Per CBS Press Release:

CBS announced today a new contract extension for NCIS star and executive producer Mark Harmon, and that the U.S. and global ratings phenomenon NCIS has been renewed for the 2013-2014 season.

“In a world gone niche, NCIS keeps getting bigger, and Mark Harmon continues to define the role of leading man on the #1 show on television,” said Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation. “NCIS is the type of franchise every company wants in today’s global content ecosystem – high-quality storytelling that generates passionate viewers and drives revenue on every conceivable platform.”

Currently in its 10th season, NCIS continues to hit ratings milestones. This season, for the first time ever, it ranks as television’s #1 program (ahead of Sunday Night Football). NCIS is averaging 21.48 million viewers, up +7% over last year and is the highest-rated drama among adults 25-54 (5.9/15), while averaging 4.2/12 in adults 18-49. The series delivered its second-largest live plus same day audience on Jan. 15, averaging 22.86 million viewers. That total soared to 25.36 million viewers with L+3 day lift, marking the first NCIS broadcast to deliver more than 25 million viewers with live plus 3-day lift or live plus 7-day lift.

NCIS is also an international hit, licensed in more than 200 markets. It is the #1 series on M6 in France, the #1 U.S. series on Rai2 in Italy and the #2 U.S. series overall, the #1 U.S. series on TV3 in Sweden, the #2 U.S. series on LaSexta in Spain, the #2 U.S. drama on Network Ten in Australia and the #3 U.S. series on Sat1 in Germany.

In domestic syndication, NCIS is broadcast on USA Network and ranks as cable’s #1 off-network drama.

NCIS premiered on CBS in 2003-2004. Since its debut, NCIS’s ratings have steadily climbed, finishing 2008-2009 ranked fifth among all primetime programs. During the 2009-2010 season it became the #1 drama/scripted program on television, and has remained the #1 drama ever since.

NCIS stars Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette, Rocky Carroll, Brian Dietzen and David McCallum. Gary Glasberg, Chas. Floyd Johnson, Mark Horowitz, Mark Harmon, Shane Brennan, George Schenck, Frank Cardea and Donald P. Bellisario are executive producers for Belisarius Productions in association with CBS Television Studios.

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Per TV Line:

Color us not surprised: CBS has renewed NCIS for a 11th season after finalizing a new deal with leading man Mark Harmon, the network announced Friday.

“In a world gone niche, NCIS keeps getting bigger, and Mark Harmon continues to define the role of leading man on the No. 1 show on television,” said CBS President and CEO Les Moonves in a statement. “NCIS is the type of franchise every company wants in today’s global content ecosystem — high-quality storytelling that generates passionate viewers and drives revenue on every conceivable platform.”

CBS is said to be still in negotiations with Harmon’s co-star, Cote de Pablo, whose deal is also set to expire at season’s end. (The rest of the cast is locked in.)

Currently in its 10th season, NCIS ranks as TV’s most-watched drama series with an average audience of 21.48 million viewers.

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Since NCIS has been exploring Tony’s childhood and his relationship with his father, is there any shot we might meet any of Tony’s numerous step-mothers in the near future? – Burke
“I don’t have anything like that planned for the moment,” showrunner Gary Glasberg answers. “But that’s a good question. That might be fun. Maybe we’ll save that for Season 11!” (Look at him getting all assumptive-y about renewal. See what 22 million viewers will do to a guy?)

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Question: From your friends in Texas — got any Abby-related NCIS scoop? —Jackie
Ausiello: Abby’s debuting a provocative new look in the Feb. 5 episode — and we’ve got your exclusive first look at her extreme hair makeover (see photos, above and to the right). What’s the 411 on her crazy ‘do? According to an NCIS insider, Abby reveals that she recently came upon her Grandpa Sciuto’s homemade pomade recipe. And I think you can figure out what happened next.

Question: Beggars can’t be choosers, nor can they be picky. So I’ll take anything NCIS-related you have. — Marilyn
Ausiello: Actually, I happen to have a killer spoiler for you – a serial killer spoiler, to be exact. In an upcoming episode, your favorite agents team up with D.C. Metro to bring down a mass murderer. But the partnership will be almost as tough to manage as the case will be to close – especially for the lead detective, who is very “one for all, all for one” until he thinks the feds have backstabbed him. (Oh, and check back soon: You’re gonna wanna know who the show casts as both the detective and his sidekick, a forensic scientist – both characters could recur.)

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Next Tuesday on CBS’ NCIS, a case in the present will evoke troubling memories of Abby’s past — and TVLine has a first look for the sure-to-be-emotional hour.

Setting the stage for the flashbacks is a car accident involving a Marine, a death that reminds the lab wizard (played by Pauley Perrette) of the first “case” she ever worked, as a preteen (Brighton Sharbino).

But as seen in this promo, the resurfaced memories will rock Abby to her core, to the point that Gibbs must take notice that she is no longer bringing her “A game.”

