Coming off of what showrunner Gary Glasberg has called a “tumultuous” Season 11 — during which two casting changes took place, the seeds were planted for a New Orleans spin-off and the passing of Ralph Waite was written in — CBS’ NCIS is back in “classic” form, Sean Murray tells TVLine.

The Season 12 opener (airing Tuesday at 8/7c) thrusts Murray’s McGee into a Russian hot zone with boss man Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon), paving the way for the introduction of a new adversary. Here, Murray previews all that and more.

TVLINE | Where do things pick up when the season opens up on Tuesday night? Are McGee and Gibbs already in the thick of things?
There’s an Internet technician, an IT guy, who’s in Russia and is supposed to be delivering the body of his dead uncle back to the States. Gibbs is sent to go ahead and escort him, and he picks McGee to go along with him. And then it all happens pretty quickly. Right from the get-go they’re in Russia and in a helicopter.

TVLINE | And then things go sideways?
[Laughs] And things go sideways, yes.

TVLINE | At least looking at the previews alone it looks like quite the fun two-hander for you and Mark.NCIS Season 12 McGee Gibbs
It was. And Mark and I had a really good time doing it. I mean, we had long hours, it was a lot of outside, night, exterior nights, and forests…. But it was a good episode. We wanted to kind of connect, to show the relationship between McGee and Gibbs a little bit more, and McGee kind of in a little bit of a more mature light, if you know what I mean.

TVLINE | Because when around Tony, there’s the temptation to goof around.
Exactly.

TVLINE | How would you say the McGee-Gibbs dynamic has evolved over all these years?
Well, I think Gibbs has a lot of trust in McGee and allows him to take part in a number of things that the old McGee would never be allowed to do. He has run interrogations and has taken the lead on a number of investigations, and just has more to give. Gibbs is almost a father figure to us, and we’re all like his children in a way, so I think that the bond between them has sort of tightened as McGee has “grown up.” There’s been a lot of character progression, especially from the early years. I mean, if you see some of the old episodes, McGee is a different guy.

TVLINE | All told, what is your favorite relationship to play on the show?
Hmm. That’s a tough one, because it’s totally different with everyone. In Abby’s lab, McGee is a lot more kind of loosey-goosey and relaxed NCIS Season 12than he is reporting in the squad room. I really like the McGee/Tony relationship a lot; it’s one of my favorite things on the show. Bantering with Michael [Weatherly], he can be very inventive, with lots of ad-libbing, and I appreciate that. It makes for good reactions, and sometimes you get some fairly good moments out of that.

TVLINE | I know Gary Glasberg was really excited about bringing on Alex Veadov as this season’s adversary. How would you describe this recurring Big Bad?
Oh, he’s a good one. I actually just saw the [premiere] for the first time yesterday — we were kind of separated while we were shooting, so I didn’t have a lot of scenes with him — but yeah, he’s a tremendously nice guy, and when I saw the episode I thought he was just perfect. He talks very kind of low and has a real foreboding presence…. I think we got a good one.

TVLINE | Gary also has talked about how last season had to serve many different masters, and he wanted to really get back to the “classic” NCIS formula with 12. Is that something you’re seeing in the early episodes?
Definitely. We’re sort of doing the more classic, serialized version of NCIS, whereas last year we had a lot of things to sort of address with Ziva leaving and the entrance of the Bishop character. There was a lot going on last year.

TVLINE | What is the state of the McGee-Delilah union? I have to imagine she’s worried about him over there in Russia. Does she get mentioned?
I believe she does get mentioned — if not the premiere, in the second episode. But there’s plenty of talk about Delilah (played by Margo Harshman), and I think we are going to see her at some point this year. That relationship will continue, as far as I know.

TVLINE | What kind of surprises does the Ducky flashback episode (airing Oct. 7) have for us? Anything that made you go, “Wow, I didn’t expect that”?
Well, just that “going to England” in the ‘60s with these flashbacks was really fun. The team and everyone in production worked really hard on trying to make it authentic, and Adam Campbell (Mixology) as a twentysomething Ducky is just perfect. He did such a great job, not mimicking but sort of showing us Ducky as a young guy, and it works. He looks a lot like him, he sounds like him…..

TVLINE | I can almost hear, like, Austin Powers music playing in the background as you describe the episode.
[Laughs] Exactly. That’s something that was fun, to read and see happen.

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I’m excited for NCIS: New Orleans. Will any of the NCIS cast members be making regular appearances? — Nathan
Because Gibbs and Scott Bakula’s Pride go way back, creator Gary Glasberg says you’ll be seeing much more crossover between the shows than you did between the mother ship and NCIS: Los Angeles. In fact, Ducky pops up in New Orleans in the premiere! Later in the season, Agent Fornell (Joe Spano) also makes a visit to New Orleans to investigate a kidnapping, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Gibbs didn’t make a return to the Big Easy by November sweeps.

