The NCIS pilot celebrates its 21st anniversary, and after all these years, I still think it is the best episode in the show. As one of the longest-running scripted shows on TV, NCIS is already an institution. It has birthed several spinoffs, including a new Leroy Jethro Gibbs prequel in NCIS: Origins, as well as Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo’s NCIS: Tony & Ziva on Paramount+. I know that other shows from the NCIS franchise have their own fans, but I personally prefer the flagship series, even after more than two decades on the air.

CBS’ hit franchise recently celebrated a milestone, with NCIS’ overall 1000th episode. The accolade includes outings from all other shows in the universe, but the celebratory offering was done via the mothership, considering that it has around 450 episodes from the bulk. As someone who has watched them, I admit that not all of them were created equally. That’s inevitable, however, considering the changes that NCIS faced over the years — from cast shuffling to behind-the-scenes personnel changes. Out of everything that NCIS has come out thus far, I still believe that its very first episode remains its best one.

NCIS’ Pilot Celebrates Its 21st Anniversary

“Yankee White” Was Released On September 2004

Ahead of NCIS season 22’s premiere in October 2024, the show is celebrating its 21st anniversary of the release of its premiere episode. Debuting on September 23, 2004, NCIS season 1, episode, “Yankee White,” properly debuted Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his Major Case Response Team based in Navy Yard. I was reminded of this milestone when NCIS’ official Instagram posted a carousel of stills from the said outing, making me realize that after all these years, I still think that it’s the best NCIS episode.

For those who don’t know, however, before “Yankee White,” Gibbs and the MCRT first made their on-screen appearance in JAG season 8 episodes 20 and 21, “Ice Queen” and “Meltdown.” While I acknowledge the existence of these stories, I still think that NCIS as we know it didn’t start until its actual proper premiere episode, primarily because it featured the official inaugural cast. Gibbs’ JAG team looked slightly different from what we eventually got in the main series because there was some cast shuffling that happened behind the scenes.

“Yankee White” Has All The Best Elements Of An NCIS Episode

It Represents What Makes NCIS So Successful After All These Years

NCIS has done many great episodes in over 20 years. That said, what I think sets “Yankee White” apart is the fact that it has all the best elements that make it the TV institution that it is today. For context, it features Gibbs and his only field agent then, Anthony DiNozzo Jr., responding to a mysterious death aboard Air Force One, which was part of an assassination plot against the president. The pair, with the help of then-Secret Agent Caitlin Todd, successfully apprehended the culprit just in time before he could execute his crime.

I argue that “Yankee White” is the best representation of NCIS. For starters, it features a great case. It is tense and keeps the viewers guessing until the end. Its stakes are also high, considering that it involves the safety of the president and the attack on Air Force One. Back then, it felt like NCIS was just a fringe government agency — something that other people made fun of. Since then, doing the work and not being credited for it has become its motto, and “Yankee White” establishes that when Gibbs allows FBI’s Tobias Fornell to handle the press.

Finally, and perhaps the most important aspect of NCIS’ premiere is how it handles its characters. As a pilot, there’s pressure on efficiently establishing its ensemble, and I knew right after watching the episode the quirks and signature traits of Gibbs’ inaugural team. The banter is also superb, a storytelling aspect that endures and arguably what makes watching NCIS so much more enjoyable even after hundreds of episodes.

NCIS’ 1000th Episode Paid Tribute To Its Pilot, Making It Better

“Yankee White’s” Case Was Properly Closed More Than 20 Years Later

It was already more than 20 years since “Yankee White,” and yet, it was still recently able to pay tribute to it. The case was revisited in NCIS’ 1000th episode when MCRT discovered that the new threat they were facing was the daughter of the suspect in the pilot named Leonard Riche. While there was no inaugural NCIS character that returned to help work the case, Fornell was around to provide the information about the Riche family. Apparently, after the events of “Yankee White,” the FBI’s investigation led them to discover Leonard’s manifesto, which was eventually found by Lindsey Riche.

Ideally, I would have wanted NCIS’ 1000th episode to bring back someone from the team that worked on the original Riche case. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible, with Gibbs retired, Abby Sciuto in London, Ducky Mallard and Todd dead, and DiNozzo just returning in the David McCallum tribute outing. Nonetheless, this retroactive way of adding to the story of “Yankee White” only further convinces me that it is indeed the best episode in the show.