The 25 essential “NCIS” episodes

Every NCIS fan remembers when they first watched iconic episodes like "Call of Silence" or "Twilight." Here's our ranked list of the police procedural show's most memorable installments.

Decades of service

With NCIS having hundreds of episodes to choose from, fans wanting to revisit earlier cycles of CBS's perennial hit may feel a bit daunted. But those same fans likely adhere to Gibbs' "Rules for Life," which means they know all about No. 28: When you need help, ask.

That's why EW is here with a guide to the 25 essential NCIS episodes. You'll find plenty of old favorites and new classics to revisit. And if you think the list is missing any of your faves, well, know that this writer also follows Gibbs' rules — particularly No. 6: Never say you're sorry.

"Yankee White" (Season 1, Episode 1)

Did Mark Harmon and his fresh-faced costars know their JAG spin-off would run for so long? The pilot episode introduces tough, taciturn Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Harmon), the former Marine sniper who recruits Secret Service agent Caitlin "Kate" Todd (Sasha Alexander) to join his NCIS team, which includes goofy/handsome film buff Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), goth lab queen Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), and dapper medical examiner Ducky Mallard (David McCallum). And thus, a TV dynasty was born.

"Call of Silence" (Season 2, Episode 7)

Many of NCIS's characters and story lines are deeply rooted in the military, and this season 2 standout marries the routines of a TV procedural with the show's reverence for the sacrifices made by the country's veterans. Charles Durning, a real-life Purple Heart recipient, will reduce you to tears as a WWII vet who turns himself in for committing a 60-year-old murder.

"SWAK" (Season 2, Episode 22)

DiNozzo contracts the plague, and Gibbs smacks the back of his head and orders him not to die. Behold, the birth of a legendary workplace dynamic.

"Twilight" (Season 2, Episode 23)

Better known as the Episode With That Thing That Happens to Kate, the season 2 finale delivered a surprise gut punch of an ending. The loss of one of the original members of the cast reverberates through future seasons and sets the precedent that, on NCIS, death can and will come for the characters you love.

"Kill Ari" Parts 1 and 2 (Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2)

This two-parter introduces two key NCIS players: Mossad officer (and malaprop-machine) Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) and NCIS Director (and former Gibbs paramour) Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly). It also delivers retribution for Kate's death by doing as the episode titles suggest and killing the terrorist who shot her. Ari Hawari (Rudolf Martin) also happens to be Ziva's half-brother because, as it turns out, the NCIS world is a small one.

"Bloodbath" (Season 3, episode 21)

When Abby's brush with death is linked to a stalker ex-boyfriend, the team digs into her personal life, and she ends up staying overnight with probie Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) for safekeeping. Even this early in its run, the show was adept at ramping up the work/family dynamic amid the bloodiest of crime scenes.

"Cover Story" (Season 4, Episode 20)

McGee has been keeping a big secret: He's a best-selling author, and the characters in his books are based on his larger-than-life co-workers. In true McGeek fashion, his pen name, Thom E. Gemcity, is an anagram of his own name. We'd expect nothing less nerdy.

"Angel of Death" (Season 4, Episode 24)

DiNozzo's girlfriend Jeanne Benoit (Scottie Thompson)? She's actually the daughter of arms dealer René "La Grenouille" Benoit (Armand Assante), the big bad of seasons 4 and 5. Yep, Tony fell for his mark. It's a love story that's bound to end in tragedy, even if it was DiNozzo's most emotionally vulnerable relationship to date.

"Requiem" (Season 5, Episode 7)

Gibbs isn't terribly forthcoming about his past, but this season 5 episode spills all kinds of details when he steps up to help a childhood friend of his daughter, Kelly (Brenna Radding), who was murdered along with his wife, Shannon (Darby Stanchfield). Not only do we learn more about Gibbs' personal tragedy, but the episode features a genuinely thrilling underwater rescue, courtesy of a heroic DiNozzo.

"Judgment Day" Parts 1 and 2 (Season 5, Episodes 18 and 19)

A gunfight in a desert diner proves fatal for Jenny, the latest of Gibbs' women to meet an untimely end. The two-part season 5 finale features an appearance by Gibbs' mentor Mike Franks (Muse Watson), and it installs Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) as the head of NCIS. Thankfully, the changes Vance instituted to flush out an NCIS mole — Ziva to Israel! McGee to cyber crimes! Tony to the middle of the ocean! — didn't stick.

"Heartland" (Season 6, Episode 4)

Two Gibbs backstory episodes on this list? You bet, especially when it unpacks his fraught history with his father, Jackson (Ralph Waite). And as a bonus, we see how he and Shannon met.

"Truth or Consequences" (Season 7, Episode 1)

Tiva hive, I see you. The attraction between Tony and Ziva simmered for seasons, and when she's imprisoned by terrorists in the season 6 finale, the new season opens with DiNozzo (along with McGee) getting himself captured in an effort to rescue her. Why? "Couldn't live without you."

