NCIS Bids Farewell to Director Vance in 500th Episode

In its milestone 500th episode, the long-running CBS procedural NCIS bid farewell to a key figure on Tuesday night, as Director Leon Vance met a heroic end while thwarting a plot to dismantle the agency. The episode, titled "All Good Things" and aired at 8 p.m. ET, marked a pivotal shift for the series, which premiered in 2003 and has become one of television's most enduring franchises.

The storyline picks up from the previous installment, where Vance, played by Rocky Carroll since season 5, informed the team that NCIS faced shutdown amid political pressures. In the episode, written by executive producer Steven D. Binder, the Major Case Response Team reunites to investigate a case tied to the show's second episode from 2003. The probe centers on Billy Fuentes, the son of a Marine whom former leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs once vowed to protect. As the team uncovers a saboteur working through back channels to obliterate the agency, Vance steps in decisively, sacrificing his life to expose the threat and preserve NCIS.

The narrative unfolds in a non-linear format, blending action with introspection. Viewers first witness Vance surviving a shooting thanks to a bulletproof vest, only for...