It may be the most anticipated season premiere of the fall, though for a very depressing reason:

Cote de Pablo will exit NCIS following the September 24th opener.

And in anticipation of the episode, CBS has released the first photo from "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," along with an official network synopsis. First, check out Mark Harmon (as Gibbs, of course) alongside special guest star Colin Hanks, who will portray Department of Defense IG Investigator Richard Parsons.

As for what fans can expect from the NCIS Season 11 premiere, aside from a lot of tear-shedding? Here is the CBS description:

An explosion at a D.C. event that results in a casualty connected to the agency changes Parsons’ perspective on Gibbs and the NCIS team.  Meanwhile, without badges, DiNozzo and McGee investigate the case as civilians, despite the case’s dangerous ties to each of them.

UPDATE: CBS has also released the first official premiere promo:

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.