# NCIS season 10

The tenth season of NCIS an American police procedural drama series originally aired on CBS from September 25, 2012, through May 14, 2013. The season was produced by Belisarius Productions and CBS Television Studios.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, NCIS Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) of the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) assigned to Washington's Navy Yard
* Michael Weatherly as Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS Senior Special Agent, Second in Command of MCRT
* Cote de Pablo as Ziva David, NCIS Special Agent
* Pauley Perrette as Abby Sciuto, Forensic Specialist for NCIS
* Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, NCIS Special Agent
* Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer, Assistant Medical Examiner for NCIS
* Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance, NCIS Director
* David McCallum as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, Chief Medical Examiner for NCIS

### Recurring

* Alan Dale as Thomas Morrow, Homeland Security Section Chief and former NCIS Director
* Joe Spano as Tobias Fornell, FBI Senior Special Agent
* Joel Gretsch as Stan Burley, NCIS Special Agent Afloat on the USS Borealis and former member of Gibbs' team
* Michael Nouri as Eli David, Mossad Director and Ziva's father
* Ralph Waite as Jackson Gibbs, Gibbs' father
* Paula Newsome as Jackie Vance, Leon Vance's wife
* Robert Wagner as Anthony DiNozzo, Sr., Tony's father
* Diane Neal as Abigail Borin, CGIS Special Agent in Charge
* Matt Craven as Clayton Jarvis, Secretary of the Navy
* Akinsola Aribo as Jared Vance, Leon Vance's son
* Kiara Muhammad as Kayla Vance, Leon Vance's daughter
* Daniel Louis Rivas as Kyle Davis, Abby's brother
* Melinda McGraw as Diane Sterling, Gibbs' and Fornell's ex-wife
* Matt L. Jones as Ned Dorneget, NCIS Special Agent
* Richard Schiff as Harper Dearing, NCIS target
* Gabi Coccio as young Ziva David
* Greg Germann as Jerome Craig, NCIS Assistant Director
* Oded Fehr as Ilan Bodnar, NCIS target
* Marina Sirtis as Orli Elbaz, new Mossad Director
* Damon Dayoub as Adam Eshel, Ziva's contact
* Colin Hanks as Richard Parsons, DoD Inspector

### Guests

* Muse Watson as Mike Franks, deceased retired Senior Special Agent for NCIS and Gibbs' former boss
* John M. Jackson as A. J. Chegwidden, lawyer, and former Judge Advocate General
* Jamey Sheridan as Admiral John McGee, McGee's father