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Question: In what episode of NCIS Season 12 will Jim Beaver be guest-starring? —JP
Ausiello: Though we don’t have the episode number, we do have a title — “The San Dominick.” And Matt Mitovich has learned that it’s the same episode that brings back fan fave Diane Neal as CGIS Agent Borin. The plot: During a joint NCIS/Coast Guard training exercise, Gibbs and Borin find a body floating in the water. Once it’s determined that the deceased was a crew member aboard a ship run by a Captain Tom O’Rourke (Supernatural alum Beaver’s role), the two decide to pay a visit to the vessel some 60 nautical miles away, to further investigate the “man overboard” situation.

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I would love any NCIS spoilers you might have. — Laura
It’s been a while since we checked in with SecNav Sarah Porter, no? Fear not: Leslie Hope will reprise her role in an episode slated to air in mid-October (the same episode that will introduce Stephanie Jacobsen as DiNozzo’s new love interest). The episode, appropriately titled “Choke Hold,” finds the team investigating the bizarre strangling of a Navy research scientist. Hmm, sounds like the kind of case SecNav can really get her hands around!

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This should make the Tiva fans go nuts.

Stephanie Jacobsen has landed a potentially recurring role on NCIS, EW has learned exclusively.

The Revenge and Melrose Place alum will play FBI Special Agent Leia Pendergast, who is partnered with Agent DiNozzo for a case involving an international terrorist threat targeting Navy researchers.

Could she be a new love interest for DiNozzo? The description of her character seems to imply as much: “Armed but feminine, sexy and single, cool and confident. A former U.S. Marshal-turned FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force leader, she is flirtatious and adventurous with a sense of humor. Leia is a straight shooter, brash when she needs to be. She isn’t afraid to knock down doors or egos.”

NCIS returns Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Jacobsen will first appear in an episode slated for October.

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CBS has enlisted Mark Harmon and the rest of his NCIS team to help ensure that the military crime drama’s New Orleans-based spin-off completes its ratings mission. Harmon will make another appearance on NCIS: New Orleans, which launches this fall, and this time he’s bringing more of his crew. Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Weatherly’s Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo, Pauley Perrette’s Abigail “Abby” Sciuto, and David McCallum’s Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard will all visit The Big Easy in an unspecified episode. The crossover will partner Harmon with fellow veteran prime-time star Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), who leads the New Orleans team.

“I’m here to help,” Harmon told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s semi-annual press tour in Beverly Hills on Thursday. “I’ve learned a few things in 12 years that I’m happy to pass on – or not.”

There was previously a cross-over between the shows last season during two episodes that served as a backdoor pilot introduction to the new project, where Bakula plays Special Agent Dwayne Pride, the head of the NCIS New Orleans field office.

Bakula acknowledged he had “big shoes to fill” as the star of an NCIS spin-off. “This is kind of potentially a great partnership of a new show … the ball that’s being handed off is a perfect spiral,” he said of the new show, which will receive a lead-in from NCIS on Tuesday nights. “And there’s pressure that comes with that also. No question about it. Everyone’s talking about imagine what it will be like being on the air for 11 years. I said, ‘Hold on. They need to write the show, and then we need to do the show. We have to earn our place. It’s not a given,’ and I’m fortunate to have this great, very rich character that exists, that I can plumb for ideas and experiences.”

NCIS is the longest-running drama series currently on broadcast TV, and is also the most watched — averaging about 19 million viewers. But the veteran drama tends to lack the media attention enjoyed by more buzzy cable dramas. Harmon seemed to suggest that people tend to underestimate how much work goes into keeping the procedural at the top of its game. “We’ve been fortunate on this show that we’re doing,” said Harmon, who is also an executive producer on the series. “It looks really easy to do. It’s really hard to do, and [executive producer Jeffrey Lieber is] finding that out right now … we take great pride in what we try to put forward, and we hope that that same footprint rests onto this [new] show.”

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Are there going to be any life-changing events for any of Gibbs’ team members during Season 12 of NCIS? –Marsha
I don’t know if the storyline surrounding this reveal will be “life-changing” per se, but show boss Gary Glasberg tells me he still is on track to put a face to the long-MIA Mrs. Gibbs No. 2 during Season 12 — as well as unveil another never-seen spouse. “I look forward to introducing [Gibbs’ second ex-wife], and I look forward to meeting Bishop’s husband,” he shares. And along those lines, “We’re already playing with some ideas that I think are going to be fun for people.”

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TV icon Ralph Waite, best known for his portrayal of stalwart father figure John Walton on The Waltons, passed away in February at the age of 85. At the time of his passing, Waite was also a recurring cast member on CBS’s NCIS, where he played father to Mark Harmon’s Jackson Gibbs. Below, NCIS executive producer Gary Glasberg opens up about crafting a proper send-off for the character in an EW Guest Column.

