Skip to main content

A new NCIS spinoff is coming to CBS. NCIS: Sydney, the first international-set entry in the NCIS franchise, follows a joint team of American NCIS agents and Australian Federal Police officers as they investigate naval crimes in one of the most contested parts of the ocean on the planet. Will the new show fill the void left by NCIS, which has had its season 21 premiere date delayed because of the Hollywood strikes? We’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about NCIS: Sydney. 

What is ‘NCIS: Sydney’ about?

In NCIS: Sydney, officers from the AFP – Australia’s equivalent of the FBI  – work hand-in-hand with NCIS agents as part of a multinational task force charged with keeping naval crimes in check. But working together doesn’t mean that everyone gets along, as seen in the trailer (via YouTube) when AFP sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey (Todd Lasance) spars with NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) over who has control over a case. 

“This is my harbor,” he says. 

“And this is my investigation,” she replies. 

Despite their differences, the Americans and Aussies must learn to trust each other, overcoming and harnessing their differences to solve each case. They’ll have to navigate jurisdictional tussles and culture clashes, with Mackey eventually coming to respect JD’s nose for the truth. Meanwhile, he grows to appreciate her maverick style.

CBS has also released a synopsis of the NCIS: Sydney series premiere, and it sounds like a classic NCIS story, albeit one with some unique twists, given the setting, In “Gone Fission” an American seaman is found dead on a U.S. nuclear submarine during an AUKUS ceremony on Sydney Harbour. (AUKUS is the trilateral security partnership between the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.) The sailor’s death is investigated in a joint effort between NCIS agents and the AFP.

‘NCIS: Sydney’ premiere date and how to stream 

NCIS: Sydney premieres Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Episodes will also stream live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers. Paramount+ Essential subscribers can stream new episodes on demand the day after the episode airs.

NCIS: Sydney will premiere on Paramount+ Australia on Friday, Nov. 10. Additional Paramount+ international markets will follow at a later date.

‘NCIS: Sydney’ cast

Todd Lasance as Sergeant Dempsey in 'NCIS: Sydney'
Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim  ‘JD’ Dempsey in ‘NCIS: Sydney’ | Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+

British actor Olivia Swann takes on the lead role of Agent Mackey in NCIS: Sydney. She’s best known for playing Astra Logue in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Todd Lasance plays second-in-command AFP officer Dempsey. Lasance has appeared in The Vampire Diaries, ANZAC Girls, Spartacus: War of the Damned, and the Australian soap opera Home and Away.  

Other NCIS: Sydney cast members include Tuuli Narkle as sassy AFP Constable Evie Cooper, Sean Sagar as endlessly curious Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, William McInnes as curmudgeonly forensic pathologist Doctor Roy Penrose, and Mavournee Hazel as the brilliant young forensic scientist Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson.

‘NCIS: Sydney’ will feel uniquely Australian

Dempsey and Mackey looking at each other in the 'NCIS: Sydney' series premiere.
Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim  ‘JD’ Dempsey and Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey in ‘NCIS: Sydney’ | Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+   
Related

‘NCIS’ Insider Sheds Light on Abby Actor Pauley Perrette’s Exit, Clash With Mark Harmon

NCIS: Sydney is definitely part of the NCIS universe. But the show will have its own unique feel, series boss Morgan O’Neill explained in an interview with TVLine. 

The show will have “a familiar architecture to it, but three-quarters of [the characters] are Australians and that makes for a very, very different experience,” he said. “A lot of the things that Americans take for granted about the world will be put up into relief here a bit, and interrogated.”

NCIS: Sydney also strived to capture “that authentic cultural sensibility of Australia — the colors, the flavor,” O’Neill said. 

“You’ll certainly feel like you’ve been Sydney,” he added. 

Viewers can expect some ‘NCIS’ Easter eggs 

While NCIS is venturing into a whole new part of the world with its latest spinoff, viewers can expect some nods to other shows in the franchise. 

“There are a couple of little Easter eggs there,” O’Neill said. “I won’t spoil them, but they’re definitely there. One of the things that I think audiences love about this show is the fact that it feels like a universe, not individual shows.”

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.

Best in Entertainment