'NCIS' Season 16 Air Date, Spoilers: Showrunner Spills More Beans on What Fans Can Expect in Upcoming Installment's Premiere Episode

With less than two weeks to go until the season premiere episode of “NCIS” season 16, fans are still worrying about so many things about the show's return.

Pauley Perrette's departure, the minimization of David McCallum's screen time on the show, and Director Vance's (Rocky Carroll) abduction have all introduced a semblance of uncertainty for one of CBS's most popular long-running series. But “NCIS” season 16 co-showrunner Frank Cardea recently revealed additional details about the season's upcoming premiere episode, which could put some fan worries at ease.

Cardea, in a recent interview with TV Line, gives more clarity on the expected time skip between season 15's finale and “NCIS” season 16's premiere episode. According to Cardea, the pre-title sequence will take place around two days after Vance's abduction, with a four-week time skip after the first title sequence.

Cardea also reveals that Mark Harmon's Leroy Gibbs – who is now NCIS's acting director in Vance's absence – might be staying in his role as Vance's substitute for quite a while. Cardea mentions an episode which the “NCIS” season 16 producers are excited about that involves Gibbs taking R&R from at his favorite cabin from the stress of his new job, only to be interrupted by unexpected guests. Considering the focus of the reveal, fans may not expect to get Vance back within the first few episodes of “NCIS” season 16.

Further in the upcoming installment's story, Cardea reveals that David McCallum's “Ducky” Mallard will be returning to autopsy on a full-time basis. Mallard will be sharing the table with Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) and the showrunner assures fans that Ducky and Jimmy's playful fights over who rules the operating tables will be touched on by the series.

With McCallum's assured full-time return to the show, fans can now look forward to Diona Reasonover's promotion to full cast member as Pauley Perrette's replacement, Kasie Hines, without having to worry about more cast members leaving “NCIS” season 16 anytime soon.

Cardea continues to confirm that the show is ready to put more effort into promoting the romance between Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Bishop (Emily Wickersham) as well as bringing back some of Leroy Gibbs's ex-wives just to make his life a bit more interesting in “NCIS” Season 16.

Fans looking forward to seeing how “NCIS” season 16 plans to make its explosive return on air can look forward to the season's premiere episode broadcasting on Sept. 25.