CBS brought a change to Monday nights in fall 2024. After cancelling NCIS: Hawaii, the network brought us the prequel series to the flagship show, NCIS: Origins.
This Young Gibbs series tells the story of Leroy Jethro Gibbs after he joins NIS. This happened months after the murders of his wife and daughter, which took place while he was on duty with the Marines. We know the story of what happened through Gibbs’s story in NCIS, but NCIS: Origins gives us the chance to see it all play out.
So far, we are eight episodes into the series. Now that we’re into the winter break, our eyes areon the chances of shows being renewed or canceled. What could happen to NCIS: Origins?
NCIS: Origins linear ratings aren’t great
There is some bad news when it comes to the linear ratings for the series. They’re not holding up well for the network, especially in that Monday night slot. While the linear ratings aren’t the only consideration for renewals of shows, they are a big consideration as they affect the advertising revenue the networks can pull in.
According to TV Series Finale, the same-day linear ratings put NCIS: Origins in second-to-last in the average demo. This is just ahead of Elsbeth, which airs in a tricky Thursday night timeslot, and just behind Blue Bloods, which came to an end this season (and aired on Friday nights!). Yes, NCIS: Origins is behind the Friday night shows on CBS.
What about the average total audience? That isn’t looking great either. It’s also in second-to-last spot against all other CBS scripted shows. Poppa’s House is the only series behind it, with The Neighborhood and SWAT just ahead of it.
Will CBS try to keep the NCIS franchise going?
The problem for CBS is that there aren’t many NCIS shows on the network anymore. CBS made a huge mistake in canceling NCIS: Hawaii, and it continues to show with how NCIS: Origins is performing. It’s not that the writing is bad in the prequel series, but it’s just that people don’t really need a prequel series.
However, CBS may want to try to keep the franchise going. The best thing to do that is to renew NCIS: Origins for season 2 while there is a discussion about other spin-offs to bring to the network. With this in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if NCIS: Origins was renewed, although it means something else that ranks higher than it will need to go, and I won’t be happy about that.
NCIS: Origins returns on Monday, Jan. 27 at 10/9c on CBS.
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