The show has managed to not only stay on the screen for thirteen seasons so far, but it’s still enjoying strong popularity and an active fan following. Sure, there are some voices claiming that the premise has gotten stale at this point, and the show should probably be put to rest already, but those seem to be in the minority even today.
With a month left to go before season 14 arrives to the screen, everyone is excited to see what the producers have prepared for us and how some of the major story arcs from the last season will be concluded.
Hopefully, the absence of DiNozzo won’t make the show feel too empty during its first few episodes while fans are getting used to the new characters. Because we’re sure that afterwards, they will warm up to them and will continue to enjoy the show.
That also depends on how well the producers have managed to integrate those new characters in the overall setup of course, but there is no reason to believe that they haven’t handled this properly. It’s not the first time “NCIS” is seeing new cast members brought to the set, and the producers must have actually accumulated some good experience introducing new characters by now. Plus, if someone doesn’t work out, they can always remove them during the season, as long as they haven’t planned too many episodes around that character.