The latest spinoff, NCIS: Sydney, takes the Naval Crime Investigative Services down under, but will there be a season 2 of the series?
The latest spinoff, NCIS: Sydney has the potential to grow the beloved procedural franchise across the globe, and here’s everything to know about a second season. Like its American predecessors, NCIS: Sydney follows the members of Naval Crime Investigative Services, but this time they are teaming up with Australia’s Federal Police to respond to the rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. The newest series comes as the fourth spinoff of the popular original show, which continues to draw in hundreds of millions of viewers even as it enters its second decade on the air.
NCIS: Sydney’s path has been somewhat complicated, as the Australian-produced series was not originally meant to take such a prominent spot in CBS’ fall lineup. However, the lengthy Hollywood strikes caused all of CBS’ original programming to miss their fall return times, and NCIS: Sydney was pushed to Paramount+ and CBS to fill the void. NCIS was finally given a new release date in 2024, but all eyes have been on the new spinoff as it stands alone on CBS and Paramount+. Initial reviews have been tepid but positive, and NCIS: Sydney season 2 is a distinct possibility based solely on the overwhelming success of the franchise itself.
Will NCIS: Sydney Season 2 Happen?
As yet, no announcement has come regarding the future of NCIS: Sydney, and a second season has not been confirmed by CBS. However, the spotlight the show is receiving by being the only CBS fall debut has a chance to catapult the show’s popularity and help ensure a second outing. The NCIS parent series will be airing its 21st season in February 2024, which is an impressive run even for the procedural genre which tends to produce long-running series.
Even in its remarkable second decade on the air, the NCIS franchise proves to be a powerhouse in weekly TV ratings, even if critics have never been too high on the procedural format in general. Every spinoff of the popular original series has earned more than one season, with NCIS: Los Angeles running for 14 years, NCIS: New Orleans for seven, and even NCIS: Hawaii being greenlit for a third in 2024. This trend bodes well for NCIS: Sydney season 2, since the too-big-to-fail franchise has yet to produce a show that didn’t take off.
How NCIS: Sydney Connects To The Franchise
Unlike other spinoffs that received backdoor pilots, NCIS: Sydney is being launched cold with little to no buildup. With that said, the newest spinoff does still connect to the original series in subtle ways, and NCIS: Sydney season 1 will feature Easter eggs that make references to the rest of the franchise. Series creator Morgan O’Neil spoke about the new spinoff, saying “it feels like a universe, not individual shows”, and it’s clear that NCIS: Sydney has its own identity. Though Easter eggs are all fans can expect for now, a potential NCIS: Sydney season 2 could see further crossover with the rest of the NCIS universe.