‘NCIS’: Could Emily Wickersham Return for Season 20?
Season 19 of NCIS was a hard one for fans to navigate. At the end of season 18, we said goodbye to veteran cast member Emily Wickersham. Wickersham played NSA-turned-NCIS agent Eleanor Bishop for eight consecutive seasons.
Then, when season 19 premiered, we bid an emotional goodbye to Mark Harmon’s beloved character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Now, with season 20 edging near, many fans hope some of our favorite alums will return, specifically Bishop actress Emily Wickersham.
The last we saw Bishop, she became a “disgraced” agent after the federal agency learned she’d leaked an NSA document. However, viewers soon realized this was a ploy. Her departure from the agency was meant to hide the fact that she would be going undercover. As we prepare for the premiere of the series’ 20th season, many fans are currently convinced that her character will make a surprise return when NCIS kicks off again this fall.
According to Express, many viewers have pointed out the wide-open plotline surrounding Bishop’s unfinished business with fellow agent Nick Torres. For several seasons, fans of the show watched Bishop and Torres’s romance grow. And, just when the latter confessed his true feelings for his partner, she essentially disappeared into the wind.
Given the circumstances of their farewell, the door remains entirely open for the beloved character to return. Ahead of the new season, fans took to Reddit to discuss just how Emily Wickersham might come back to NCIS.
‘NCIS’ Fans Think It’s ‘Pretty Likely’ Emily Wickersham Will Return
Redditers kicked off the conversation surrounding Emily Wickersham’s exit and potential return highlighting what one user called her “unfinished story.” Altogether, they claimed, “Directors always want to keep their doors open to actors and how [Emily Wickersham] left with an unfinished story.”
They continued, “Do you think we could at least see a 1-2 episode cameo in like season 22 or 23?”
Other NCIS fans had a lot of input regarding the fan-favorite character.
“I honestly think it’s pretty likely she’ll come back eventually,” one NCIS fan suggested. They further highlighted, “it’s not like she has major issues with the producers or something.”
In fact, when the NCIS star departed her role on the show, she shared on social media, “This cast, this crew, are top notch, I can’t say enough kind words about this group that I’ve had the pleasure of working with for close to 8 years and 172 episodes later.”
At the same time, others believe Wickersham simply stepped away from NCIS to welcome her infant son in December 2021. Now, as the actress and her husband have adapted to life as parents, Express pointed out that it’s very possible, given the method of her exit, that Bishop might just return on a regular basis, which, given the casting chaos of last season, would definitely delight longtime NCIS fans
