Torres’ NCIS Spinoff Rumors Officially Addressed By Wilmer Valderrama

Published Nov 4, 2026, 1:16 PM EST

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NCIS star Wilmer Valderrama candidly responds to spinoff rumors.

Audiences are only a few episodes into NCIS season 24, but the long-running procedural is demonstrating a strong interest in what is going on beyond the cases that need to be solved. In the case of the returning Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, that has meant balancing the realities of being NCIS Director with being a father. Elsewhere, McGee (Sean Murray) is eyeing a potential new gig of his own. And as for Valderrama's Nick Torres, viewers are seeing a whole different side of the character.

During an appearance on the TODAY Show with Jenna & Shinelle to reflect on his 10-year run with NCIS, Valderrama was asked whether a Nick Torres spinoff could be in the works. The actor responded swiftly, indicating that he doubts a Torres-centered series is looming. Still, in the quote below, Valderrama explains what the renewed spotlight on Torres signifies:

I don't think that's true. I mean, who knows? Who knows? I would have to say that we listen to the fans, right? So we'll see where he goes. I think what's happening with my character through the season is very telegraphing of things to come. I think what my character is experiencing is a shift, and what I like is finding that fight, like, okay, where else can I take this character? Look, if the fans want to watch and they want the character, I love what the fans think about him, and it would be really fun.

The speculation about Nick's future with the MCRT goes back to NCIS season 24, episode 3, which introduces viewers to Walt Keller (played by Glee and Abbott Elementary star Mike O'Malley). Keller is Torres' former undercover mentor when Torres was working under the alias Dante Torres. The alias may just be one of many that Torres would rather not think about, because it reminds of his dark part, but Keller's reemergence forces the issue.

Over the course of the episode, Walt argues that Torres shouldn't turn his back on Dante Torres because that's who he really is. Torres wavers, at times disagreeing vehemently and at other times expressing more reluctance. By the end of the hour, after a case that tugs and pulls at what he believes, Nick goes back to Keller and appears to welcome an especially dubious unofficial job with the CIA.

The true fallout from that mini-cliffhanger has yet to be fully explored, but it is not a stretch to believe that the storyline might be an off-ramp that leads to the CIA getting added to the list of NCIS spinoffs. Throughout its more than two-decade history on CBS, the NCIS franchise has favored repeating the franchise's formula in different locations, whether that's Los Angeles, Hawaii, New York, or Sydney.

There was also the short-lived NCIS: Red, which followed agents on the road. But more recently, the franchise has started to embrace character-focused series. That is especially the case with NCIS: Origins, which is in season 3 and focuses on the younger years of Gibbs in the early 1990s. There was also NCIS: Tony & Ziva, cancelled by Paramount+ after one season.

For now, at least, Torres and his CIA turn seem contained as a fresh angle within NCIS itself. New episodes of season 24 will premiere on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 8 PM ET on CBS, followed by the brand-new spinoff NCIS: New York at 9 PM. The night closes out with NCIS: Origins season 3 at 10 PM. Episodes also stream on Paramount+.

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  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  Michael Weatherly

  Tony DiNozzo