Show boss Gary Glasberg told TVLine the episode will answer such questions as “When did Abby first start develop an interest in forensics? And in people? In bodies, and in clues, things like that?” All told, he promised “lots of great little prizes” for longtime viewers.

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Fans of NCIS might have to wait until Jan. 29 for a new episode, but EW won’t make you wait for your first peek at the Abby-centric hour, titled “Hit and Run.”

In the episode, a case comes in to NCIS that “strikes a chord” with Abby (Pauley Perrette), according to executive producer Gary Glasberg, and it “gets her thinking about a situation from her past and gets her questioning some things about who she is and why she’s there and what she does.”

“We’ve done origin stories before — as you know — and it’s always been fun to look back,” Glasberg says. “With Abby specifically, I started to wonder if it might be more interesting to look back — not so much as when she joined NCIS — but when she became interested in forensics and solving puzzles. In my mind, that goes back to her as a child, and the idea of seeing Abby Sciuto as a child intrigued everybody. [We wanted to do] it in this almost To Kill a Mockingbird manner and [figure] out how we could flash back to see when those seeds were planted of who Abby would become.” (See another photo below.)

Glasberg says “Hit and Run” will likely not be the last juicy origin story NCIS delivers. “I’m always interested in getting to know these people and getting to know where they come from and what made them who they are,” he says. “And after 10 seasons, to still have the opportunity to scratch away at that is a gift. We’re having fun with it.”

Fans are also presumably having fun. In the ratings race, NCIS is second to none — even Idol. In fact, this week’s episode, which aired Tuesday, was the decade-old show’s second-highest rated hour ever.

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Any word on who might be playing McGee’s father on NCIS? That episode has been mentioned taking place in February. — Jeannie
There’s no casting news yet, and here’s why. “That episode is definitely happening — we are working on the script right now — but we pushed it to a bit later,” show boss Gary Glasberg told me just the other day. “It will probably happen in the spring, and it will be part of what leads us into our final arc.”

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When NCIS goes for an emotional gut-punch, it always hits hard.

In last week’s episode, the veteran CBS drama walloped its audience with not one, but two deaths, as a shooting spree at the home of Director Vance (Rocky Carroll) took the lives of both Ziva’s father Eli (Michael Nouri) and Vance’s wife Jackie (Paula Newsome).

“I just couldn’t help myself,” executive producer Gary Glasberg tells TVGuide.com of the body count. “This is a story line that we’ve actually been thinking about for a long time — all the way back to last spring. I pulled Rocky Carroll aside and told him I was thinking of this scenario, and we really talked it through. We talked about the doors it would open for his character and things that this character would have to face as a single dad and as a widower. It all seemed exciting. It was new material and a new direction for Vance.”

Indeed, Tuesday’s episode will introduce guest star Greg Germann as Deputy Director Jerome Craig, who will assist Vance during this difficult time. “[Vance] is clearly going to need some time to be there for his family,” says Glasberg, who notes that viewers won’t necessarily see less of him. “It’s just a matter of balancing work with personal life. You might see a different Director Vance while he’s trying to figure out the personal stuff. Gibbs [Mark Harmon] steps up and everyone steps up on the work side.”

Meanwhile, Ziva (Cote de Pablo) and the rest of the team will remain focused on figuring out who was behind the shooting. “There’s a real sort of clue trail that unfolds specific to Ziva and her world as to who’s responsible,” Glasberg says. “Ziva certainly has to deal with the loss and the tumultuous familial background that she has.”

In true NCIS fashion, however, the shooting may not be completely solved for a while. “We plant some seeds and throw some things out there,” Glasberg says. “There will be some answers, but there won’t be answers for everything. Some elements will resurface again four or five episodes from now and potentially steer us towards part of what the finale will be. Everything will sort of come together and drive us toward the end of the season.”

Given how things were between Ziva and her father before his death, Glasberg says that Ziva will carry a certain amount of guilt, but she won’t be overcome by it. “Even with the complexity of what existed between Ziva and Eli, at the end of the day, he was her father and she loved him,” he says. “There are good memories that go with the bad. … It absolutely weighs on her. When anyone loses someone, you think about what they meant to you and what part of them you continue to carry. I think those are questions she will continue to seek and look for answers to as she moves forward.”

Glasberg promises that the show won’t get bogged down in the heavier emotional issues. “Part of the beauty of NCIS is we can tackle a couple of story lines like this and in the matter of a few episodes, get back to a more traditional storytelling that has the lighter moments,” he says. “People can still find humor even though they’re going through a difficult time. They can still smile and they can still laugh, and that’s what these characters manage to do.”

But there could be some completely different emotional scenes between a grieving Ziva and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly). “He’s there as a friend and as a coworker, and you’ll really see Tony be there for her and support her and emotionally be strong for her,” Glasberg says. “It’s all the things I hope that people who enjoy the Tony-Ziva relationship will look for. There’s some really, really nice scenes between [them].”