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 211 | 1 | "Extreme Prejudice" | Tony Wharmby | Gary Glasberg | September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25) | 925 | 20.48 |
| NCIS and the FBI hunt down Harper Dearing after being ordered by the President to "terminate him with extreme prejudice" while the team struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of the Navy Yard bombing. ||||||||
| 212 | 2 | "Recovery" | Dennis Smith | Scott Williams | October 2, 2012 (2012-10-02) | 926 | 18.87 |
| When the body of an NCIS worker is found months after the bombing, the team tries to determine her role in the attack. ||||||||
| 213 | 3 | "Phoenix" | Terrence O'Hara | Steven D. Binder | October 9, 2012 (2012-10-09) | 927 | 18.51 |
| Whilst on medical leave Ducky begins to have doubts about a case he worked on twelve years previously. After exhuming the body, a link is found with the current case the team are working on, leading Gibbs to place Ducky on point under rule #38. ||||||||
| 214 | 4 | "Lost at Sea" | Tony Wharmby | Christopher J. Waild | October 23, 2012 (2012-10-23) | 928 | 17.78 |
| When the crew of a helicopter that crashed at sea washes ashore four days after it went down, NCIS are given the task of investigating what happened and, more importantly, why CGIS agent Abigail Borin is also investigating the crash. ||||||||
| 215 | 5 | "The Namesake" | Arvin Brown | George Schenck & Frank Cardea | October 30, 2012 (2012-10-30) | 1001 | 18.83 |
| The violent shooting of a petty officer leads the team to a Medal of Honor recipient who is also the best friend of Gibbs' father. ||||||||
| 216 | 6 | "Shell Shock (Part I)" | Leslie Libman | Nicole Mirante-Matthews | November 13, 2012 (2012-11-13) | 1002 | 17.05 |
| In the first part of a two-part story, a Marine is murdered in a brutal gang bashing and Gibbs must reach out to the only witness, a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. ||||||||
| 217 | 7 | "Shell Shock (Part II)" | Thomas J. Wright | Gina Lucita Monreal | November 20, 2012 (2012-11-20) | 1003 | 16.47 |
| Concluding the two-part story, Gibbs makes it his personal mission to help a Marine suffering post-traumatic stress disorder to catch a domestic terrorist while the rest of the team race against the clock to find out who the target is. ||||||||
| 218 | 8 | "Gone" | James Whitmore Jr. | Teleplay by : Scott Williams Story by : Reed Steiner | November 27, 2012 (2012-11-27) | 1004 | 19.76 |
| The team works to find a missing girl, after a Naval officer is murdered with his daughter, the friend of the missing teenager, as a witness; Ziva takes in the young girl as her mother is overseas. ||||||||
| 219 | 9 | "Devil's Trifecta" | Arvin Brown | Steven D. Binder | December 11, 2012 (2012-12-11) | 1005 | 17.65 |
| Diane, the ex-wife of Gibbs and Fornell, returns in the middle of an NCIS investigation. ||||||||
| 220 | 10 | "You Better Watch Out" | Tony Wharmby | George Schenck & Frank Cardea | December 18, 2012 (2012-12-18) | 1006 | 19.59 |
| The NCIS team investigates the murder of a man found dead at Patuxent River Station by his wife. After discovering the man had a $100 bill that has not been put in circulation yet, they team up with the Secret Service to find the rest of the money. Meanwhile, Tony's father, Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. comes to stay with Tony for Christmas, causing some friction between the two, and tries to get him into the spirit of Christmas when he notices that Tony does not have a Christmas tree. Tony gets irritated with his father trying to force things by making up for so many missed Christmases in one go, but eventually kicks him out after catching him in bed with a neighbor. Tony and his dad eventually reunite for NCIS' annual tradition of watching It's a Wonderful Life. ||||||||
| 221 | 11 | "Shabbat Shalom" | Dennis Smith | Christopher J. Waild | January 8, 2013 (2013-01-08) | 1007 | 21.11 |
| In the first half of a two-part story, a man dressed in a petty officer's uniform is found dead in a lake while Ziva's father Eli is in Washington on a risky mission to bring peace to the Middle East. ||||||||
| 222 | 12 | "Shiva" | Arvin Brown | Teleplay by : Scott Williams Story by : Christopher J. Waild & Gary Glasberg | January 15, 2013 (2013-01-15) | 1008 | 22.86 |
