‘NCIS’ Pays Tribute to David McCallum: Ducky’s 11 Best Episodes

David McCallum, best known for his roles on NCIS and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., passed away in September 2023 at the age of 90.

And now, in Season 21, the show will be paying tribute to both the actor and the character he played since the introduction in the two JAG episodes, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. “When you lose someone very close, you can fall into just crying and mourning continually, and while we wanted to pay homage to him, we didn’t want that to be it,” Brian Dietzen, who plays Dr. Jimmy Palmer and co-wrote the February 19 episode with Scott Williams, tells TV Insider. “We wanted to celebrate the fun times as well, and we wanted to celebrate the amazing work that this great actor did on our show and also honor the character that he created. And I think both those people, the character and the actor, would love to see us continuing on and honoring him through continuing to do good work.”

In honor of McCallum and ahead of the tribute, below, we’ve compiled the best Ducky episodes of NCIS.

NCIS, Mondays, 9/8c, CBS