Summary
NCIShas become a massive television institution, with many spinoffs branching out from the original series throughout its 21 years of production. The franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with the announcement of exciting new spinoffs currently in pre-production and the renewal ofNCISseason 22. While the spinoffs have a similar tone as they stem from the same flagship series, they comprise key differences that offer unique viewing experiences and strong characters.
NCISbegan launching spinoffs in 2009 when it first introducedthe cast ofNCIS: Los Angeles,but the franchise tradition dates back even further than that.NCISstarted as a spinoff of the ’90s military legal proceduralJAG, 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 two more series coming to CBS and Paramount+, it’s worth looking at everything that makes eachNCISseries stand out against the rest.
The Best NCIS Episode From Each Of The Show’s 21 Seasons
The best NCIS episodes from each of the show’s 21 seasons pushed memorable characters like Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Tony DiNozzo to their limits.
8NCIS
NCIS premiered in 2003 and is currently airing
The franchise’s flagship premiered as its own show in the fall of 2003. Before that,NCISwas launched as a spinoff of the legal dramaJAG,with most of the original Major Case Response Team members appearing in the two-part backdoor pilot.JAGfollowed 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, butNCISlasted longer thanJAGwhen the older drama ended in April 2005. The origin ofNCISkick-started a trend of backdoor pilots for the franchise.
NCISwas launched inJAGseason 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.NCIShas since aired for over two decades, with compelling stories expected in season 22 after the shocking events in the season 21 finale.NCISseason 22 will feature McGee and Jimmy, whose actors Sean Murray and Brian Dietzen have been with the show since season 1.
NCIS
Cast
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.
7NCIS: Los Angeles
NCIS: Los Angeles premiered in 2009 and ran until 2023
NCISwould originate its spinoff legacy by introducing the Office of Special Projects inNCIS: Los Angeles.It was launched in 2009 as a spinoff of the flagship show, and, in some ways,NCIS: Los Angeleswas an extension ofNCISitself. The original series introduced the special projects team in a two-part backdoor pilot.NCIScharacters travel to Los Angeles inNCISin 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 episodesas the pair had one of the most charming relationships in the franchise. Viewers even witnessed the pair tying the knot inNCIS: Los Angelesseason 10, episode 17, “Till Death Do Us Part.” It was pivotal forNCIS to allowthe lead characters to act on their romantic feelings. The Los Angeles-based series was canceled in 2023 after 14 seasons.
NCIS: Los Angeles
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.
6NCIS: Red
NCIS: Red’s backdoor pilot aired on NCIS: Los Angeles in 2013
Following the development ofNCIS: Los Angeles,the series attempted to launch a spinoff that never got off the ground.NCIS: Redwas a backdoor pilot that aired onNCIS: Los Angelesin 2013, four years after the California-based spinoff premiered.TheNCIS: Redteam was introduced inNCIS: Los Angelesseason 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 inthe sharedNCISuniverse.
CBS opted not to pick upNCIS: Redas its own series and would introduceNCIS: New Orleansthe 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 ofNCIS: Hawai’i.) It also would have marked the franchise’s first fourth-generation spinoff.
5NCIS: New Orleans
NCIS: New Orleans premiered in 2014 and ran until 2021
The franchise cemented a location-based spinoff trend when it introducedthe cast ofNCIS: 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 memorableguest stars onNCIS: New Orleans. Despite introducing fan-favorite characters,NCIS: New Orleansaired its final episode in 2021, making it the first successful spinoff in theNCISfranchise to come to an end. The series introduced characters that could return to the franchise, including a promisingNCISspinoff character, Gregorio, who could replace Jessica Knight in the main series.
NCIS: New Orleans
The third series in the NCIS franchise, NCIS: New Orleans is a crime drama television series that aired for seven seasons from 2014-2021 on CBS. The police procedural show follows the work of a New Orleans-based team of NCIS Special Agents led by Supervisory Special Agent Dwayne “King” Cassius Pride, played by Scott Bakula. The cast also includes CCH Pounder, Rob Kerkovich, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Lucas Black, and Vanessa Ferlito, among others.
4NCIS: Hawai’i
NCIS: Hawai’i premiered in 2021 and ran until 2024
The third spinoff was born in Hawai’i when Vanessa Lachey’s Jane Tennant became the first official female lead portrayed onNCIS.The cast ofNCIS: Hawai’igarnered exciting diversity for the franchise, with Lachey’s character also marking the first Asian American lead onNCIS. 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 theNCISfranchise departing from its trend of the flagship series launching spinoffs with backdoor pilots. In 2021,NCIS: Hawai’ipremiered on CBS with a cold launch. In 2024, after the announcement that the franchise would be pursuing two new spinoffs based on the originalNCIScast members, CBS made the controversial announcement thatNCIS: Hawai’iwould not return for season 4.NCIS: Hawai’i’scancelation marked a massive loss for theNCISfranchise, forgoing the positive representation of lead female characters for other endeavors.
NCIS: Hawaii
NCIS: Hawaii is the fourth spin-off of the police procedural series NCIS. It follows a team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents as they investigate a wide variety of difficult and shocking crimes. Vanessa Lachey stars as Jane Tennant alongside Alex Tarrant as Kai Holman, Noah Mills as Jesse Boone, Tori Anderson as Kate Whistler, Yasmine Al-Bustami as Lucy Tara, and Jason Antoon as Ernie Malik.
3NCIS: Sydney
NCIS: Sydney premiered in 2023 and is currently airing
When it opened an NCIS office in Sydney, Australia, theNCISfranchise offered audiences something completely different. The introduction ofNCIS: Sydneymarked 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 otherNCIS: Sydneycharacters, 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: Sydneyalso broke from theNCISbackdoor pilot trend, with the characters introducing themselves on their show when it debuted in 2023. The story will continue for the Aussie-based characters, asNCIS: Sydneywas renewed for season 2.
NCIS: Sydney
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.
2NCIS: Tony & Ziva
Production on NCIS: Tony & Ziva will begin in summer 2024
The franchise will offer viewers something new with itsNCIS: Tony & Zivaspinoff. The limited series will air on Paramount+ and deliver a more serialized narrative, with Tony and Ziva bringing exciting firsts to theNCISfranchise. The story will finally pick up where Tony and Ziva left off after they exited the series in seasons 11 and 13, respectively.Michael Weatherly’s departure occurred inNCISseason 13, episode 24, “Family First,” and it remains one of the most popular episodes ever.
The spinoff could fix abig problem with Tony and Ziva’sNCISromancewith a more streamlined narrative centered on the two characters. WhileCote de Pablo returned toNCISin season 17, the couple had not personally revealed the status of their family on the small screen. When Tony and Ziva were last heard from on the flagship series, they lived in Paris with their daughter, Tali David-DiNozzo. That said, the couple’s reunion was never shown on TV, giving viewers much to look forward to when the show streams.
1NCIS: Origins
NCIS: Origins will premiere in September 2024
NCISwill present something truly unique with itsNCIS: Originsspinoff. It marks the first time theNCISfranchise 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 will featureKyle 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 will return to CBS in the 2024-2025 TV cycle.
While it has a similar focus on the main characters from the flagship,NCIS: Originsis taking a major riskthatNCIS: Tony & Zivaisn’t. Rather than Mark Harmon’s son, Sean Harmon, returning to the role, Austin Stowell was cast as young Gibbs. It will be crucial that the actor offers audiences a performance that strikes the right blend of how Gibbs would have acted after his time in the Marine Corps and before his time at NCIS Headquarters to give viewers a fluid experience. WhileMark Harmon will not return as Gibbs, he will narrate the series.
NCIS: Origins
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.
