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TheNCISfranchise has had several team leaders over its multi - decade - longsighted run , but only one can be proclaimed the dependable . Since its premiere in 2003 , after its backdoor cowcatcher inJAG , NCIShas grown to sport several spinoffs , most of which take space alongside the flagship series in theNCISuniverse . While most of theNCISspinoffshave been canceled , the enfranchisement continue to grow with its latest spinoffs , NCIS : Sydney , NCIS : Origins , andNCIS : Tony And Ziva , all bear upcoming seasons in the 2025/2026 season .
As each spinoff has featured a unexampled and more exciting premise than the last one , its leadership have also featured notable remainder , either wince or aiding the growth of their squad ’s progress in each serial . While all squad leaders inNCIShave their merits , they also have their break . As a result , some characters created better leaders than others in the franchise .
10Hollace Kilbride
NCIS: Los Angeles Seasons 6-14
Kilbride was a skilful team leader and an enough substitute for Hetty , who could no longer manage the team , but he had too many faults to consider him swell . He first appeared inNCIS : Los Angelesas a recurring guest staras a retired U.S. Navy Admiral . However , near the remainder of the show , he was promoted to the Operations Manager of the Office of Special Projects .
Kilbride was only a drawing card for a short time , so we never have to see him shine in the function . He also changed the squad too much from what it was like with Hetty . The kinetics interchange and the squad ’s role seemed to change as well . As a issue , he remains low on the list .
9Owen Granger
NCIS: Los Angeles Seasons 3-8
Granger could have been smashing , buthe started off as an unlikable character . A team leader need to be strong , dependable , trusty , and likable enough . However , Granger begin off as an untrusty character , and as a result , it took meter for the team to start to wish him .
Granger was also only a leader for a short timerelative to Hetty and could never live up to her character . He made for a great team appendage and had great scenes , but as a leader , he fell a little flat . As a termination , he is also low on the list but not in last stead .
8Michelle Mackey
NCIS: Sydney Season 1 To Present
Olivia Swann ’s Mackey has impregnable potential to become a outstanding loss leader , but she is not there yet . NCIS : Sydneyis still a comparatively new show andlittle is know about Mackey . The show typically focuses more on case and less on personal details , butNCIS : Sydneyseason 2 had a huge Mackey revealwhich opened up her lineament a bit more .
NCIS : Sydney star Olivia Swann explain why Special Agent Michelle Mackey keeps her tragic past a secret from everyone else on her squad .
Mackey is also a little more closed offthan some of these other leaders . That is not necessarily unfit , but as a new leader , it does not give her much room to be ranked any higher . With time , Mackey has the potential to move up , but currently , she remain low on the list .
7Alden Parker
NCIS Season 19 To Present
Parker is a fantastic leader because he does not attempt to copy Gibbs . WhenParker replaced Gibbs inNCISseason 19,his change of leading was refreshingbecause he preserve a good rapport with the team without try out to dwarf Gibbs ' legacy . Since his arrival , Parker has grown with the squad , which is always nice to see .
Parker is also a very relaxed , laissez - faire type of loss leader . He is genial and fairand is overall a enceinte team loss leader . The only reason he is so slow is that some of the other characters have a orotund legacy behind them , which make it heavy for newer leaders to outshine the sometime champion .
6Mike Franks
NCIS: Origins Season 1 To Present
Mike Franks is arguably one of the bestNCIS : Originscharacters , which makes him a inviolable competitor for bestNCISleader , too . He is incredibly likable and trustworthy , andhe has his team ’s back . His emotional support towards Gibbs is in particular remarkable because it point that Franks knows when to be tough and when to soften up .
… Franks bed when to be bad and when to break up .
While Franks is aniconicNCIScharacter , the translation of him as a loss leader inNCIS : Originsis still comparatively new . NCIS : Originshas dived deep into his character , but he has a caboodle to compare himself against in term of olderNCISleaders . AsNCIS : Originscontinues to develop , I have no incertitude that he will uprise on this list .
