NCIS Showrunner Reveals How That Surprise Return Came Together in the Fall Finale

NCIS slipped a surprise into its Season 23 fall finale: Ellie Bishop is back. Kind of. It happens fast, and the show doesn't wave it around, which somehow makes it hit harder.

What we saw on screen

In the closing moments, Jessica Knight finds out her first assignment with NCIS Elite is to track down a former agent. The name: Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham). Then we get one last shot that confirms Bishop has been nearby, quietly watching the team from a distance. Subtle, and very much designed to make you double-take.

How the comeback came together

Showrunner Steven D. Binder told TVLine this wasn't a last-minute stunt. Bishop was part of the pitch at the very start of the season. The catch: none of it was guaranteed until the logistics clicked. Timing was a big variable, and Wickersham doesn't live near the production anymore, which made things trickier. The good news for fans: she was into it and wanted to come back.

"She is not the same person."

Binder is adamant this is not a simple homecoming. Since leaving NCIS, Bishop has been out in the world doing high-risk international work. A lot has happened, and some of it is messy enough that the team is now looking for her in a way that suggests she may have crossed a line. Binder says she's done something that puts her under investigation, but the story is less about labeling her a villain and more about digging into why she did it.

The Bishop/Torres wrinkle

There's also fallout on the personal side. Binder pointed to Nick Torres. When Bishop left, she didn't tell him the truth about her mission. She let him believe a false story. That choice is going to matter now that she&aposs back in the orbit of the team.

• The plan: Bishop's return was baked into Season 23 from the jump, but depended on schedules and travel.
• The status: Bishop has changed; she's been on dangerous international ops since she left.
• The hook: She's under investigation for a specific act, and the series will focus on the motive behind it.
• The setup: NCIS Elite is actively hunting her, and she's been surveilling the team.
• The fallout: Expect emotional complications with Nick Torres after the way she exited.

Bottom line: this wasn't a cameo for nostalgia points. It's a calculated pivot meant to kick open a new lane for Bishop and stir up the team at the same time.