| In the conclusion to this two-part story, MCRT search for answers to the killing of Eli David and Jackie Vance by a rogue Mossad operative. ||||||||
| 223 | 13 | "Hit and Run" | Dennis Smith | Teleplay by : Gina Lucita Monreal Story by : Gary Glasberg & Gina Lucita Monreal | January 29, 2013 (2013-01-29) | 1009 | 22.07 |
| The team investigates a car crash where a Marine and a woman are found dead, which makes Abby remembers her "first case". ||||||||
| 224 | 14 | "Canary" | Terrence O'Hara | Christopher J. Waild | February 5, 2013 (2013-02-05) | 1010 | 21.79 |
| When NCIS capture one of the nation's most-wanted cyberterrorists, they find he is involved in a plot on a much greater scale than they had anticipated. ||||||||
| 225 | 15 | "Hereafter" | Tony Wharmby | Nicole Mirante-Matthews | February 19, 2013 (2013-02-19) | 1011 | 21.08 |
| A Marine is found dead at a navy base, and the investigation leads Gibbs and his team to an illegal fight club. Vance discovers his late wife had a secret safety deposit box. ||||||||
| 226 | 16 | "Detour" | Mario Van Peebles | Steven D. Binder | February 26, 2013 (2013-02-26) | 1012 | 20.69 |
| The team launches a search and rescue operation when Ducky and Palmer are kidnapped on the way back to NCIS headquarters. ||||||||
| 227 | 17 | "Prime Suspect" | James Whitmore Jr. | George Schenck & Frank Cardea | March 5, 2013 (2013-03-05) | 1013 | 20.81 |
| Gibbs tries to help clear his barber's son's name after the barber suspects his son may be a murderer. Meanwhile, Tony takes Probationary Agent Ned Dorneget on his first undercover assignment. ||||||||
| 228 | 18 | "Seek" | Michael Weatherly | Scott Williams | March 19, 2013 (2013-03-19) | 1014 | 19.79 |
| A widowed Marine wife, whose husband was seemingly killed by a Taliban sniper, asks for Gibbs' help to find out the truth. Meanwhile, Vance conducts interviews for a nanny. ||||||||
| 229 | 19 | "Squall" | Thomas J. Wright | Bill Nuss | March 26, 2013 (2013-03-26) | 1015 | 18.62 |
| The team investigates the death of a navy medical officer aboard a ship that went through a storm. The prime suspect turns out to be a four-star admiral, who is also McGee's estranged father. ||||||||
| 230 | 20 | "Chasing Ghosts" | Arvin Brown | Nicole Mirante-Matthews | April 9, 2013 (2013-04-09) | 1016 | 17.22 |
| While the team takes a missing persons case, Tony is disturbed by Ziva's way of coping with her father's death. ||||||||
| 231 | 21 | "Berlin" | Terrence O'Hara | Scott Williams & Gina Lucita Monreal | April 23, 2013 (2013-04-23) | 1017 | 17.33 |
| Tony puts Ziva before his duties as an agent as she pursues Ilan Bodnar to Germany. However, upon returning to the U.S. Tony and Ziva are left injured in a car accident. ||||||||
| 232 | 22 | "Revenge" | James Whitmore Jr. | George Schenck & Frank Cardea | April 30, 2013 (2013-04-30) | 1018 | 18.29 |
| Gibbs defies a direct order from the Department of Defense as the entire NCIS team joins in the search for Bodnar. Ziva, hurt from the car accident, finally has the opportunity to confront Bodnar, and takes revenge for her father's death by killing him. ||||||||
| 233 | 23 | "Double Blind" | Dennis Smith | Christopher J. Waild & Steven D. Binder | May 7, 2013 (2013-05-07) | 1019 | 17.56 |
| NCIS is subject to an investigation from the Department of Defense, questioning their response to the deaths of Eli David and Jackie Vance. Gibbs is accused of concealing evidence and the obstruction of justice. ||||||||
| 234 | 24 | "Damned If You Do" | Tony Wharmby | Gary Glasberg | May 14, 2013 (2013-05-14) | 1020 | 18.79 |
| In the aftermath of Gibbs' arrest, the Department of Defense broadens its investigation into NCIS, placing the future of the entire agency in jeopardy. While the team believe that the investigating agent is looking to capitalise on Gibbs' arrest to make his career, they soon discover that NCIS' pursuit of Ilan Bodnar was used to cover up the CIA's involvement in the assassination of a foreign intelligence head. Instead of letting Gibbs take all the blame for the charges, Tony, Ziva, and McGee take responsibility for what happened and resign. The episode ends with a cut to four months later, showing Gibbs aiming a sniper rifle at FBI agent Fornell. The scene fades to black, where the sound of a gunshot is then heard. ||||||||

