CBS has officially removed its entire Tuesday night NCIS franchise block from the broadcast schedule for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Viewers tuning in for the usual three-hour procedural lineup—consisting of the flagship NCIS at 8 p.m. ET, NCIS: New York at 9 p.m. ET, and NCIS: Origins at 10 p.m. ET—will find neither new installments nor encore broadcasts. Instead, the network is dedicating its primetime slate to live news coverage of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections.

The temporary schedule adjustment marks the first interruption for the revamped Tuesday block since the shows launched their current fall broadcast cycle during the first week of October, according to ScreenRant. After four consecutive weeks of original episodes, all three Naval Criminal Investigative Service dramas are taking a one-week hiatus and are scheduled to return to their regular time slots on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Why CBS Is Preempting the Tuesday Primetime Lineup

The decision to clear the Tuesday evening slate stems from national coverage of the 2026 midterm elections, where voters across the country are deciding all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and gubernatorial races in 36 states, according to TVLine. With control of Congress on the ballot, major broadcast networks have restructured their nightly programming to track poll closings and live race calls.

In place of its scripted crime dramas, the network is airing the live special report CBS News: America Decides: Election 2026 beginning at 7 p.m. ET. While all outlets confirm the 7 p.m. ET start time, published schedules differ regarding when the broadcast concludes: Hidden Remote and People report that thefive-hour special will run until 12 a.m. ET, whereas Collider and ScreenRant report the broadcast will conclude at 11 p.m. ET.

The CBS News primetime special is co-anchored by Tony Dokoupil and Norah O'Donnell, featuring live reporting and political analysis from CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King and Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan. Alongside the main television broadcast, CBS News is streaming live updates throughout Election Day on CBS News 24/7, which is accessible via CBSNews.com, the CBS News app, YouTube, and Paramount+.

CBS is not alone in preempting regular entertainment programming. ABC is broadcasting Election Night: Vote 2026 anchored by David Muir from 7 p.m. ET through 2 a.m. ET ( prompting the network to air Dancing with the Stars a night early on Monday), while NBC is rolling out 13 hours of coverage under its Decision '26 banner starting at 5 p.m. ET with Savannah Guthrie, Tom Llamas, Kristen Welker, Hallie Jackson, and data analyst Steve Kornacki. Among the major broadcast networks, Fox is the sole exception skipping primetime midterm coverage, opting instead to air scheduled new episodes of its medical dramas Best Medicine at 8 p.m. ET and Doc at 9 p.m. ET following last week's World Series preemptions.

A Major Fall Season for the 'NCIS' Universe

The one-week pause arrives during a high-profile fall 2026 television season for the long-running procedural brand, which first premiered in 2003. For the 2026–2027 broadcast cycle, CBS consolidated the franchise into an all-NCIS Tuesday block anchored by major casting additions and structural shifts.

In Season 24 of the flagship NCIS series, original cast member Michael Weatherly returned as Tony DiNozzo Jr., stepping in to replace Director Leon Vance as the leader of the agency. He joins returning core cast members Sean Murray (Timothy McGee), Wilmer Valderrama (Nick Torres), Katrina Law (Jessica Knight), Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer), Diona Reasonover (Kasie Hines), and Gary Cole (Alden Parker).

At 9 p.m. ET, the newest expansion of the franchise, NCIS: New York, is in the midst of its debut season. The series marks the return of LL Cool J as Sam Hanna, starring opposite Scott Caan as Nick Schaeffer. Closing out the night at 10 p.m. ET is Season 3 of the prequel drama NCIS: Origins, which features Austin Stowell as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs alongside Kyle Schmid (Mike Franks), Mariel Molino (Lala Dominguez), Tyla Abercrumbie (Mary Jo Hayes), and Diany Rodriguez (Vera Strickland). Notably, original franchise star Mark Harmon has returned to a full-time role in NCIS: Origins Season 3, as the series splits its narrative across two distinct eras of Gibbs' life.

What to Expect When 'NCIS' Returns on November 10

Viewers will only have to wait seven days for the storyline momentum to resume. All three series return with original episodes on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in their standard time slots on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

The evening will open at 8 p.m. ET with NCIS Season 24, Episode 5, titled "Speechless." According to plot details reported by People and Hidden Remote, the Major Case Response Team investigates a missing persons case after an eight-year-old girl is discovered hiding alone inside her apartment while her Marine mother has vanished. The investigation becomes a race against the clock, with the young child holding the key to solving her mother's disappearance.

At 9 p.m. ET, NCIS: New York Season 1 continues as the team investigates the homicide of a naval interrogator found dead in her residence. Simultaneously, Nick Schaeffer contends with an ongoing investigation involving his former NYPD partner. Finally, at 10 p.m. ET, NCIS: Origins Season 3 sees Gibbs and Bishop partner up for a high-stakes interrogation, while the past timeline follows the team investigating the murder of a con woman—a case that carries personal weight for Lala Dominguez.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will CBS air reruns of the 'NCIS' shows tonight, November 3?

No. CBS has pulled all three series from the Tuesday night schedule entirely to accommodate live midterm election news coverage. Neither new episodes nor reruns will air on the broadcast network tonight, though past episodes remain available to stream on Paramount+.

What are the episode titles for 'NCIS: New York' and 'NCIS: Origins' on November 10?

While CBS and People have confirmed that the November 10 episode of the flagship NCIS series (Season 24, Episode 5) is titled "Speechless," official episode titles for the November 10 installments of NCIS: New York and NCIS: Origins have not yet been published in the network releases.

When will 'NCIS: Sydney' return to the CBS schedule?

NCIS: Sydney is not part of the fall Tuesday lineup returning on November 10. According to People, the international spinoff is expected to return in the second half of the 2026–2027 broadcast season, though CBS has not yet announced an official premiere date.

Sources