MOB CHRONICLES LIGHT-YEAR LAG: NCIS Season 23 Gets a Dressing Down
- Niels Gys
- Nov 11, 2025
- 4 min read
TL;DR
Watching NCIS Season 23 is like ordering the “gangster epic deluxe” and getting a casserole in a navy yard instead.
Plot & Pacing — bingo-night cops with vengeance stuck in first gear
They’ve shifted the procedural engine to “revenge arc” mode — Agent Parker chases mob boss Carla Marino across episodes. And yes, the murder of Parker’s father is the ignition.
Problem: the show still ambles through its weekly case-of-the-week like a tipsy hobbit. The vengeance thread is supposed to be the spine, but it’s more like a tension rubber band stretched over a soft pillow. You wait for it to snap. It rarely does.
It’s not bad. I’ve seen worse. But a crime series needs teeth, and here it mostly gnaws its own wrist.
Criminal Fantasy Fulfillment — paper mache gangsters in a navy yard
They want criminals with flair. What they get are NPC mobsters who pop in to deliver exposition and vanish like bad perfume. For a show with “Criminal Investigative” in the title, the criminals act like bit players in someone else’s dress rehearsal.
Me? I’d rather spend an hour in a real mob flick—Goodfellas, Gomorrah, Scarface—than live in the tiny gangland shadow that NCIS is afraid to show. They flirt with the darkness, then slink back to fluorescent labs.
Characters & Performances — fine actors stuck in predictable grooves
The cast is veteran. They can sell subtext on a budget. But the writing gives them notes like “be sad but determined” and “emote over your coffee.”
Watching Parker try to chew scenery is fun—he’s the only one swinging. The rest? They’re stuck playing the team that occasionally watches Parker swing. Vance, Torres, Knight, McGee—they deliver like pros.
But they’re actors in a soap-crossover, not gangland figures.
Direction & Cinematography — functional TV, not cinematic punch
No chiaroscuro, no framing that chills your bones. Most of this looks like lighting calls from 1995. Interiors, offices, docks, hallways, rinse, repeat. The occasional tension shot feels as forced as a tourist posing with a badger.
If I wanted to be bewitched by visuals, I’d watch Narcos or ZeroZeroZero. This is more “lit for work email and generic confrontation.” Acceptable, but not inspiring.
Writing & Dialogue — “deep stuff” by way of greeting-card philosophy
Lines like “we carry what we cannot forget” and “justice isn’t blind; it’s selective” flop out of mouths like empty quotes on Instagram. I don’t care how many times they try to carpet-bomb emotions — when your writing is cliché, even the good actors can’t save it.
Dialogue is serviceable: deposit clues, set up conflict, have someone confess something. But the “insider rage” that crime stories need? That’s missing.
World & Atmosphere — naval procedural trying to “smell like menace”
It reeks of uniform, salt air, badge authority. Yet the show wants to hop into alleys and gun deals. It’s like a Ferrari driving through the mud—shiny but stuck.
It never drops you into the grime: no car-hijack alleyways, no grime-soaked ruins, no shots fired in broken storefronts. The world is sanitized, safe. That’s not crime. It’s procedural crime with sterile edges.
Soundtrack & Vibe — the “dangerous playlist” is playing on mute
They hint at moody underscore, tension strings, the occasional beat drop. But they always pull back. The music treads water like a polite session musician at a church gig.
If you whisper “rugged criminal underworld” into this season’s soundscape, you hear polite violins asking if they can take off their jackets first.
Violence & Style — nudged, not nailed
There is violence, yes. But mostly off-screen, suggested, hurried. When someone does bleed, it’s over fast. The show’s PG-13 soul bleeds in hints, not in full brutality.
At times the show tries to escalate: a knock, a shot, a hushed scream. But they treat those moments like fragile ornaments—plucked and replaced. No daring. No lasting scars.
Message (if any) — grand statements, limp echo
NCIS wants to ruminate on vengeance, duty, sacrifice. It tries. But when you’re preaching at the audience with the subtlety of a megaphone, people duck.
It could’ve questioned whether law enforcement is just another power play, whether the “good guy” badge hides rot. Instead? It backs away. Polices the boundaries. Keeps its conscience clean.
Verdict
Season 23 is a procedural treading water in gangster shampoo. It tries to smell like crime, but it’s still soap. Entertaining? Marginally. Courageous? Not a chance.
FAQ
Q: Is NCIS Season 23 darker and edgier than previous seasons? They try. The vengeance arc is darker. But “edgy” doesn’t make it past the badge. The darkness is in the flavor, not the core.
Q: Does the show deliver criminal underworld realism? Nope. The few underworld elements feel like guests at a dinner party—strictly invited, closely watched, never allowed to roam.
Q: Is it worth watching for crime thriller fans? If you like crime with emotional scaffolding, yes. If you want gritty, unflinching criminal drama? Then attach your expectations to wires and bet on them breaking.
Q: Where can I stream or watch NCIS Season 23? In the U.S., it premieres on CBS (Tuesdays, 8pm ET). International viewers check Paramount+ or local CBS licensing deals.
Q: Any big cast or structural changes this season? Parker’s vengeance arc is front and center. The team’s dynamics shift slightly. But the formula remains reassuringly intact.
Q: Should I even bother with it? If you want your crime fix served neat with emotional nachos — yes. If you want it sharp, raw, unforgiving — go find something else.
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