Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
Beat the crowd
10 questions No timer
124 free NCIS trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
29 free NCIS trivia questions with answers. Are you a true NCIS fan? Put your knowledge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to the test with our engaging trivia quiz. From iconic characters like Gibbs and Abby to memorable cases and behind-the-scenes facts, this quiz covers everything NCIS. See how well you know America's favorite crime drama!
30 of 124 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which actor portrays the character of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the NCIS series?
Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon played the lead role of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs from the show's inception until his departure in Season 19.
Q 02Which fictional energy drink fills Abby Sciuto's giant cup?
Caf-Pow!
Caf-Pow! exists only on the show; like Gibbs, Abby runs on caffeine, and hers comes by the giant cup.
Q 03Which actor played Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, the anecdote-prone doctor and old friend of Gibbs?
David McCallum
David McCallum played Ducky from the 2003 JAG backdoor pilot until his death in September 2023 at 90; Ducky's rambling anecdotes became a running joke on the show.
Q 04Which of these phrases is one of Gibbs's well-known rules?
Never say you're sorry.
'Never say you're sorry' is Gibbs's Rule 6, completed by 'it's a sign of weakness'; it echoes John Wayne's line as Captain Nathan Brittles in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949).
Q 05From which television series did NCIS originate as a spin-off?
JAG
JAG, the military legal drama, introduced the NCIS characters in two season-eight episodes in April 2003; the spin-off premiered that September.
Q 06Who was Gibbs's boss, the NCIS Director, for the show's first two seasons?
Tom Morrow
Played by Alan Dale, Morrow leaves for the Department of Homeland Security at the start of season three and is replaced by Jenny Shepard.
Q 07Which NCIS team leader is famous for the 'headslap' he delivers to the back of his agents' heads?
Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Leroy Jethro Gibbs' headslap began as an unscripted, playful smack to DiNozzo's head in an early episode and became a running trademark across the seasons.
Q 08Which NCIS character initially served as a liaison officer from the Israeli Mossad?
Ziva David
Ziva David was introduced as a Mossad liaison officer to NCIS before eventually becoming a full-fledged NCIS Special Agent.
Q 09What is a common nickname given to Timothy McGee by his colleagues, particularly Tony DiNozzo?
Probie
Timothy McGee received many nicknames from Tony DiNozzo, with 'Probie' (short for probationary agent) being one of the most persistent in his early career. Other nicknames included 'McGeek' and 'Elf Lord'.
Q 10Who played Senior Field Agent Anthony DiNozzo from season one?
Michael Weatherly
Weatherly moved straight on to the lead role in the CBS legal drama Bull, and later reprised DiNozzo opposite Cote de Pablo in the spin-off NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
Q 11What does the acronym NCIS stand for?
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
NCIS stands for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy.
Q 12Which series, starring LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell, was the first spin-off of NCIS when it premiered in 2009?
NCIS: Los Angeles
NCIS: Los Angeles premiered in 2009 with LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell, making it the first spin-off and the second series in the NCIS franchise.
Q 13NCIS premiered on September 23, 2003, as a spin-off of JAG, on which US broadcast network?
CBS
Q 21Tony DiNozzo left NCIS at the end of which season, after learning he had a daughter with Ziva David?
13
DiNozzo departs in season 13 after learning he has a daughter, Tali, with Ziva, who is believed dead at the time, and quits to raise her.
Q 22When Leon Vance first appeared in season five, what post did he hold under Jenny Shepard?
Assistant Director
Vance debuts as Assistant Director in the season 5 episode 'Internal Affairs' and is named Director after Jenny Shepard is killed in the season finale 'Judgment Day'.
Q 23In NCIS, Jimmy Palmer started as Ducky Mallard's assistant and eventually took over which role from him?
Chief Medical Examiner
CBS premiered NCIS on September 23, 2003, and kept it in a Tuesday slot for 18 seasons, where it ranked as the most-watched drama on US television for several seasons.
Q 14Which forensic scientist character on NCIS is known for her distinctive gothic fashion sense?
Abby Sciuto
Pauley Perrette's Abby, with her pigtails, spider-web tattoo and black lab wardrobe, became one of the show's most popular characters.
Q 15Who co-created the long-running television series NCIS?
Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill
NCIS was co-created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill; Bellisario, who also created parent show JAG, had earlier made Magnum, P.I. and Airwolf.
Q 16Which is one of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' numbered rules?
Never go anywhere without a knife.
It is Rule 9, first heard in the season 1 episode 'One Shot, One Kill', and Gibbs sometimes shortens it to 'Always carry a knife.'
Q 17What is the full first and middle name of the character affectionately known as "Ducky"?
Donald Horatio Mallard
Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard's full name is Donald Horatio Mallard. His nickname 'Ducky' is a play on his last name, as a mallard is a type of duck.
Q 18Which FBI agent is Gibbs's long-running friend and sparring partner, and married Gibbs's ex-wife Diane?
Tobias Fornell
Tobias Fornell, played by Joe Spano, married Gibbs's ex-wife Diane despite Gibbs's warning; she left him too, and the two men stayed friends across the series.
Q 19Under what pen name did Timothy McGee publish his "Deep Six" series of novels?
Thom E. Gemcity
Thom E. Gemcity is an anagram of Timothy McGee; his Deep Six novels, introduced in season 4, feature thinly disguised versions of his NCIS colleagues, who were not amused to recognise themselves.
Q 20Gibbs's wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were murdered while he was deployed during which operation?
Desert Storm
Desert Storm: Gibbs was deployed to Kuwait during the Gulf War when a drug dealer had Shannon and Kelly killed; the loss shapes his backstory, his rules and his failed marriages.
Chief Medical Examiner: Palmer, played by Brian Dietzen, assisted Ducky from season 1 and took over the post in season 16 when Ducky stepped back to become NCIS historian.
Q 24Before joining Gibbs's NCIS team in season 11, Eleanor 'Ellie' Bishop was an analyst at which intelligence agency?
NSA
Bishop, played by Emily Wickersham, was an NSA analyst who first appears in the season 11 episode 'Gut Check' and stays until season 18.
Q 25What military branch did Leroy Jethro Gibbs serve in before joining NCIS?
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Marine Corps: Gibbs served as a Marine Scout Sniper and left the Corps after his wife and daughter were murdered, joining NIS under Mike Franks; officers address him as 'Gunny'.
Q 26Forensic scientist Abby Sciuto left the main cast at the end of which season (by number)?
15
Abby left at the end of season 15 (2018): she resigned to take MI6 agent Clayton Reeves's body home to England and start a homeless charity in his honour.
Q 27From which country did Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard originate?
Scotland
His cellphone ringtone is bagpipes playing 'Scotland the Brave', and the character was educated at Eton and Edinburgh.
Q 28Which university did Timothy McGee attend, specializing in computer forensics?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Timothy McGee is a highly intelligent agent with a background in computer forensics, having graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Q 29Which two JAG episodes served as the backdoor pilot for NCIS?
"Ice Queen" and "Meltdown"
'Ice Queen' and 'Meltdown' aired on JAG in April 2003 as its season-eight backdoor pilot, introducing Gibbs, DiNozzo, Abby and Ducky five months before NCIS premiered.
Q 30Which NCIS unit does Gibbs run?
Major Case Response Team
The MCRT handles high-visibility crimes tied to the Navy and Marine Corps; the Office of Special Projects is the Los Angeles spin-off's unit.