‘NCIS’ Not on Tonight, CBS Airing ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Instead

Fans of NCIS will have to wait another week for a new episode. The CBS series, which typically airs on Tuesday night, was bumped from the schedule for this week as the network is celebrating the start of December by airing Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer at 8 p.m. ET.

The 18th season of NCIS will air its third episode next Tuesday, which will be called “Blood and Treasure.” According to the show’s page, the episode will see the team discovering two dead bodies that result in them delving into the world of modern-day treasure hunting. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, and Tobias Fornell will continue their search for the drug kingpin that they’ve been pursuing. The current season premiered on Nov. 17 after a six-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Viewers have been a little confused with the new season due to its time-jumps. The first few episodes did not pick up in the present day, instead going back in time before COVID-19 was a thing. The third episode will continue to air in the past after the trailer was released for it so fans. Ahead of the season premiere, executive producer Steven Binder, told TV Line about the time jump and how they went about filming this. “We try to write these in a way where even if you were not following the timeline per se, you still have an episode where there’s a case and a body,” he explained. “It’s all the things that people love about NCIS without having to be caught up with exactly where and when you are. Hopefully we’ve succeeded at that.”

In place of NCIS, the holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will aim at getting everyone in the holiday spirit with its first airing of the season. The stop-motion animated special premiered in 1964 but has remained a must-watch in households across the world. With its popularity, each year seems to bring with it another discovery in the classic.

Some of the recent things noticed by viewers include one questionable scene that sees one of the elves tossing the bird toy that doesn’t fly but instead swims off the side of the sled without the toy parachute, leaving many viewers to wonder whether or not this is a murder scene. Then there’s the issue of bullying that has become prevalent in the special as Rudolph becomes a victim of harsh criticisms from his peers and even Santa Clause. As for NCIS, the series will kick back up on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.