By: Gary Glasberg

It started with a phone call. Mark Harmon received a call that his co-worker and friend, Ralph Waite, had passed away. The news hadn’t broken yet. Mark came upstairs to see me in my office. We sat down and reflected on Ralph’s extraordinary career. From Cool Hand Luke to The Waltons, Ralph Waite defined and earned the title “character actor.” We considered adding a simple In Memoriam card to the end of the next episode that was about to air. It didn’t feel like enough of a gesture. We contemplated re-running “Better Angels,” his last wonderful storyline with us. It felt redundant. Ralph deserved more. He would have wanted us to stretch, to push the story envelope, to leave people feeling the loss of Jackson Gibbs, not just reflecting on it.

There’s no doubt season eleven has been a season of surprises; Ziva’s departure, Bishop’s arrival, the launch of NCIS: New Orleans. The writers and producers of NCIS talked extensively and decided it might be time for a change. We didn’t need to do another cliffhanger. We didn’t need to leave the audience guessing who might survive a bomb blast or a political kidnapping. We had something very real happen to us off-screen. We lost someone we truly cared about. And now it was time to let Leroy Jethro Gibbs say goodbye to his father, too.

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I knew instantly who would help me write this emotional farewell. It had to be Gina Monreal. She and Ralph connected on “Better Angels.” He got a kick out of her and vice versa. Not to mention, he truly respected Gina’s talent on the page. Tony Wharmby was already set to direct the episode so that basically reassembled the team. We started talking about how best to handle Jackson’s death. As always, we knew we had to come up with a parallel crime story (it’s what we do), but the drive of “Honor Thy Father” would undoubtedly be Gibbs mourning the loss of his dad. This needed to be a finale with real emotional resonance. A finale with heart and soul and warmth and pathos. And, of course, a few classic NCIS twists and turns along the way for good measure.

Every character has their moment to say goodbye. Tremendous thought went into the funeral scene. We knew we wanted to see some of Jackson’s old WWII buddies paying their respects. We knew we had to get Billy Dee Williams who plays Jackson’s buddy L.J. to help us, as well. We knew we wanted Jackson to have a military funeral. It needed to be a fitting goodbye for a decorated veteran. From day one, Gina knew the music she wanted over the final montage. It had to be Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart.” I’m a huge Warren Zevon fan. I wasn’t about to argue that. Trust me, you’ll needs the tissue box. It’s not easy to get through the funeral sequence without tearing up a little.

Is there some NCIS suspense? Of course. Do we get some classic Abby, McGee, and Tony? Absolutely. But this season finale is about Gibbs. We get to see a personal side of him few have witnessed. We get to feel his pain and his anguish and his sadness. And we get to see his pride. The pride Gibbs had in his father, regardless of their differences.

Oh — and do stick around to see the very end of the show. You might get a glimpse of what Gibbs will be building in the basement in season twelve.

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Though NCIS season finales are known for being action-packed cliff-hangers, the final episode of Season 11 may have fans reaching for tissues rather than sitting on the edge of their seats. The episode will pay tribute to actor Ralph Waite, who died unexpectedly in February.

“Everyone involved really wanted to do this,” creator Gary Glasberg tells TVGuide.com. “We wanted to do this properly and say goodbye to a character that we all really enjoyed writing over the years, and goodbye to an actor that meant a lot to us. … This was such a significant event for us, both on-screen and off, that we wanted to handle it properly and do it well, and let people mourn the passing of Gibbs’ dad with him.”

in the finale, titled “Honor Thy Father,” Gibbs (Mark Harmon) returns to his childhood home after learning that his father Jackson (Waite) has passed away. In addition to paying homage to Waite, the plot will reveal a few things about Gibbs as well.

“It’s a really touching, emotional look back and looking forward at Gibbs and the loss of his father,” Glasberg explained. “[Fans will get] more insight into what makes Gibbs who he is, some stuff from his childhood and morally, just who he is.”

The episode will also explore more of Jackson Gibbs’ past through flashbacks, with Rob Norton playing a young version of Jackson.

At the same time, Gibbs’ help is needed with the crime of the week, when the crew investigates a fire on a Navy ship that may have been set intentionally to allow terrorists who were being detained on the ship to escape. “He clearly has his mind elsewhere,” Glasberg notes.

With the show undergoing so many changes this year (as well as Glasberg getting ready to launch the spin-off NCIS: New Orleans, which CBS recently ordered to series), producers wanted a finale that would bring the season full circle. And once producers learned of Waite’s sudden passing, any doubts they had were laid to rest.

“We wanted to do a finale that was a little different this season,” Glasberg explained. “It’s no secret that Season 11 had all kinds of challenges that came up — Ziva’s departure, Bishop’s arrival, and then we did the New Orleans episodes. A lot has happened, and we wanted to not necessarily do another cliff-hanger, but do something that informed our characters and brought our family and our team together. … I really wanted to just sort of solidify the team again. And this was such a significant moment for Gibbs as a character that, emotionally, I wanted to focus on that and then leave for the season knowing that this group stands together.”

The NCIS season finale airs Tuesday at 8/7c on CBS. Catch up on recent episodes here, and check out a clip from the finale below.

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