NCIS shows in order and where to watch them

It’s rare that a show that is a spin-off of another will create a franchise of its own. However, that’s exactly what NCIS did.

The OG series was a backdoor pilot in JAG. It focused on military related criminal investigations, with the Navy and Marines being the forefront of it all. Despite it being a spin-off, we’ve seen the franchise grow and we’re almost at 1,000 episodes in the entire franchise.

There are five shows currently going or have happened in the franchise so far. We also have two spin-offs in the works happening, and there is talk of this franchise continuing. It’s clear that it is still going strong.

Watching the NCIS shows in order

Of course, you’ll want to make sure that you watch the shows in order of development. This helps to make sure you watch any crossover events in the right order.

NCIS starring Mark Harmon started off the franchise in 2003. Michael Weatherly, Sasha Alexander, David McCallum, and Pauley Perrette were the original cast members of the series. Now there isn’t an OG character left, although one of those is due to McCallum passing away in September 2023—and we got an amazing tribute episode for Ducky.

The series is still going, with Season 21 airing on Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.

NCIS: Los Angeles was the first of the spin-offs, premiering in 2009 after a two-episode backdoor pilot in the original series. It came to an end in 2023 after 14 seasons. Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J star as the co-leads of the series, with Peter Cambor, Daniela Ruah, Adam Jama Craig, and Linda Hunt originally part of the cast. Eric Christian Olsen, Barrett Foa, and Renee Felice Smith joined the cast and became fan-favorite characters.

Up next was NCIS: New Orleans, beginning in 2014. Like Los Angeles, it had a two-episode backdoor pilot in the OG series. Scott Bakula took on the lead for this series, with Lucas Black, Zoe McLellan, Rob Kerkovich, CCH Pounder, and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as part of the main cast. This series was arguably canceled unfairly, and it would have been great to see a couple of the characters go to Hawaii for the next spin-off.

Yes, NCIS: Hawaii was the third spin-off of the spin-off in 2021, and this one was without a backdoor pilot. It has had some crossover episodes with both the main series and Los Angeles, though. This series got the first female lead in the franchise, with Vanessa Lachey taking on the role of Jane Tennant. The series also stars Noah Mills, Yasmine Al-Bustami, Jason Antoon, Tori Anderson, Kian Talan, and Alex Tarrant. This is the only one of the U.S.-based shows still on air with the flagship, airing Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.

During the strike action in the summer, CBS confirmed that there would be an international version of the series. We got NCIS: Sydney, which aired its episodes on CBS in the fall. It follows an NCIS unit that teams up with the Australian federal police to solve crimes within its jurisdiction. Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance, Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee Hazel, and William McInnes star in the series, and we’re still waiting on a renewal for this one.

Two NCIS spin-offs in the works

There are currently two spin-offs in the works. The first is NCIS: Origins, which is more of a “Young Gibbs” type of series. Mark Harmon will narrate the series as we head back to Gibbs first joining NCIS and working under Frank.

Then there’s the spin-off that we have all been waiting for. Currently dubbed NCIS: Europe, we’ll get to see Tony and Ziva together again. Yes, there’s a spin-off focused on this fan-favorite couple.

Where to stream the NCIS shows

You can watch the current and past spin-offs on Paramount+. Yes, this includes NCIS: Sydney. This is also going to be the home of the Tony and Ziva spin-off series, although NCIS: Origins is set to air on CBS first and will then head to Paramount+.

NCIS is available to stream on Paramount+.