"A Man Walks Into a Bar" (Season 8, Episode 14)

Kate's death looms large over this episode, which finds the team undergoing mandatory psychological evaluations. Yes, it's a clip show, but it features never-aired season 2 footage between Kate and Tony and concludes with the reveal that the psychologist conducting the interviews is Kate's sister, hoping to find closure for Kate's death.

"Devil's Triangle" (Season 9, Episode 7)

It didn't seem possible, but Gibbs' romantic history with redheaded women gets even more complicated in this outing, which introduces the ex-wife he shares with his FBI frenemy Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano). Diane (Melinda McGraw) asks her exes to help find her kidnapped current husband and confesses that, for her, Gibbs is the one who got away.

"Shabbat Shalom" (Season 10, Episode 11)

Director Vance, whose secret past as a boxer named Tyler Owens was introduced in season 6's "Knockout," is left a widower four seasons later when a shoot-out kills his wife (Paula Newsome). Also lost in the gunfire is Ziva's father, Eli (Michael Nouri), the director of Mossad. The episode sets up story lines that unravel over the rest of the season as Vance comes to terms with the upheaval in his once-stable home life and Ziva seeks revenge for Eli's death.

"Past, Present, Future" (Season 11, Episode 2)

Ziva says goodbye to the team (and the show), but not before Tony kisses her and confesses his love. Alas, it's not the happy ending shippers were after, and the show has struggled to find a fierce replacement who's capable of filling Ziva's shoes.

"Spinning Wheel" (Season 13, Episode 11)

While the season 18 Ducky-centric episode "Everything Starts Somewhere" is notable for the first meeting of young Ducky (Adam Campbell) and young Gibbs (Harmon's son Sean), "Spinning Wheel" puts viewers through the emotional wringer as we learn about Ducky's childhood and the loss of his half-brother.

"Loose Cannons" (Season 13, Episode 16)

This episode is all about the guest stars in the form of Tony's old flame Jeanne Benoit, now married but possibly still carrying a torch, and two newer additions to the show there to help Gibbs with his health. Dr. Cyril Taft (Jon Cryer), a surgeon, sees to his body, while Dr. Grace Confalone (Laura San Giacomo), a therapist, looks after his mind. They're welcome additions in all the future episodes when they pop up in to dispense wisdom and healing.

"Family First" (Season 13, Episode 24)

DiNozzo's farewell episodes is full of revelations: Ziva died (or so we think!) in a mortar attack, but she left behind a daughter Tony didn't know he'd fathered. Shocked and grieving, Tony hangs up his badge and gun and heads to Paris to become a full-time parent to Tali. This essentially puts a capper on the Tiva story line, although it's not the last we'll see of our favorite former Mossad agent.

"Keep Going" (Season 14, Episode 13)

NCIS's secret weapon Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) steps front and center in this season 14 episode that finds him talking a man with depression off the ledge — literally. Not only does Palmer's kindness-forward outlook save the day, but we learn that he finished med school and passed the ME test. This emotional, uplifting episode is a fan-favorite for a reason.

"She" (Season 16, Episode 13)

Ziva's alive! When NCIS agent Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) picks up the threads of an investigation Ziva had been deeply involved in, she learns that the legendary badass is among the living but committed to remaining in hiding — just like the feelings agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) harbors for her.

"The Arizona" (Season 17, Episode 20)

If you didn't weep at "The Arizona," you're made of sterner stuff than I. Christopher Lloyd plays a Pearl Harbor survivor who wants to be buried with his former shipmates in the wreckage of the USS Arizona, and his request leads Gibbs to confront the weight of his own military service.

"Great Wide Open" (Season 19, Episode 4)

"Great Wide Open" marks the end of an era for NCIS with the departure of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The big farewell episode finds Gibbs untangling a complicated case that takes him to Alaska. Fittingly, his final shared scene is with McGee, the character he'd spent the most onscreen time with by season 19. Despite fan fears, the show found new creative legs post-Gibbs, but Harmon still casts a long shadow.

"All Hands" (Season 19, Episode 11)

The big orange room needed a new leader, and Gary Cole's Alden Parker answered the call. Prior to this action-packed episode, we knew that Parker was a little more laid back and communicative than his predecessor (and that he loves to treat his team to pastries). But when he, Palmer, Torres, and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) walk into a trap in the middle of the ocean, Parker demonstrates his "baby steps" approach to saving the day — and cements the bonds with his new team.

"The Helpers" (Season 19, Episode 13)

NCIS celebrates the helpers in this tear-jerker episode that showcases the chemistry that developed among the ensemble.

As Palmer and forensic scientist Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) hurtle toward death after being exposed to a mystery toxin, we learn that Torres has helped newly widowed Palmer adjust to the demands of single parenting; Knight should be teaching self-defense courses; Parker's good with the positive reinforcements; and Kasie's wavering about signing another contract with NCIS. But McGee saves the day.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.