Some ‘NCIS’ Fans Think the ‘Sydney’ Spinoff Means the Flagship Is ‘Nearing the End’

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• NCIS recently announced another spinoff following the success of Los Angeles and Hawai’i.
• The new spinoff — NCIS: Sydney — will air on Paramount+ Australia.
• The news has some fans concerned about the future of the flagship series.

NCIS is heading down under with the new spinoff series NCIS: Sydney. This is the latest installment in the NCIS franchise, which also has spinoffs set in Los Angeles and Hawai’i. Plus the flagship that takes place in Washington D.C. Despite the franchise expansion, the new announcement has some fans worried that this means the original series is “nearing the end.”

The ‘NCIS’ spinoff is being made for Paramount+ Australia

During the recent ViacomCBS investor day event, it was announced that the first international edition of NCIS was in development. But, the series won’t air on CBS. Instead, the spinoff is in development for Paramount+ Australia and Network 10.

However, according to TVLine, the series does have the potential to play on other Paramount+ platforms around the world. NCIS: Sydney will reportedly feature local stories with Aussie actors and producers, and it will be filmed on location in the scenic Australian harbor city. Attached to the project is NCIS: Los Angeles creator Shane Brennan, who happens to be Australian.

The spinoff will help ‘expand the studio footprint’

The other project announced at the event was a standalone SEAL Team movie. According to George Cheeks — president and CEO of CBS and Chief Content Officer for news and sports at Paramount+ — NCIS: Sydney and the SEAL Team movie “represent new ways” that they are expanding their “studio footprint” while supporting the company’s mission to drive streaming.

“We have the producing roster, production infrastructure, and deep library to be creative and nimble with franchises and other IP for both domestic and international audiences,” Cheeks said in a statement.

Some fans think the flagship series is ‘nearing the end’ after ‘NCIS: Sydney’ announcement

NCIS: Sydney will be the fourth spinoff in the franchise after Los Angeles, Hawaii, and the now-canceled NCIS: New Orleans. After hearing the news of the expansion, some die-hard fans voiced their concerns that the franchise is spreading itself too thin. And a few voiced their concerns that the new spinoff could mean the flagship series NCIS is “nearing the end.”

“How many NCIS shows are too many?” one fan asked on Reddit. “Original is nearing the end as is NCIS LA. NCIS Hawaii is enjoyable but who knows if it’s coming back.”

Are fans losing interest after Mark Harmon’s exit?

Ratings for NCIS have remained relatively steady during season 19, despite the departure of series lead Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs). But some fans on social media believe CBS might be done with the flagship series since the focus seems to be on the spin-offs and streaming.

“I’m not sure how I feel about it. I live in Australia and think we have some amazing actors and actresses but not sure how it will all work,” one skeptical fan wrote. “I sort of wish they would spend the time and money on fixing the original series which seems to have slipped a bit.”

Another added, “I am sorry but this doesn’t interest me one bit. I don’t have Paramount+ anyway, so…”

Will there be crossovers with ‘NCIS: Sydney’?

Despite the lukewarm response from fans on social media about the NCIS: Sydney announcement, some are asking for a crossover. Which has become an NCIS franchise tradition.

“This is very exciting and will be very interesting to see who stars in this,” one fan wrote. “And if there’ll be any crossover episodes with @NCIS_CBS @NCISLA @NCISHawaiiCBS? Haven’t been this excited since they did JAG episodes in Sydney.”

Another fan wondered: “Will Special agent Tony Dinozzo come for a visit down under?”

NCIS: Sydney will premiere on Paramount+ Australia in 2023. New episodes of NCIS air Monday nights on CBS.