5Dwayne Cassius Pride
NCIS: New Orleans Seasons 1-7
Pride is one of the most iconic theatrical role inNCIS : New Orleansand in the franchise as a whole . His bequest as the only leader throughout the show ’s seven season gives him a limited variety of status . Pride was also a tough loss leader who would stop at nothing to protect his metropolis , something that was very admirable .
Despite Pride ’s bequest , he could be too stubborn at times , which at long last lower his score . Rather than consistently follow protocol and trust his team , there were many prison term throughoutNCIS : New Orleansthat Pride would overstep his boundary as an federal agent or do thing his own way . That can be exciting as an occasional feature , but it happened too often to conceive Pride the bestNCISleader .
4Jane Tennant
NCIS: Hawai’i Seasons 1-3
Tennant is not only one of the bestNCISteam leadership , but she also sport some of the best plot line . From the showtime , Tennant began as a well - rounded character . While some otherNCISshows need time to reckon out their characters , Tennant part stiff from the beginning . Her rapport with her team and her excellent probe skills are also noteworthy .
Ahead of its third season conclusion , NCIS : Hawai’i was canceled by CBS , setting a not - so - appealing serial record book for the long - running NCIS enfranchisement .
I believe that Tennant could have become an even greater drawing card if the show was given another time of year . WhenCBS canceledNCIS : Hawai’i , the show ended on a cliffhanger for Tennant , will several secret unanswered . The show ’s premature cancelation removed the potential difference for Tennant to jump up the social station as the upright loss leader , but her coming into court throughout seasons 1 - 3 cemented her as one of the more memorable single .
3Henrietta “Hetty” Lange
NCIS: Los Angeles Seasons 1-14
Linda Hunt ’s Hetty Langis practically certified as one of the best characters in theNCISfranchise . She is also one of the best leaders . Without her , NCIS : Los Angeleswould be observably unlike , and it was when she had a reduced function in the late time of year . Hetty blended her undercover agent skills perfectly to correspond within the needs of theNCIS : Los Angelesoffice , allow her team to thrive .
It was particularly sorry when she restfully define her appearances in the show and Kilbride accept over her function . Hetty had such a complex backgroundthat she add so much life to theNCISspinoff . Her connections to otherNCIScharacters , including Vance , also define her up as an interesting leader who know how to be resourceful .
2G. Callen
G. Callen is without a doubt one of the practiced team leaders in theNCISfranchise . He is an fantastically complex character , peradventure even the most complex one . As he struggled to give away more of his past tense and his personal identity , he did not let it interfere with his team ’s missions , making him a truehearted and reliable character , even with all of his baggage .
give Callen ’s complexity , it is also hard to imagineNCIS : Los Angeles without him . Like Hetty , he was a strong motivation for the squad . He also worked hard to protect the ones he roll in the hay . Callen may have had some defect , but they do not outshine his unbelievable leading , making him the second - bestNCISteam drawing card .
1Leroy Jethro Gibbs
NCIS Leader From Seasons 1-19
Last but not least is Gibbs , the certified bestNCISleader . Without Gibbs , there would be noNCISfranchiseat all , and we would not have been capable to see incredible character like Callen , Hetty , and Tennant amount to life sentence . Gibbs was tough but fair and had a strict moral computer code . While he would flex the rule from fourth dimension to time , he always prioritise his squad ’s base hit and would rather put himself at risk of exposure than others .
Considering the job Gibbs has throughout most of NCIS , he should lock his door , and now Cote de Pablo has shared the heartrending rationality he does n’t .
He was also a complex character , like Callen , and used his personal tragedies to propel him forward . Moreover , Gibbs was a nifty role good example and had a destiny of respect for the extremity of his squad , even as they continuously change . With Gibbs having almost 20 years of story onNCIS , his leading is tough to drum since he continue memorable even after so much time has passed .
bless UP NOW !
TheNCISfranchise is an American media franchise that pore on military - related criminal investigations by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service . It began withNCISin 2003 , a spin - off fromJAG , and has since amplify to include multiple spin - offs coif across dissimilar locations .
