As the NCIS franchise gears up to film its remarkable 1,000th overall episode, the future appears bright for the long-running flagship series.
Before the Season 21 premiere of NCIS on Monday, Feb. 12, CBS entertainment chief Amy Reisenbach expressed optimism about the show’s longevity, stating, “I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. It’s a fantastic cast with a fantastic writing staff that’s been there a really long time. So, as long as they want to keep it going, we’re thrilled to be on the NCIS train…. [W]e hope to continue on for quite a while.”
In the last TV season, NCIS averaged 9.9 million total viewers with Live+7 playback, making it not only TV’s most-watched drama but also marking the largest audience for any 2022-23 entertainment program.
Addressing fans of NCIS: Sydney, Reisenbach promised forthcoming news regarding the Australia-set spinoff’s potential Season 2. Season-to-date, NCIS: Sydney has been averaging 6.6 million viewers and a 0.43 demo rating (with Live+7 playback). It stands as CBS’ most-watched entertainment program of the current strikes-delayed TV season and is second only to CBS’s 60 Minutes in total audience among all shows.
Reisenbach expressed enthusiasm about NCIS: Sydney’s success, stating, “We’re thrilled with how NCIS: Sydney did. It’s not just a win for CBS but it’s really a win for all of Paramount, for Paramount+, for Paramount International…. I feel really positive, and there will be news to come soon.”
While Reisenbach did not provide insights into NCIS: Hawai’i (which starts its third season on Feb. 12), she did share details about the recently greenlit NCIS: Origins, a prequel series that will focus on a yet-to-be-cast, circa-1991 Leroy Jethro Gibbs, with original portrayer Mark Harmon narrating.
“NCIS: Origins is really different than any of the other NCISes,” Reisenbach revealed. “It’s a little edgier and grittier [and] it’s got a serialized element of it that we’re really excited about.”
