The NCIS franchise is finally back on the 2026 TV schedule, and it’s better than ever. Tuesday night not only saw the season premieres of original and NCIS: Origins, but also the series premiere of new NCIS: New York. It also marked the return of some old fan favorites. Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, and LL Cool J are all back in the franchise, and I’m pleased to report that it was a smart idea.
Deadline reports that the NCIS franchise saw a 39% uptick in audience from last year’s Tuesday premiere, averaging 5.49 million viewers. This included Weatherly’s much-anticipated return to NCIS, which saw his character Tony DiNozzo getting a major job upgrade. The Season 24 premiere brought in 6.45 million viewers and is the series’ most-watched episode since the Season 21 finale in May 2024. That is a 21% increase year-over-year.
Meanwhile, LL Cool J’s return as Sam Hanna in the franchise’s newest spinoff also saw some pretty great numbers. The premiere of NCIS: New York reached 5.62 million viewers in the 9 p.m. hour, which is up 53% year-over-year in the time period over Origins, which occupied the timeslot during its first two seasons. It was pushed back to the 10 p.m. hour to give New York the NCIS launching pad. New York also stars Scott Caan, but instead of reprising his Hawaii Five-0 character, he plays a new character, NCIS Special Agent Nick Schaeffer, despite crossovers with NCIS: LA.
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Last but certainly not least, NCIS: Origins also saw a rise in viewership from last season. The Season 3 premiere raked in 4.39 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour, up 20% compared to its second season premiere in the 9 p.m. hour. It’s also up 56% from NCIS: Sydney’s premiere in the 10 p.m. slot last year. I’d take a good guess that it’s partly due to the fact that Harmon is once again portraying Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He’s made appearances in the first two seasons of Origins, but he’s set to be in all 10 episodes of the prequel’s third season, and fans are clearly happy.
Considering how nostalgic NCIS’ fall lineup is, I can understand why all three shows are doing so well. You have the return of three fan-favorite characters, two of whom have been around for over 20 years, and the other just kicked off a brand new series. It is really fun that all these returns are happening at the same time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Clearly, CBS knew what it was doing.
The only thing that would make this even better is if a franchise alum were to return for NCIS: Sydney when the new season premieres early in 2027. However, you never know what could happen. Sydney has yet to have a proper crossover because of where it takes place and the show films in a different country, but it’s always possible. For now, catch NCIS, NCIS: New York, and NCIS: Origins Tuesdays on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET, or streaming with a Paramount+ subscription the next day.
