Is Timothy McGee leaving NCIS? Details explored

Timothy Farragut McGee of NCIS, played by Sean Murray, is a computer crime and cyber security expert. However, his long-term presence in the department throws up questions about his promotions or exit from the department. As such, McGee’s departure from NCIS has often been a subject of speculations. 

At the time of writing this article, there is no official confirmation about McGee’s exit from the department anytime soon. However, if the show’s plot wants to move him, there may be more than one arc ready for his exit. The speculations about the same came on in NCIS Season 23, episode 2, in the form of his patent-worthy technological invention.

Meanwhile, the episode saw Parker faking his death to keep focusing on Carla Marino without intrusion from his department and work. Since the details about Carla’s presumable death was being protected by FBI, the team realized that the very-much alive Carla was using this time to reconnect with her granddaughter Lauren. Carla tried to disappear with Lauren to Cuba, after she gave intel on the nexus network to the Department of Defense.

As the team reached Cuba, Parker lured Carla to hand over Lauren. When she confronted him, the team was ready with guns. Later, they prepared for Parker’s funeral, and launched Harriet and Parker off to the sea. Timothy McGee was seen helping Parker with the initial secret investigation on the CBS police procedural series.

NCIS: Exploring speculations about Timothy McGee’s departure

The speculations about McGee’s exit from his current run on MCRT stemmed from a recent disclosure on NCIS Season 23, episode 2. The episode found Parker faking his death and hiding in an abandoned shack to investigate Carla. Tim McGee arrived with food and gadgets for the grateful Parker.

He was seen setting up satellite internet, solar power and a wi-fi system created by him, that he called MooseNet. Moreover, he revealed that the patent for his MooseNet was pending but he held it in high regard for its efficiency. Fans may remember that McGee was also a published author going by the pseudonym, Thom E Gemcity.

After being a guest actor in the first season of the show, Sean Murray’s McGee was pulled into the main cast of NCIS Season 2. He has been one of the central characters in the show ever since. However, his career graph seemed to get sidelined. 

He was previously offered to step into his boss’s chair when Gibbs retired. However, he had refused to take up all the paper work. Later, although he was looking for the position of Assistant Director, the shady Gabriel LaRoche was brought in to fill the position.

With LaRoche’s eviction, the position may be open for McGee, if he takes it up in the future. Meanwhile, the tech expert is busy helping his team in the current season. So far, Tim McGee has expressed no desire to leave field work and walk out of MCRT.

NCIS: What are possible arcs for McGee’s exit?

As mentioned before, Tim McGee is waiting for the patent on his MooseNet to go through. Once that happens, he would have a steady source of income and can look to tap other interests. Operating and managing his new device may be a fulltime job for him. He may also want to continue with his writing and publishing.

Alternatively, he may be offered the position of the Assistant Director after the LaRoche fiasco. With that, his days on the field and with Parker will likely be over. That would also mean staying out of all the MCRT action. 

The show may not want to sideline him out of screen time. As such, they may need to offer him a position that moves him up the ladder while keeping him with the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, continue watching NCIS Season 23 to catch Timothy McGee in action as he helps his team in tracking and nabbing criminals.