Timothy McGee has been a key part of the NCIS cast from the very first season, and it's difficult to imagine the series without him now. That said, a certain storyline was introduced in Season 16 that hinted at a way out of the team for McGee, and most agents move on eventually. Actor Sean Murray recently spoke with CinemaBlend about McGee on NCIS, and he said this about whether McGee would leave the team:
You know, I think there could be other circumstances in which it would play out. But I also feel that during [‘Once Upon a Tim’], McGee kind of realizes that where he is is where he belongs, and it was the right decision for him to, take this career path. And I think he's real happy with the people that he's with, so I don't think McGee's going anywhere.
On the one hand, McGee would be justified if he came to a point when he was ready to leave the dangerous life of an NCIS agent behind and focus on his family, and an episode earlier in Season 16 even provided a potential out. McGee revealed that he was being head-hunted by a huge tech company that offered a huge salary in exchange for McGee leaving NCIS and joining them. He didn't rule out leaving at that point, and it was enough for fans to get a little nervous.
On the other hand, the events of the McGee-centric episode "Once Upon a Tim" proved to McGee that sticking with NCIS is the right course for him, according to Sean Murray. That episode was a serious blast from the past for McGee that actually surprised Murray in certain ways, and more information on such a long-running character was a long time coming.
It's a good thing that McGee likes the people he's with at the moment, as the core cast of NCIS has changed many times over the years. Pauley Perrette and Duane Henry left at the end of Season 15, and Michael Weatherly bowed out at the end of Season 13. Characters like Abby and DiNozzo are still alive, so there's always the possibility that they could return, and NCIS recently revealed that Ziva is likely alive as well.
Cote de Pablo may not be likely to return, but fans can always hope, right? Hopefully McGee continues to enjoy the folks he works with. He has certainly given a warm welcome to Kasie, who had to step into some big shoes when she joined the show as Abby's replacement. Season 16 has focused on the core four of McGee, Gibbs, Bishop, and Torres, so it made sense that this was the perfect season for "Once Upon a Tim" to reveal more about McGee.
Tune in to CBS on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET to see what's in store next for McGee on NCIS this midseason. Plenty of exciting things are going down on the spinoffs as well, with NCIS: New Orleans revealing more about a certain character and NCIS: Los Angeles gearing Kensi and Deeks up to look seriously spiffy for their upcoming wedding.
