The NCIS franchise is gearing up to celebrate its monumental 1,000th episode airing on April 15th, a remarkable milestone overseen by CBS Studios President David Stapf. Stapf’s involvement spans every single episode, dating back to the inception of the mothership series. Originating as two back-door pilot episodes within the existing show JAG, which aired in April 2003, Stapf played a pivotal role from day one. He spearheaded casting sessions, vividly recalling Pauley Perrette’s standout audition that secured her the role of Abby.
Initially facing tough competition against Fox’s powerhouse American Idol, NCIS, centered around a lesser-known branch of the U.S. military, had a modest start, ranking #26 in its inaugural season. However, by Season 7, it surged to become the most-watched TV drama, holding its ground against Idol. Remarkably, within three seasons, it claimed the title of the most-watched program overall, dominating both primetime and syndication.
CBS’ Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach joined the NCIS journey in Season 8, initially as the day-to-day current executive on the show, where she quickly became a devoted fan. By that time, NCIS had already birthed one spinoff, NCIS: LA, followed by NCIS: New Orleans in 2014. The franchise continued to expand with its first female-led offshoot, NCIS: Hawai’i, premiering in 2021. It further diversified with the introduction of the first international installment, NCIS: Sydney, last year. The franchise’s forthcoming projects include the prequel NCIS: Origins for CBS, helmed by executive producer and narrator Mark Harmon, starring Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the 1990s. Additionally, there’s an Europe-set Tony & Ziva spinoff in the works for Paramount+, featuring NCIS alumni Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo.
These recent additions solidify NCIS as the largest procedural franchise ever with five ongoing series. They are expected to amplify the franchise’s global viewership, which was estimated to exceed 300 million viewers in 2023 by CBS Studios. The franchise’s reach extends across over 200 markets worldwide, with an astounding U.S. viewership tally of 4.37 trillion minutes viewed.
In an interview with Deadline, both Stapf and Reisenbach, who ascended to the CBS Entertainment president role in November 2022, delve into the expansion of the NCIS universe. They discuss the genesis of the latest spinoffs, including the rationale behind Tony & Ziva landing on Paramount+, and hint at potential crossovers. The duo also provides updates on the Tony & Ziva spinoff’s development, production schedule, and potential casting additions, alongside insights into the renewal status of NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i. Harmon’s potential return to NCIS or Origins, as well as the possibility of Perrette and Scott Bakula rejoining the franchise, are also addressed. They share future plans for additional NCIS installments and contemplate the franchise’s growth potential.
DEADLINE: NCIS: Sydney just got picked up yesterday for a second season. What about NCIS and NCIS Hawai’i? Are you already working on their renewals?
REISENBACH: Like we talked about it a couple months ago, NCIS is a cornerstone of our schedule. The actors love doing it, and the writers continue to fire on all cylinders. As far as the future, we’re thrilled to have them on the air and they want to keep doing it, so we’re going to keep doing it.
DEADLINE: So it’s looking good for NCIS and Hawai’i to come back next season?
REISENBACH: It’s still only March, and we haven’t made all of our deals and decision-making so it’s a little early to officially confirm anything.
DEADLINE: Sydney was used as strike contingency last fall. What was the impetus to bring it back to CBS with the strike over? Are you going to use it as a summer series?
REISENBACH: I can’t tell you where it’s going to air yet because we haven’t figured that out to be honest. Again, that’s sort of the too soon to tell category. But the show resonated, it was the number one show until we brought back the rest of the schedule. It came on and did really well without much of our launch platform.
We orchestrated an exceptional launch campaign, which you may recall, featuring captivating upside-down promos aired during football games, garnering significant attention. Given its impressive performance despite minimal original programming surrounding its debut, it undoubtedly deserves a spot back on the schedule at some point in the future.