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NCIS has been at the top of the network ratings for years. But in season 20, the numbers have taken a significant hit. The long-running police procedural’s recent fall finale — which aired December 5 on CBS — saw the ratings tank. And the spinoffs aren’t faring any better. Both NCIS: Hawai’i and NCIS: Los Angeles are also losing viewers.

NCIS Season 20 stars Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee, Noah Mills as Jesse Boone, Wilmer Valderrama as Special Agent Nicholas Nick Torres, and Katrina Law as NCIS Special Agent Jessica Knight
Sean Murray, Noah Mills, Wilmer Valderrama, and Katrina Law | Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images

The ‘NCIS’ Season 20 fall finale sees ratings tank

The NCIS Season 20 fall finale drew an estimated 6.4 million viewers in its Monday night time slot, per Spoiler TV. And for the season, the show is averaging just 6.555 million live viewers each week. This is a significant 10.5 percent drop from just a year ago.

This is the first full season without Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs), which could explain the ratings decrease. His departure was the latest in a string of major cast changes that have occurred over the past few seasons. And after nearly 20 years on the air, it looks like fans are starting to lose interest.

Throughout the 2010’s, NCIS was consistently at the top of the ratings and regularly drew 12 to 15 million live viewers. It was considered TV’s most-watched drama for years, but the show has officially lost that title.

The spinoffs have also seen a ratings decline

Spinoff NCIS: Hawai’i is currently in its second season, and airs on Monday nights after the flagship series. Its final episode of 2022 drew an estimated 4.5 million viewers, which is also a dip from last year.

Between NCIS and the Hawai’i spinoff, both shows are averaging smaller audiences than last year and the key demographics are down. The only good news is that they were the highest-rated network shows on Monday night. 

NCIS beat out The Voice on NBC, The Great Christmas Light Fight on ABC, The Cleaning Lady on Fox, and The Waltons Homecoming Movie on the CW. NCIS: Hawai’i had better numbers than The Good Doctor on ABC, and That’s My Jam on NBC.

As for NCIS: Los Angeles — which is currently airing Season 14 on Sunday nights — its numbers are the worst of all. The show is averaging just 4.119 million viewers each weekend, which is down a whopping 22.74 percent from last year.

It’s time for another ‘NCIS’ Season 20 crossover

All three shows are now on their winter hiatus and won’t return with new episodes until the new year. To get a ratings boost to start 2023, there will be a major crossover event with all three shows. The break ends on Monday, January 2, and it will mark the first time ever that all three shows have aired on the same night on CBS.

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‘NCIS’ Fans Think They Know Exactly How the Show Should Come to An End

The evening will begin with a new episode of NCIS, followed by Hawai’i, and then Los Angeles to wrap things up. The storyline throughout the night that will bring everyone together will be the death of a beloved professor who taught characters from each of the shows.

The man’s death is staged as a suicide, but all of his students-turned-NCIS agents have a different theory.

NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i, and NCIS: Los Angeles are now streaming on Paramount+.

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