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NCIS Sees All Three Series Returning As Part of CBS Mass Renewal

Published Thu, 07 May 2020 08:35:24 -0500

by Tom Chang

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CBS announced the renewal of 15 scripted series among 18 television shows in total that were renewed on Wednesday by the network. Among them are NCIS and its two spinoffs Los Angeles and New Orleans. The original flagship series created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill and starring Mark Harmon returns for the 18th season. NCIS: Los Angeles, created by Shane Brennan and stars Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J will come back for a 12th season. NCIS: New Orleans, created by Gary Glasberg and starring Scott Bakula gets a 7th season. The network came into a precarious situation where the contracts of all their primary stars of the franchise were set to expire at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Harmon and Bakula serve as executive producers for their respective series.

Mark Harmon in NCIS. Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J in NCIS: Los Angeles. Scott Bakula in NCIS: New Orleans. Images courtesy of CBS.

The Ratings Juggernaut of NCIS

Since CBS locked up the deals with their primary stars, the network also looks to sign their respective casts to new deals, according to Deadline Hollywood. NCIS remains strong as the most-watched series on television averaging over 15.33 million viewers. Within the last decade, the series finished no. 1 in Nielsen Ratings nine of the last ten seasons. It's surprising NCIS was only nominated for three Emmys during its long run and never won. Despite its declining ratings over the years, Los Angeles still ranks within the top 30 in viewership. New Orleans also experienced a similar decline but remains in the top 20 still averaging over 10 million viewers.

NCIS, which airs Tuesdays, also stars Sean Murray, Emily Wickersham, Wilmer Valderrama, Maria Bello, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, Rocky Carroll, and David McCallum. Los Angeles, which airs Sundays, also stars Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Barrett Foa, and Renée Felice Smith. New Orleans, which also airs Sundays, also stars Vanessa Ferlito, Necar Zadegan, Rob Kerkovich, Daryl Mitchell, Charles Michael Davis, and CCH Pounder. Do you see any of them end any time soon? What city should be the next focus for the NCIS franchise?