The NCIS show that was never made to air on CBS has just been renewed for the network.

When NCIS: Sydney was first announced, we weren’t even sure it would be shown in the US. We figured the Australian series would land on Paramount+ at best.

Here we are less than a year later, and we’ve got another NCIS that’s going to remain on the linear network.

CBS announces the renewal of last fall’s #1 new series, NCIS: Sydney, on the CBS Television Network for the 2024-2025 season. The pickup corresponds with the cross-continent season two order today by Paramount+ Australia.  

The first international expansion of the globally popular NCIS franchise launched successfully across multiple territories and Paramount Global platforms, debuting on Paramount+ Australia on Nov. 10, 2023, and on CBS in the U.S. and on Global in Canada on Nov. 14, 2023.

The series premiere reached over 10.2 million viewers on linear in the U.S., including an encore episode.

NCIS: Sydney was the #1 new series of the fall and currently ranks as the #3 new series of the 2023-2024 season, behind Tracker and Elsbeth.

In the U.S., in its first season, it averaged more than 8 million multiplatform viewers per episode across linear, Paramount+, and CBS TVE (CBS.com/CBS app) in L+35-day viewing. In Q4, it was a strong performer on Paramount+, ranking as a top series on the platform on a reach basis.

“The global power of the NCIS franchise became even stronger on broadcast and streaming with the addition of NCIS: Sydney,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment.

“Our American viewers have fully embraced these engaging characters, unique stories, and the fabulous Australian scenery. We are thrilled to bring this show back to CBS next season and spend even more time down under.”

“We’re beyond stoked with the response to the first season of the show, both in Australia and around the world, and that the team at NCIS: Sydney is returning for a second season,” said Morgan O’Neill, executive producer and showrunner for Endemol Shine Australia.

“We’re especially thrilled to invite our audience deeper into the lives of our core team, peeling back the layers to find out what really makes them tick.

"This will be even more important as we see the bonds of the new family tested to breaking point in the face of a much more potent enemy looming on the horizon ... ”

NCIS: Sydney sees rising international tensions in the Indo-Pacific, where a brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have been grafted into a multi-national taskforce to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.

The series stars Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance, Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee Hazel, and William McInnes.

The series marked the fifth series in the popular global NCIS franchise, which includes NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i, currently in their 21st and third seasons, respectively, on the Network, as well as NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.

The franchise will reach its 1,000th episode milestone on April 15 with an episode of NCIS.

We've also received word on two new entries in the NCIS universe with NCIS: Origins, which will air on CBS, and the unnamed Paramount+ series featuring popular former NCIS stars Ziva David and Tony DiNozzo.

NCIS: Sydney is produced for CBS Studios and Paramount Australia by Endemol Shine Australia and distributed outside Australia by Paramount Global Content Distribution. Morgan O’Neill, Sara Richardson, and Michele Bennett are executive producers.

NCIS: Sydney airs on the CBS Television Network and streams on Paramount+ in the U.S. (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episodes air).

NCIS: Sydney Season 1 is streaming now on Paramount+ in New Zealand, the U.S., U.K., South Korea, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and will be available later this year in Japan.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.