Fan-Favorite ‘NCIS’ Character Returns in Midseason Premiere

January 27, 2026, 2:50pm

NCIS’ midseason premiere is bringing back a fan-favorite character.

After her surprise appearance in the fall finale, Emily Wickersham is back in action as Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop.

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CBS has released new images from the upcoming episode, “Her,” premiering on Tuesday, March 3 at 8 p.m. ET. Per the official logline, “On her first NCIS: Elite mission, Knight is given orders to hunt down and arrest Eleanor Bishop after the former member of the NCIS team is designated a wanted cyber-terrorist. In need of someone to trust, Bishop turns to Torres, and the two come face to face for the first time since she abruptly left nearly five years ago.”

Pictured (L-R): Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nicholas “Nick” Torres and Emily Wickersham as Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop Photo: Robert Voets/CBS

Prior to the fall finale, fans last saw Bishop at the end of Season 18, when she resigned from NCIS after confessing to leaking NSA secrets, leading her to go on a long-term CIA undercover mission. In December, Knight (Katrina Law) finally got her first NCIS: Elite mission from Vance (Rocky Carroll), and it was to track down a wanted fugitive, only the fugitive turned out to be Bishop, who was sitting in a car not far from the team.

The new photos see Bishop reuniting with the team, including McGee (Sean Murray), Jimmy (Brian Dietzen), Kasie (Diona Reasonover), and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama). Torres is even seen tied up, with Bishop right in front of him, and considering their history, it’s going to be an emotional reunion, no matter what happens.

Pictured (L-R): Emily Wickersham as Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop, Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer, Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines, and Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee Photo: Robert Voets/CBS

“I’m so excited to return to an old family that I love so much,” Wickersham told Entertainment Weekly. “Excited to return as Bishop, as the new Bishop, who’s gone off and lived a new life. Who’s come back with a bit more baggage and added complexity. It was really fun to be in a very familiar environment with very new dynamics. The episode is a bit of a love letter, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it!”

“Being on set with Emily has always felt like a great collaboration that makes it easy to create grounded and exciting opportunities for our characters,” added Valderrama. “I’m grateful we get to revisit the energy that is this duo. And without giving anything away about this awesome episode, Torres would say… ‘Bishop, you’ve got some explaining to do.’”

Fans will have to tune in on Tuesday, March 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+, to see what Bishop’s return is like. And what this means for the team moving forward.