After over 20 years on the air and several spinoffs having broadened the franchise, NCIS has become a massive institution of television, branching out from its original scope to become something bigger than its creative team ever could've imagined. The franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with the announcement of exciting new spinoffs season after season. With the flagship series coming back for NCIS season 24 this fall, a new spinoff will be coming to CBS this year as well, along with new seasons of the existing spinoffs. While each has a similar tone, they tackle different unique experiences.
NCIS began launching spinoffs in 2009 when it first the cast of NCIS: Los Angeles, but the franchise tradition dates back even further than that. NCIS started as a spinoff of the '90s military legal procedural JAG, with a two-part special in 2003 serving as the backdoor pilot. The highly successful offshoot made it a no-brainer for the network to explore expanding the franchise even further. With a new network spinoff coming this fall in NCIS: New York and the franchise's other spinoffs continuing to find success as they move forward, the NCIS franchise is an iconic, consistent ecosystem.
|
NCIS Show |
Years On Air |
|---|---|
|
NCIS |
2003-Present |
|
NCIS: Los Angeles |
2009-2023 |
|
NCIS: Red |
2013 |
|
NCIS: New Orleans |
2014-2021 |
|
NCIS: Hawai'i |
2021-2024 |
|
NCIS: Sydney |
2023-Present |
|
NCIS: Origins |
2024-Present |
|
NCIS: Tony & Ziva |
2025 |
|
NCIS: New York |
2026 |
NCIS
2003-Present
The franchise's flagship premiered as its own show in the fall of 2003. Before that, NCIS was launched as a spinoff of the legal drama JAG, with most of the original Major Case Response Team members appearing in the two-part backdoor pilot. JAG followed a legal team that facilitated justice for United States Marine Corps members. The series had a substantial run on TV, airing 10 seasons in total, but NCIS lasted longer than JAG when the older drama ended in April 2005. The origin of NCIS kick-started a trend of backdoor pilots for the franchise.
NCIS was launched in JAG season 8, episode 20, "Ice Queen," and episode 21, "Meltdown." The episodes introduced Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Pauley Perrette as Abby Sciuto, David McCallum as Donald Mallard, and Michael Weatherly as Anthony DiNozzo. NCIS has since aired for over two decades, with compelling stories expected in season 24 after the shocking events in the season 23 finale. NCIS season 24 will see the return of Weatherly as Tony, bringing a veteran back to the cast after years away and a spinoff of his own.
NCIS
NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.
- Writers
- George Schenck, Frank Cardea, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Don McGill, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh
- Franchise(s)
- NCIS
- Seasons
- 24
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Creator(s)
- Don McGill, Donald P. Bellisario
NCIS: Los Angeles
2009-2023
NCIS would originate its spinoff legacy by introducing the Office of Special Projects in NCIS: Los Angeles. It was launched in 2009 as a spinoff of the flagship show, and, in some ways, NCIS: Los Angeles was an extension of NCIS itself. The original series introduced the special projects team in a two-part backdoor pilot. NCIS characters travel to Los Angeles in NCIS in season 6, episode 22, "Legend Part I," and episode 23, "Legend Part II," to work with the OSP agents, skilled at going undercover and working with the most advanced technology available.
The series introduced beloved characters to the franchise: G. Callen (Chris O'Donnell), Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), Special Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah), and LAPD-NCIS Liaison Officer Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen). Kensi and Deeks had many memorable episodes as the pair had one of the most charming relationships in the franchise. Viewers even witnessed the pair tying the knot in NCIS: Los Angeles season 10, episode 17, "Till Death Do Us Part." It was pivotal for NCIS to allow the lead characters to act on their romantic feelings. The Los Angeles-based series was canceled in 2023 after 14 seasons.
NCIS: Los Angeles began in 2009 and currently has 14 seasons. Created by Shane Brennan, the release is the second installment in the NCIS franchise and the first major spinoff. The premise follows a group of special agents within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they aim to investigate and protect people in the Lost Angeles area.
- Seasons
- 14
NCIS: Red
2013
Following the development of NCIS: Los Angeles, the series attempted to launch a spinoff that never got off the ground. NCIS: Red was a backdoor pilot that aired on NCIS: Los Angeles in 2013, four years after the California-based spinoff premiered. The NCIS: Red team was introduced in NCIS: Los Angeles season 4, episode 18, "Red," and episode 19, "Red-2." The NCIS Red Team is one of several mobile NCIS units designated by color. The series would have featured John Corbett as former Special Agent Roy Haines in the shared NCIS universe.
