The Absolute Best Episodes of 'NCIS' to Watch While the Show Is Off the Air

NCIS has aired so many incredible episodes throughout its 16 seasons. The CBS drama, which began in 2003, currently stars Mark Harmon, Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, and Emily Wickersham, but some of its most popular characters were played by Cote de Pablo, Michael Weatherly, and Pauley Perrette.

Though it seems impossible to narrow down a list of favorites from the 379 installments, there are a few storylines that stick out as the most memorable. Like Ziva’s exit, rumored death, and miraculous return, for example. Or when the group came face-to-face with some of the most notorious criminals ever seen (remember the Port-to-Port killer?). And don’t even get us started about DiNozzo’s and Abby's exits, lest you want to see us ugly cry for several minutes hours.

We still have a few months before season 17 premieres, so we suggest using this list of best NCIS episodes ever to hold you over until the time comes for Gibbs, McGee, and the rest of the team to liven up our Tuesday nights again. Warning: Once you start, you may find that you can’t stop until you binge-watch every minute.