Summary
I’m starting to get nervous about the future of anNCISspinoff series because of a trend sweeping the franchise. Launched in 2003 on CBS, the evolvingNCISfranchisecomprises eightshows, with the original having 21 seasons under its belt. Despite the longevity of the flagship series,many of the spinoffs have ended in recent years. The cancelations follow a trend shifting the nature of whatNCISpresents to its audience. Following the new trend I’ve seen throughout the franchise, one series could get the ax asNCISprogresses into the future.
NCIShas an impressive track record. It recently celebrated the1000th episode ofNCISbetween the flagship and its many spinoffs. However, many of the series that helped to establish the franchise’s strong past will not blaze forward into its future. Only one of the series that helped the franchise achieve its massive feat will continue in the 2024-2025 TV cycle, which boasts threeNCISseries. Instead, the franchise is introducing entirelynew content that is changing the future of the sharedNCISuniverse.
15 Best Episodes Of NCIS From All 21 Seasons, Ranked
NCIS has hundreds of episodes to enjoy throughout its 21 seasons, but some segments naturally rise to the top as the cream of the crop.
NCIS Departing From Their Location-Based Premise Makes Me Nervous For NCIS: Sydney
NCIS: Sydney Was Filmed On-Location In Sydney, Australia
I’ve seen a trend ofNCIScanceling its location-based spinoff series, which makes me nervous aboutNCIS: Sydney’s future. The Australian-based series premiered in 2023 during the writer’s strike, which prevented CBS from producing its regular roster of fall shows.NCIS: Sydneyfilled a vital content need during the 2023-2024 TV cycle, which broadcasted primarily reruns. Since it was shot on location, utilizing local sites provided the series with stunning scenery. Still, the series' focus on Sydney adheres to theNCISfranchise’s former tradition of producing spinoffs with a location-oriented premise, from which it is rapidly departing.
NCIS: Sydneywill premiere on CBS during the 2024-2025 TV season, taking over forBlue Bloodsmid-season.
I can sense the series' mixed reception, but I thought the wayNCIS: Sydneyutilized the local landscapeand other assets to produce a series that filled a severe demand for programming was impressive.NCIS: Sydney’s relevant premisemixed American and Australian agents in Sydney Harbor, forming the AFP/NCIS Sydney Task Force. The series felt true toNCISin its most classic form, emulating the best characteristics of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team from the first fewNCISseasons. That said, the Sydney-centered series emulating the original series without distinctive character connections to theNCISflagship could be devastating.
NCIS: Sydney Is The Franchise’s Final Location-Based Spinoff
NCIS: Sydney Is The Only NCIS Spinoff That Has A Location-Oriented Premise
The most concerning element is thatNCIS: Sydneyis a location-based spinoff;theNCISfranchise has canceled every other location-based seriesit ever created. As the last one of its kind,NCIS: Sydneycould face the same devastating conclusion that all otherNCISspinoff shows have encountered, ultimately facing cancelation.NCIS: Sydneyending in the next year or so would follow the trend theNCISfranchise has established, effectively closing the chapter of opening NCIS offices in new locations. That said,NCIS: Sydneyhas a few redeeming qualities that make me think it could stay.
Primarily,NCIS: Sydney’s most substantial assets for staying afloat are the aspects of the series that initially distinguished itfrom the other location-based series. For instance,NCIS: Sydneywas the first location-based series, or anyNCISseries for that matter, to introduce serialized storytelling. As such,every episode ofNCIS: Sydneyis more connected, giving viewers a more immersive, continuous experience. Additionally,NCIS: Sydneyintroduced an international presence and aired to a global audience. It leans into another franchise trend, highlighting NCIS offices outside the United States, like the Far East office inNCIS.
Which NCIS Location-Based Spinoff The NCIS Franchise Has Already Canceled
The Cameras Are Off At Fictional NCIS Offices Around The United States
It’s been sad to watchNCIScanceling some of their most beloved series, all with a location-oriented premise. The franchise first canceledNCIS: New Orleansin 2021, bidding the Bayou-based series farewell after seven seasons on CBS. Then, the franchise decided to pull the plug onNCIS: Los Angelesin 2023. The series was the universe’s most established location-based series, with 14 seasons. Finally, in 2024,CBS canceledNCIS: Hawai’i.The series was the newest franchise installment, only airing for only three seasons. Despite this, I think there are several reasonsNCIS: Hawai’i’s cancelation was a mistake.
2009-2023
2014-2021
NCIS: Hawai’i
2021-2024
Thecancelation ofNCIS: Hawai’ibefore season 4was the most surprising, as the series brought refreshing aspects to the franchise that distinguished it from other shows.Vanessa Lachey was the first female lead for theNCISfranchiseand the first Asian American to lead anNCISseries. The series also centered on a relationship between two women, bringing rich diversity to the characters ofNCIS: Hawai’i.NCISwould repeat a devastating mistake they made when canceling Lachey’s series if they endSydney.NCIS: Sydney’s Special Agent Michelle Mackey is now the only female lead in theNCISfranchise.
NCIS Is Prioritizing More Nostalgic Content With NCIS: Origins And NCIS: Tony & Ziva
The NCIS Franchise Is Bringing Back Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, and Cote de Pablo
All the cancelations have favored more nostalgia-oriented content from theNCISfranchise. For instance, the franchise willreplaceNCIS: Hawai’i’s CBS Monday night slot with a new spinoff series calledNCIS: Origins.The series will explore the backstory of Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon in the flagship series for nearly two decades. That said,NCIS: Originscast Austin Stowell as young Gibbs, reviving the central character’s story to travel back in time, and as such,NCIS: Originsis the franchise’s first prequel series. Moreover,Originsis the first spinoffNCISlaunched that doesn’t orient around location.
Mark Harmon will return to theNCISfranchise to narrateNCIS: Origins.
TheNCISfranchise has one more series in the works. It, too, will disregard a location-oriented premise in favor of nostalgia and original characters.NCIS: Tony & Zivawill continueTony and Ziva’sNCISromanceon Paramount+. The love story gradually played out in the flagship series, but it ended abruptly when Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly exited the series within a few years of each other inNCISseasons 11 and 13, respectively. Their story continued off-screen, butNCIS: Tony & Zivawill revive the love story for a proper on-screen portrayal for viewers.
All ofNCIS’latest installments depart from the most basic premise of how the franchise created its spinoff seriesin the past.NCISfavored location-oriented premises, launching new NCIS offices in different parts of the US for various purposes. The franchise has made a definitive shift, favoring content that elicits nostalgia. DespiteNCIS: Sydneyseason 2 returning in the fall, I worry about the future of the franchise’s ultimate location-based series. I hope my concern isn’t warranted, sinceNCIS: Sydneyfeatures innovative elements that distinguish it from past spinoffs.
NCIS: Sydney
Cast
NCIS: Sydney is an Australian crime-police procedural series and is another spin-off in the long-running NCIS franchise. The series is set in Sydney, Australia, and follows Special Agent-in-Charge Michelle Mackey as she and her fellow partners deal with various high-profile cases and crimes.
