NCIS season 23’s crossover with NCIS: Origins season 2 manages to juggle major plotlines while unexpectedly resolving a loose thread from 12 years ago.

After a sluggish year, CBS seems intent on re-energizing its flagship procedural for the 2025–2026 TV season. Though NCIS is still a strong ratings performer, it has slipped in the network’s hierarchy-something its recent run of solid episodes is aiming to reverse.

The crossover event delivers on nostalgia, bringing Mark Harmon back as Older Gibbs in Origins and featuring several familiar faces. Muse Watson briefly returns as Old Mike Franks, but Roma Maffia’s comeback as Vera Strickland takes center stage. Vera’s return finally addresses an unfinished storyline dating back to season 11.

Vera Finally Gets to Finish What She Started

Introduced in season 11 as Ziva’s temporary replacement, Vera was close to retirement and only filling out her final service time. She had a history with Franks, having been his last partner, but her time with Gibbs’ team was cut short when she sprained her ankle during a case with Tony DiNozzo. The crossover revisits her dynamic with McGee and gives Vera the chance to remain on a case from start to finish-helping Parker’s team resolve the decades-old Serenity investigation she originally worked on with NIS.

Could Older Vera Return Again?

While Diany Rodriguez continues playing the younger version of Vera in NCIS: Origins, the future of Roma Maffia’s modern-day Vera is less certain. Her scenes hint at a possible ongoing relationship with the MCRT-especially given her flirtatious banter with Parker. Though she insists she isn’t returning to active duty, Vera admits that retirement has become dull. This leaves the door open for her to serve as a bridge between present-day NCIS and the events unfolding in Origins, especially with Gibbs still off in Alaska and unlikely to return anytime soon.