CBS opted not to pick up NCIS: Red as its own series and would introduce NCIS: New Orleans the following year. Had the series been picked up, it would have marked the dawn of exciting beginnings for the franchise. Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Red Team Paris Summerskill (Kim Raver) would have been the first female lead of an NCIS team depicted in the series. (The honor now belongs to Vanessa Lachey of NCIS: Hawai'i.) It also would have marked the franchise's first fourth-generation spinoff.
NCIS: New Orleans
2014-2021
The franchise cemented a location-based spinoff trend when it introducedthe cast of NCIS: New Orleans. The series was set up onNCISseason 11, episode 18, "Crescent City Part I," and episode 19, "Crescent City Part II." Scott Bakula spearheaded the team of agents as Dwayne Cassius Pride, a former colleague and old friend of Jethro Gibbs. Other team members included Dr. Loretta Wade (CCH Pounder), NCIS Special Agent Tammy Gregorio (Vanessa Ferlito), NCIS Forensic Agent Sebastian Lund (Rob Kerkovich), and Investigative Computer Specialist Patton Plame (Daryl Mitchell).
The show had a pretty good run, airing for seven seasons on CBS and featuring many memorable guest stars on NCIS: New Orleans. Despite introducing fan-favorite characters, NCIS: New Orleans aired its final episode in 2021, making it the first successful spinoff in the NCIS franchise to come to an end. The series introduced characters that could return to the franchise, including a promising NCIS spinoff character, Gregorio, who could replace Jessica Knight in the main series.
NCIS: Hawai’i
2021-2024
The third spinoff was born in Hawai'i when Vanessa Lachey's Jane Tennant became the first official female lead portrayed on NCIS. The cast of NCIS: Hawai'i garnered exciting diversity for the franchise, with Lachey's character also marking the first Asian American lead on NCIS. The cast also featured a relationship between central characters NCIS Junior Special Agent Lucy Tara (Yasmine Al-Bustami) and FBI Special Agent Kate Whistler (Tori Anderson) that brought pivotal LGBTQ+ representation to the franchise.
The introduction of the island-based spinoff marked the NCIS franchise departing from its trend of the flagship series launching spinoffs with backdoor pilots. In 2021, NCIS: Hawai'i premiered on CBS with a cold launch. In 2024, after the announcement that the franchise would be pursuing two new spinoffs based on the original NCIS cast members, CBS made the controversial announcement that NCIS: Hawai'i would not return for season 4. NCIS: Hawai'i's cancelation marked a massive loss for the NCIS franchise, forgoing the positive representation of lead female characters for other endeavors.
NCIS: Hawai'i
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2024-00-00
- Network
- CBS
- Directors
- Tim Andrew, Larry Teng, Christine Moore, LeVar Burton, James Whitmore Jr., Yangzom Brauen, Lionel Coleman, Loren Yaconelli, Norman Buckley, Tawnia McKiernan, Christoph Schrewe, Diana Valentine, Eric Fox Hays, James Bamford, James Hayman, Leslie Hope, Lin Oeding, Lisa Demaine, Tessa Blake, Daniela Ruah, Ruben Garcia, Kevin Berlandi, Kurt Jones
Cast
-
Vanessa LacheyJane Tennant -
Kai Holman
WHERE TO WATCH
NCIS: Hawai'i follows Jane Tennant as she leads a team at NCIS Pearl Harbor. The series centers on investigations of high-stakes crimes involving military personnel and national security, set against the backdrop of Hawaii's island landscape.
- Seasons
- 3
NCIS: Sydney
2023-Present
When it opened an NCIS office in Sydney, Australia, the NCIS franchise offered audiences something completely different. The introduction of NCIS: Sydney marked the fourth spinoff for the franchise, and it was the first time that viewers witnessed internationally-based NCIS agents. The series introduced Special Agent in Charge Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) as the Team Leader of the Australian Federal Police (AFP)/NCIS Sydney Task Force. She works alongside other NCIS: Sydney characters, including the team's second-in-command, AFP sergeant Jim Dempsey (Todd Lasance), known as "JD."
