS squad are puzzled when decorated WWII Marine vet Ernie Yost, recently awarded the Medal of Honor, visits headquarters and confesses to a murder.

Yost, who also recently lost his wife, claims to have murdered a fellow Marine. Gibbs and crew can’t comprehend the confession, which leads to JAG Commander Faith Coleman ordering Yost’s arrest. Gibbs thinks better of the order and takes Yost out to dinner to gain more answers. After further investigation, the team solves an emotional crime that leaves Kate and Faith shaken up.

5 “She” S16.E13 (9.2)

The personal and professional collide head-on in “She.” Things kick off when a sickly nine-year-old girl is discovered hiding in a storage house.

The severely malnourished girl prompts a missing persons cold case to be reopened. However, business gets personal when Bishop’s investigation reveals a connection to former agent Ziva David. Regretful when she can’t crack a missing persons case in season 7, Ziva rented a secondary office to continue doing her own investigations outside of work. Bishop discovers her notes and becomes so invested that she cannot avoid Gibbs’ Rule 10: “Never Get Personally Involved.”

4 “The Arizona” S17.E20 (9.2)

“The Arizona” is one of the few episodes of NCIS that delves into military history in the United States instead of simply sticking with modern criminal investigations. In this case, it’s the attack on The Arizona at Pearl Harbor that prompted public support for the United States to enter World War II.

A man named Joe Smith claims to have served on The Arizona and wants his remains to be buried there. The episode follows the team’s efforts to verify his claims, and the hour is dedicated to military personnel who served at Pearl Harbor.

3 “Truth Or Consequence” S7.E1 (9.2)

The Season 7 premiere is a longtime favorite of fans. It maintains its spot near the top on IMDb year after year, partly because it’s one of the first episodes to demonstrate just how far Tony is willing to go for Ziva.

When an officer is found dead on a Naval ship, the crew investigates. Meanwhile, when Ziva is nowhere to be found, the crew traces her whereabouts to a cargo hold from the country of Jordan. The ship is located off the coast of Somalia, where Gibbs travels to solve the case. A terrorist named Saleem tortures Ziva and tricks Tony and McGee with truth serum, leaving Gibbs to use his sniper-training to save the day.

2 “Keep Going” S14.E13 (9.3)

When a Naval captain is supposedly killed by a hit and run accident, Gibbs and crew think otherwise after the Captain’s son is spotted atop a nearby building.

The son blames himself for his father’s death, claiming it was his fault that they stopped at an ATM following an argument. When Palmer tries to calmly talk the man down from the ledge of the building, the man refuses and vows to leap off the ledge with Palmer in tow. Meanwhile, Gibbs races to solve what really happened to the man’s father.

1 “Family First” S13.E24 (9.3)

When a British super-spy murders a slew of interagency professionals, NCIS teams up with the FBI and MI6 to track him down. However, the case takes a backseat when Tony, upon learning of critical personal news, decides to quit his job and look after his family. Gibbs and crew take the news pretty hard but must continue their laser-like focus to find the serial killer. An emotional farewell is bid from one of the show’s longest-lasting characters.