NCIS: Season 5
Season five of NCIS, comprising nineteen episodes, continues the series’ overarching saga of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s special agents as they confront a spectrum of high‑stakes cases. Building on the show’s established premise, the team tackles investigations that range from homicide and covert espionage operations to acts of terrorism and the theft of submarines, reflecting the breadth of threats fa
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- NCIS follows a team of special agents who investigate crimes affecting the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
- The team is led by senior agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, supported by experienced investigators.
- The series was created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill and stars Sean Murray, David McCallum, Mark Harmon, and Brian Dietzen.
- Prior seasons established a procedural format that blends murder, espionage, terrorism, and naval‑related thefts.
Season overview
Season five of NCIS, comprising nineteen episodes, continues the series’ overarching saga of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s special agents as they confront a spectrum of high‑stakes cases. Building on the show’s established premise, the team tackles investigations that range from homicide and covert espionage operations to acts of terrorism and the theft of submarines, reflecting the breadth of threats faced by the U.S. Navy. Under the steady leadership of senior agents Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his experienced colleagues, the investigators—portrayed by the series’ core cast—apply forensic expertise, tactical acumen, and inter‑agency cooperation to resolve each incident. The season maintains the procedural format that blends crime drama with action‑adventure elements, while also deepening character dynamics established in earlier seasons. Created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, the series persists in delivering a mix of suspenseful storytelling and naval‑themed investigative work, reinforcing NCIS’s role as a premier crime‑fighting unit within the military justice system.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Bury Your Dead
Sep 25, 2007
The NCIS team uncover a huge secret, as their mission to capture La Grenouille comes to an explosive and deadly conclusion.
Family
Oct 2, 2007
During an autopsy, Ducky makes a startling discovery that turns a murder of a Petty Officer into a search for a missing infant.
Ex-File
Oct 9, 2007
Lt. Colonel Mann joins Gibbs in an investigation of the murder of a Marine Captain who had access to highly classified information. Things get very personal for Gibbs when one of t
Identity Crisis
Oct 16, 2007
When Ducky realizes that one of his cadavers used for research is actually a victim of murder, the NCIS team identify him as a criminal genius who is capable of deleting the past.
Leap of Faith
Oct 23, 2007
The NCIS team are called in to stop a Naval officer from committing suicide by jumping off a rooftop, but when the suicide attempt turns into a murder, the NCIS team will have to f
Chimera
Oct 30, 2007
While investigating a mysterious death on a top-secret Naval research ship at sea, the NCIS team board the abandoned ship and find a deadly secret that may cost them their lives.
Requiem
Nov 6, 2007
Gibbs finds himself emotionally challenged when he agrees to investigate a crime connected to a friend of his daughter, who passed away years ago, and the investigation leads to a
Designated Target
Nov 13, 2007
A murder investigation of a Navy Admiral takes a shocking turn when a woman, a political refugee, returns home to search for her husband.
Lost and Found
Nov 20, 2007
The NCIS team have to babysit a nine-year-old son of a missing man, a survivalist who is somehow connected to a cold case murder. The investigation leads the team into the wilderne
Corporal Punishment
Nov 27, 2007
While trying to track down a delusional and violent Marine who thinks he's still in Iraq, the NCIS team learn that the man has been the subject of a secret experiment - and it come
Tribes
Jan 15, 2008
After a young Muslim Marine is murdered near his Mosque, Ducky refuses to perform an autopsy due to his religious beliefs. The NCIS team try to talk to the father of the deceased,
Stakeout
Apr 8, 2008
The NCIS team go on a stakeout in a warehouse to catch a suspected thief of a high-tech Naval radar, but they accidentally end up witnessing a murder.
Dog Tags
Apr 15, 2008
When a dog owner is found murdered, the NCIS team must determine if his dog committed the murder or not, and Abby decides to fight for the dog's life by trusting her instinct about
Internal Affairs
Apr 22, 2008
The dead body of La Grenouille surfaces and the entire NCIS is put under investigation by the FBI, with Jenny as the prime suspect for his murder.
In the Zone
Apr 29, 2008
Two members of the NCIS team are sent to Baghdad to investigate a mortar attack that turned into a murder investigation.
Recoil
May 6, 2008
While on an undercover mission, Ziva's life is put in grave danger when the serial killer she's been tracking becomes suspicious of her.
About Face
May 13, 2008
Palmer is put in grave danger when he becomes the target of an anonymous murderer, whom only he can recognize.
Judgment Day (1)
May 20, 2008
When a former NCIS agent is found dead, the entire team is put in danger as they hunt after the killer.
Judgment Day (2)
May 20, 2008
When one of their own is killed, the team must find the killer before they get to another member of the team, Gibbs. In an emotional investigation, the team tries to stay together,