Who replaces Vance in NCIS? The director's chair is still empty — and the wrong man wants it
NCIS did the unthinkable in its 500th episode: it killed Director Leon Vance, ending Rocky Carroll's run after 18 seasons in the job. Vance died in season 23 after discovering that Army CID Director Wayne Rogers was co-running an arms smuggling ring — a murder Leroy Jethro Gibbs himself came back to avenge in an off-the-books mission with Alden Parker.
So who's running the agency now? Officially: nobody.
The short answer
As of the season 23 finale in May 2026, no permanent director has been named. The agency spent the back half of the season under a rotating series of interim directors who were never even shown on screen. Executive producer Steven D. Binder told TV Insider after the finale that there are no current plans to fill the seat permanently — a deliberate echo of the show's early years, when the director was a recurring presence rather than a series regular.
The wrong man circling the job
The finale, "Sons and Daughters," did introduce a frontrunner — and it 's the one fans didn't want. Gabriel LaRoche (Seamus Dever), the former deputy director who resurfaced as U.S. Associate Attorney General, spent the episode targeting Kayla Vance, the late director's daughter, over dirty money partially funding her Archive operation. He capped it off with a long, pointed look at Vance's empty chair during a conversation with Parker. Subtle, he is not.
The other candidates
- Timothy McGee — Sean Murray's senior agent has openly wanted to move up, and lost the deputy director job to LaRoche back in season 22. Winning the top seat would be the ultimate redemption arc.
- Alden Parker — Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Nick Torres, told TVLine his vote "was always this guy," while conceding Parker prefers the field.
- Tony DiNozzo — the wild card. Michael Weatherly is returning for a season-long arc in season 24, per TVLine and the show's own Instagram, and fans immediately started asking whether the prodigal agent could end up in the big office.
Why the show is in no hurry
Binder's explanation is really a tribute. Vance held the job for nearly two decades because of the actor playing him, he told TVLine:
"You almost retire the jersey with him," Binder said.
Brian Dietzen, who plays Jimmy Palmer, told the same outlet he'd prefer a familiar face after all the tumult — but admitted Binder has kept the cast completely in the dark.
So Season 24 arrives in fall 2026 with a dead director, an empty chair, and an attorney general staring at it.