NCIS will return for its sixteenth season this fall, and while the weather will be cooling down, romance on the series will be heating up! The crime drama's co-showrunner Frank Cardea is hinting at a season that will build upon the slow-boiling relationship between Torres and Bishop. So, if you have been wondering what will become of the pair's chemistry, there is hope there could finally be a step forward between them. Teasing their dynamic in Season 16, Cardea says:
Torres and Bishop sort of... become close. We're glancing in that direction. If you go back in NCIS history, the 'Tiva' thing took many years to develop.
There you have it! Torres and Bishop's sizzling tension will not be going to waste. Of course, NCIS' co-showrunner's hint at Torres and Bishop's romantic status in Season 16 to TVLine does not solidify their union as a done deal. At least, not yet. The terms "glance" and "close" are far from definitive phrasing. Frank Cardea even mentions one of the series' long-running will-they-won't-they couplings in Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David as a reference.
So, fans of Torres and Bishop may have a longer wait than they wish they had in front of them. The good news is there is a reason to hope that they will end up getting together. Of course, one would hope that they end up with a happier ending than Tiva fans received. One half of a fan-favorite coupling ending up presumed dead is not what one would consider a happy conclusion to years of waiting for a couple to end up together.
Romance does seem to be experiencing an uptick in the NCIS franchise. One of the show's spinoffs, NCIS: Los Angeles, is planning a huge season for one of its fan-favorite couplings with Kensi and Deeks. As for NCIS, they know that the formula of making fans wait for a coupling to happen works. While the push and pull of television's countless couplings can be bad for viewers' stress levels, it is a popular strategy that can keep fans invested for years.
Now, knowing that they definitely have a wait in front of them, fans will have to guard their hearts for what's to come. NCIS' co-showrunner Frank Cardea did say that Torres and Bishop "sort of" get closer, so Season 16 may not be the fireworks show that fans are hoping it will be. Still, it sounds like a pairing between Bishop and Torres is endgame. Having that light at the end of the tunnel should help get fans through.
The sixteenth season of NCIS premieres Tuesday, September 25 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. For new television shows set to arrive alongside NCIS this fall, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's fall premieres. For the new content only coming to CBS, you can check out the network's fall premiere schedule here. Summer is still happening! Check out the new shows still on the horizon with CinemaBlend's summer premiere guide.