## Production
### Development

NCIS was renewed for a tenth season on March 14, 2012. NCIS was renewed for an eleventh season on February 1, 2013.

### Casting

In June 2012, Entertainment Weekly reported that Brian Dietzen had been promoted to a series regular for this season. John M. Jackson will reprise his role as A.J. Chegwidden in the season finale of NCIS.

## Broadcast

Season ten of NCIS premiered on September 25, 2012 on CBS.

## Reception

On January 15, 2013, the episode "Shiva" delivered the biggest audience ever so far for an NCIS episode. 22.86 million people watched the episode, which surpassed the season eight episode "Freedom" by 10,000 viewers.
Season ten of NCIS also got to deliver its first place ratings achievement for the 2012–13 United States network television season. NCIS beat out NBC's Sunday Night Football to become the overall most watched program nationally.

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of NCIS season 10 :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Extreme Prejudice" | September 25, 2012 | 4.1/12 | 20.48 | 1.2 | 3.65 | 5.3 | 24.13 |
| 2 | "Recovery" | October 2, 2012 | 3.7/11 | 18.87 | 1.2 | 3.69 | 4.9 | 22.56 |
| 3 | "Phoenix" | October 9, 2012 | 3.4/10 | 18.51 | 1.2 | 3.75 | 4.6 | 22.26 |
| 4 | "Lost at Sea" | October 23, 2012 | 3.2/9 | 17.78 | 1.2 | 3.53 | 4.4 | 21.31 |
| 5 | "The Namesake" | October 30, 2012 | 3.4/9 | 18.83 | 0.9 | 3.06 | 4.3 | 21.89 |
| 6 | "Shell Shock (Part I)" | November 13, 2012 | 3.1/9 | 17.05 | — | 3.25 | — | 20.30 |
| 7 | "Shell Shock (Part II)" | November 20, 2012 | 3.0/9 | 16.47 | 1.0 | 3.30 | 4.0 | 19.77 |
| 8 | "Gone" | November 27, 2012 | 3.6/10 | 19.76 | 0.9 | 3.13 | 4.5 | 22.89 |
| 9 | "Devil's Trifecta" | December 11, 2012 | 2.8/8 | 17.65 | 1.2 | 3.55 | 4.0 | 21.20 |
| 10 | "You Better Watch Out" | December 18, 2012 | 3.3/10 | 19.59 | 1.0 | 3.07 | 4.3 | 22.66 |
| 11 | "Shabbat Shalom" | January 8, 2013 | 3.5/10 | 21.11 | 1.2 | 3.79 | 4.7 | 24.90 |
| 12 | "Shiva" | January 15, 2013 | 3.9/11 | 22.86 | 1.0 | 3.22 | 4.9 | 26.08 |
| 13 | "Hit and Run" | January 29, 2013 | 3.8/10 | 22.07 | 1.0 | 3.48 | 4.8 | 25.55 |
| 14 | "Canary" | February 5, 2013 | 3.7/11 | 21.79 | 1.0 | 3.28 | 4.7 | 25.07 |
| 15 | "Hereafter" | February 19, 2013 | 3.5/10 | 21.08 | 1.1 | 3.24 | 4.6 | 24.32 |
| 16 | "Detour" | February 26, 2013 | 3.4/10 | 20.69 | 1.2 | 3.21 | 4.6 | 23.90 |
| 17 | "Prime Suspect" | March 5, 2013 | 3.4/10 | 20.81 | 1.1 | 3.36 | 4.5 | 24.17 |
| 18 | "Seek" | March 19, 2013 | 3.2/10 | 19.79 | 1.2 | 3.68 | 4.4 | 23.47 |
| 19 | "Squall" | March 26, 2013 | 3.2/9 | 18.62 | 1.0 | 3.46 | 4.2 | 22.08 |
| 20 | "Chasing Ghosts" | April 9, 2013 | 2.7/8 | 17.22 | 1.1 | 3.52 | 3.8 | 20.74 |
| 21 | "Berlin" | April 23, 2013 | 2.8/8 | 17.33 | 1.1 | 3.80 | 3.9 | 21.13 |
| 22 | "Revenge" | April 30, 2013 | 3.1/10 | 18.29 | 0.9 | 3.40 | 4.0 | 21.69 |
| 23 | "Double Blind" | May 7, 2013 | 3.1/10 | 17.56 | 1.0 | 3.29 | 4.1 | 20.85 |
| 24 | "Damned If You Do" | May 14, 2013 | 3.4/10 | 18.79 | 1.1 | 3.44 | 4.5 | 22.23 |