Other characters include NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson (Sean Sagar), AFP liaison officer Constable Evie Cooper (Tuuli Narkle), ex-Austrailian Navy Medic Roy Penrose (William McInnes), and Bluebird "Blue" Gleeson as the team's forensic scientist. The characters experience a more connected storyline in the Sydney-based series, following a central threat narrative throughout the show. NCIS: Sydney also broke from the NCIS backdoor pilot trend, with the characters introducing themselves on their show when it debuted in 2023. The series has already aired a second season, and will premiere a third in 2027.
- Release Date
- November 10, 2023
- Network
- Paramount+
- Showrunner
- Morgan O'Neill
Cast
-
Olivia SwannMichelle Mackey -
Todd LasanceJim 'JD' Dempsey
WHERE TO WATCH
NCIS: Sydney follows a multinational taskforce composed of U.S. NCIS agents and the Australian Federal Police as they collaborate to combat naval crimes in a highly contested region of the ocean.
- Writers
- Andrew Anastasios, James Cripps, Morgan O'Neill
- Franchise(s)
- NCIS
- Seasons
- 3
NCIS: Origins
2024-Present
NCIS presented something truly unique with its NCIS: Origins spinoff. It marked the first time the NCIS franchise will rewind the clock and take viewers back to examine a character's past. The series will follow young Leroy Jethro Gibbs as he starts at the NCIS Camp Pendleton office. The series features Kyle Schmid as young Mike Franks, Gibbs' mentor and former partner. The expansion show has already cast critical members of the Pendleton office, like NCIS Special Agent Vera Strickland. The characters returned to CBS in the 2024-2025 TV cycle, continued in 2025-2026, and will air season 3 this fall.
While the series has a similar focus on the main characters from the flagship, NCIS: Origins took a major risk that NCIS: Tony & Ziva didn't. Rather than Mark Harmon's son, Sean Harmon, returning to the role, Austin Stowell was cast as young Gibbs. It's crucial that the actor offered audiences a performance that struck the right blend of how Gibbs would have acted after his time in the Marine Corps and before his time at NCIS Headquarters. While Mark Harmon didn't originally return as Gibbs, he narrates the series and will be a part of NCIS: Origins season 3.
Set before the original entry in the long-running procedural crime-drama franchise, NCIS: Origins takes place in the 1990s and follows a younger Leroy Gibbs at the beginning of his career. The series will focus more on Gibbs' journey to becoming the star investigator he became in the original series and his relationships with past partners and colleagues.
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Mark Harmon, Sean Harmon
NCIS: Tony & Ziva
2025
The NCIS franchise branched out into a different style of storytelling with its Paramount+ spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva. Catching up with Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) years after their last appearances on NCIS, the former partners and messy romantic pair took on their own story that spanned all over Europe. When their daughter, Tali, was put in danger, Tony and Ziva sprung into action after years away from hunting down criminals and using their investigative skills. While working together wasn't something they anticipated, the former partners fell into a rhythm that proved just how well they work.
With elements of a crime thriller on top of a romance, NCIS: Tony & Ziva was a fun ride through a fast-paced case that kept turning in on itself. The series finally shed light on the relationship between Tony and Ziva post-NCIS, and as it moved through its story, pushed the long-simmering romance into a whole new territory as viewers got the chance to explore how Tony and Ziva's post-show relationship fractured, before coming back together again throughout the spinoff. Sadly, NCIS: Tony & Ziva was canceled after just one season on Paramount+, ending the exciting series.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva follows former NCIS agents Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David as they navigate danger across Europe. When Tony's security company is attacked, the pair must uncover their pursuers and rekindle their trust to secure a future together.
NCIS: New York
2026-Present
NCIS's newest spinoff, NCIS: New York, will premiere in the fall 2026 season. Bringing Sam Hanna back to the franchise, the newest series will follow as he returns to his home city and begins leading New York City's field team. With Scott Caan of Hawaii Five-0, joining as Hanna's partner Nick Schaeffer, the series will be bringing a whole new team to the franchise with a cast of Jennifer Beals as Robyn Wells, Jacqueline Byers as Addison "Addy" Ross, Shane Harper as Wyatt Hill, and Devin Druid as Sean Sullivan. The series will bring a whole new NCIS to life.
- Release Date
- October 6, 2026
- Network
- CBS
- Directors
- Eagle Egilsson, Adam Davidson
Cast
-
LL Cool JSam Hanna
-
Scott CaanNick Schaeffer -
Jennifer BealsRobyn Wells -
Jacqueline ByersAddison Ross
- Writers
- R. Scott Gemmill
- Creator(s)
- R. Scott Gemmill