Bad news, NCIS fans - it's been revealed that there is not going to be a holiday episode this year.
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The CBS show has made the somewhat unexpected decision not to feature a festive episode in its current season, and the same goes for spinoffs NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai'i. The sad news was announced by TV Line earlier this week, and fans wasted no time in making their disappointment known. "WHAT?? #NCIS having no Christmas episode, but...that is my favourite! The Grinch moved in when Gibbs left?" one disgruntled fan wrote on Twitter.
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Another echoed this, writing: "Oh no I love the Christmas themed episodes," and someone else simply said: "So sad," accompanied by a broken heart emoji.
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A fourth fan questioned: "Could this be because of covid, I wonder," as no reason has been given as to why the much-loved tradition has been scrapped.
The show usually airs a holiday-themed episode before it's midseason break
Since its launch in 2003, main series NCIS has aired over 15 Christmas-themed episodes, which have always gone down a treat with audiences. In fact, diehard fans often like to rewatch the old episodes during the holiday season to get them in the yuletide mood!
The post's caption left a lot of fans happy
The disappointing update comes after the show already upset fans over on Instagram by seemingly brushing over Mark Harmon's recent departure as the series lead. To drum up excitement for last week's episode of the naval drama, the official NCIS account posted a snap that showed McGee (Sean Murray) and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) chatting in the squad room with newcomers Parker (Gary Cole) and Knight (Katrina Law). However, the post didn't go down too well with fans. In fact, within minutes, the comment section became flooded with replies from followers who took issue with the caption, which read: "The gang's all here and READY for an all new episode of #NCIS."
"No, the gang is not all here. You are missing the leader that is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Stop retconning Gibbs' existence! BRING GIBBS BACK!" one upset fan wrote. Another echoed this, commenting: "I MISS GIBBS!"
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However, not all fans feel the same way and some left positive comments in response to the flurry of negative ones. "I'm loving this new team dynamic .....the new guys are fitting in well and the humour is back," someone wrote, while another added: "I miss Gibbs but I'm liking Parker more and more!"
Back in October, Gibbs actor Mark ended his 18-year run as the drama's lead, with his character deciding to retire from law enforcement. Gary Cole, who was introduced at the beginning of season 19 as former FBI agent Alden Parker, took over the reins as the Special Agent in charge of the team.
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