As for “the moment” Tony and Ziva fans really want to see? “Not only will you see [Tony’s] apartment again, but Ziva David will be in that apartment,” Glasberg teases. “There are some very touching, emotional scenes that will happen between them in that apartment.”

What did you think of NCIS’ double-death twist? What do you hope happens next?

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CBS’ NCIS blindsided fans with a double-whammy last week, capping an already tense hour with an abrupt machine-gun assault on the Vance home, where Eli and Ziva David were guests for dinner. When the dust settled, two lives were lost – Ziva’s father, and Vance’s wife Jackie. As Gibbs’ team readies to mourn the dead in this Tuesday’s “Shiva” (airing at 8/7c), showrunner Gary Glasberg shared a look at the devastating aftermath for two of NCIS’ finest.

TVLINE | When did you first give Paula Newsome (who plays Jackie) and Michael Nouri (Eli) a heads-up on what you had planned?
You know, this is something that we’ve been talking about for a long time. I started to toy around with this idea back last spring. I pulled Rocky Carroll (Vance) aside and I told him what I was thinking, that strictly from the Vance perspective, I really wanted to do something that would open up his world a bit, because Vance’s family life has been very grounded and very positive.

TVLINE | Yeah, it’s always been a rock for him.
And there’s nothing wrong with that, but this is a huge change for him, to suddenly be a single dad, to be a widower, to carry the responsibility of his family and NCIS on his shoulders. It opened a lot of doors. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. The same goes with Cote [de Pablo]. We talked about years of storylines with Eli David and where their relationship is, and how this would in theory change [Ziva]. Both Michael Nouri and Paula were of course upset by the direction that we chose, but they were total pros and they wanted to give it everything they could. I am really pleased with the way it came out.

TVLINE | You said you’ve been thinking about this for a while — but was it only until more recently that both deaths landed in the same episode?
Well, it was sort of the beginning of the season when we started to plot where this would fall. Chris Waild, who wrote the episode, and I talked about what we wanted to do, but part of it, too, is I’ve been intrigued by the idea of civilian loss happening during a professional situation. That’s real to me. We see it the news, and it’s awful how there are tragedies that come up, and in this instance Jackie Vance is very much a victim of something that she had no control over. So, it felt organic and natural to us to do what we did.

TVLINE | At first blush, is losing Jackie going to make Vance harder, or softer? Or wounded?
Absolutely wounded. And in some way, it sort of sticks to the thematic stuff that I was trying to do at the beginning of the season. You know we had this theme of sort of fallen heroes? Pulling the rug out from under Vance puts him in that category.

TVLINE | Our readers had been worried — ever since I reported on the casting of Greg Germann as the NCIS Deputy Director — what it might say about the story ahead for Vance.
In the real world these characters sort of back each other up and work together. I realized in talking to the real director of NCIS that the Deputy Director in the real world plays a big part, and we’ve actually never, in all of our 10 seasons, introduced the Deputy Director. So, I just thought it would be the right time.

TVLINE | And what kind of an arc is Ziva on the cusp of?
Ziva clearly had her differences with her father, but he was still her father, and there’s a part of her that’s wounded and broken, and Tony is there for her. He is there for her as a friend and a co-worker, and he plays a big part in the episode that airs on Tuesday. That will continue all the way through the rest of the season.

TVLINE | Do Michael [Weatherly] and Cote get some meaty scenes on Tuesday?
They do. They have some really meaty scenes on Tuesday, and I will say that we end up back in Tony’s apartment and there is some really lovely, emotional stuff that happens between the two of them there.

TVLINE | Professionally, are there any longer-term ramifications for Ziva? Like, is she going to start reconsidering her choices, or…?
I don’t know about reconsidering choices, but Ziva certainly wants to get to the bottom of what happened here and who is responsible — and I will tell you that not all the answers will be there at the end of [the episode].

TVLINE | In rooting out who’s responsible, is she going to be like a dog with a bone?
Yes. And the one thing that I will say is in the beginning, you can have some very serious episodes like we have here. And then, just as in real life, people still see the lighter sides of things, and people have to laugh. So there will be moments that are lighter, there will be storylines that are lighter, but you continue to carry things with you and think about things. That will be the case here as well.

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Do you have any scoop on NCIS‘ two-part January episodes about Ziva? –Marla
Only that Eli David is Rick Castle’s father! No, I kid. (Too much eggnog.) When I said to showrunner Gary Glasberg that Eli’s appearances seldom bring good tidings, he countered, “You might be surprised. There are a lot of layers to what we’re going to try do this time around, and Michael Nouri was totally willing and had fun with it. I think people are going to be excited by what they see.” He also clarified that the Ziva twists I’ve been telling you about does not coincide with Eli’s latest encore. “He definitely plays a part in it, but the Ziva stuff will continue all the way through the season.”

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