Every NCIS Franchise Team Leader, Ranked

Published Jul 27, 2026, 9:45 PM EDT Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV. The NCIS franchise has managed to bring some of the most interesting characters on network TV to life, but some of the franchise leaders are better for their teams than others. Throughout the run of the NCIS franchise, which technically started as a spinoff of the popular CBS procedural JAG, several spinoffs have come and go, extending the franchise into a global phenomenon. With spinoffs expanding into new cities and different timelines, NCIS has covered a ton of ground throughout its long run. NCIS shows have aired since 2003, and even through cast changes, shows no signs of slowing down. Within each NCIS series, there's a specific team structure that helps keep the show's formula on track. With agents working in a team structure or a tandem pair out in the field, each NCIS squad features a specific leader to take charge of their group and ensure they're on the right path. While some NCIS team leaders are memorable, others took a back seat to their teams. Each spinoff and new series welcomes a different variation on what a team lead looks like, whether it be strong and silent or gregarious and strategic, and each has their own unique strengths. 10 Owen Granger NCIS: Los Angeles While Granger, played by Miguel Ferrer, started off as an unlikable character on NCIS: Los Angeles, he eventually grew to a point where his team was able to learn to like him. Joining the series during NCIS: Los Angeles season 3, Granger was untrustworthy from the beginning of his run working with the team, and as a result, it took a long time for people to feel like they could warm up to him as a leader, especially because of his questioning nature when it came to Hetty's leadership. While Granger was a great team member, his leadership was lacking. 9 Hollace Kilbride NCIS: Los Angeles Another NCIS: Los Angeles character, Hollace Kilbride (Gerald McRaney), was a much more likable piece of the show's puzzle for a time. While Kilbride wasn't on the show for long, only filling in for Hetty on occasion starting during NCIS: Los Angeles season 6 and continuing through the show's end. While the retired US Navy Admiral was only a recurring guest star, Kilbride was a fair leader, but his leadership changed the team's dynamic far too much for him to step in and out of the role too consistently as the series continued on and the team changed or grew. 8 Michelle Mackey NCIS: Sydney As the lead of the NCIS: Sydney team, Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) has a direct, no-nonsense style of leadership that's shaped by her experience in high pressure situations. As the only NCIS team leader who's dealing with a multinational task force, Mackey has a lot on her plate and does share that with others, but she prioritizes her team as she works through intricate cases that deal with multiple levels of government. Mackey is decisive and confident, but her bluntness can make her tough to deal with in a team aspect, even though it earns her respect from her peers. 7 Dwayne "King" Cassius Pride NCIS: New Orleans Although Dwayne "King" Cassius Pride is one of the most highly debated leaders in the NCIS franchise, but despite the fact that he was sometimes a slightly more self-absorbed leader for the NCIS: New Orleans team, he was dedicated to keeping his home safe. The New Orleans iteration of NCIS was a different, slightly more stylized version of the series, and in taking on that tone, needed a specific leader in place. Pride, played by Scott Bakula, trusted his instincts more than the facts sometimes, which made him a leader who was oftentimes difficult to follow for his larger team. 6 Jane Tennant NCIS: Hawaii As the first female team lead in the NCIS franchise, Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) had a glass ceiling to break. A collaborative, people-focused leader who balanced demanding investigations with the responsibilities of raising a family, Tennant was a proponent of open communication in all aspects of her life. Looking for input from her team, it did feel like Tennant was a very different leader than those who came before her, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing when it comes to NCIS as a franchise. Tennant's trust in her agents was a breath of fresh air on NCIS: Hawaii. 5 Mike Franks NCIS: Origins ©CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection A leader from the old-school days of NCIS, Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) is a relic of the past. As the team leader on NCIS: Origins, Franks uses an older style of leadership that's built on accountability, trying to ensure that his agents are tough and experienced when they go into any situation. Working with the team when it was still known as NIS rather than NCIS, Franks is blunt, intimidating, and uncompromising in his beliefs, but he has a genuine desire to keep his agents ready for anything they'll encounter. Franks builds a loyal team, and stands by his agents. 4 Alden Parker NICS Paramount Press As Gibbs' replacement on NCIS, many were uncertain about how they'd feel about Alden Parker (Gary Cole). While he is, effectively, the anti-Gibbs, Parker's become a great leader in his own right over the course of the past seasons. Working with different agents than Gibbs started out with, Parker has been able to bring a more approachable style of leadership into the mix with the MCRT. Leading with humor and emotional intelligence, Parker's an adaptable leader who stays open to every possibility until a case is solved. Giving the MCRT more independence as he leads, Parker's had a huge impact. 3 Henrietta "Hetty" Lange NCIS: Los Angeles CBS As one of the best characters in the NCIS franchise, Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt) leads from the shadows, but does a phenomenal job with the team she works with. While she's not a traditional leader on NCIS: Los Angeles, Hetty is able to work with her team in ways that show a careful sense of planning and a meticulous understanding of both the agents she works with and the adversaries they're up against. Hetty's level of knowledge is higher than most, and her commanding sense of leadership feels earned, even if it doesn't seem like it, on NCIS: Los Angeles. 2 G. Callen NCIS: Los Angeles While G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell) wasn't always the leader of NCIS: Los Angeles' field team, he was always a voice of leadership in the group. After years of experience, Callen gets the chance to develop into the capable, thoughtful leader that always lived within him. Valuing teamwork and trust, Callen's ability to adapt to any situation makes him a great leader, especially when he's able to ensure that he doesn't let his own emotions get in the way of his judgment. Despite not being the most veteran NCIS supervisor, Callen's leadership is nearly unmatched within the franchise as a whole. 1 Leroy Jethro Gibbs NCIS Ron Jaffe/©CBS/Courtesy: Everett Collection As the original leader of the NCIS franchise, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) is the best of the best when it comes to leadership. While Gibbs sometimes feels like a more isolated lone wolf in his work, his care for his team and his understanding of how to handle every situation makes him a dependable, smart, intentional leader. Gibbs' stubborn streak is only out measured by his loyalty to those he works for, and he understands his team in a way that no other NCIS leader does. The rest of the franchise has always had to compete with Gibbs. Created by Donald P. Bellisario, Don McGill First TV Show NCIS Latest TV Show NCIS: Sydney Upcoming TV Shows NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Tony & Ziva First Episode Air Date September 23, 2003 Cast Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, Cote de Pablo, Sean Murray, Rocky Carroll, Brian Dietzen, Wilmer Valderrama The NCIS franchise is an American media franchise that focuses on military-related criminal investigations by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It began with NCIS in 2003, a spin-off from JAG, and has since expanded to include multiple spin-offs set across different locations.