NCIS Isn’t ‘Slowing Down Anytime Soon’: ‘Want to Keep It Going’

Published: February 5, 2024

NCIS Isn’t ‘Slowing Down Anytime Soon’: ‘Want to Keep It Going’

By Movieguide® Contributor

NCIS is still going strong as the franchise approaches its 1,000th episode.

“I don’t see [the franchise] slowing down anytime soon,” CBS’ entertainment chief Amy Reisenbach told Deadline. “It’s a fantastic cast with a fantastic writing staff that’s been there a really long time. They’re just as reenergized today as they were as when I started on the show in Season 8.”

She continued, “So, as long as they want to keep it going, we’re thrilled to be on the NCIS train. [The cast] loves doing the show. So we hope to continue on for quite a while.”

NCIS has been running for years, but fan appetite for the crime procedural is still high — TV Line reported that its last season “averaged 9.9 million total viewers (with Live+7 playback), making it not only TV’s most-watched drama, but marking the largest audience for any 2022-23 entertainment program.”

Its upcoming season will only have 10 episodes, as opposed to its usual 22, due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but star Wilmer Valderrama promised fans some exciting storylines.

“Everyone knows it’s a shortened season. We’re doing 10 episodes. Because we’re doing 10 and not your conventional 22, we’ve decided to have a little bit more fun with the new generation of streaming content and really have our show feel like something you have to watch all 10 together,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “So, yeah, it’s different. You heard it here first. I’m not allowed to say it out loud. I wasn’t supposed to, and now I’m in a lot of trouble, but yes.”

Movieguide® previously reported on the upcoming 21st season of NCIS:

The 21st season of NCIS is getting ready to premiere, and showrunner David J. North promises some “huge” storylines.

“All we wanted to do was get back to doing what we do best, which is tell really great stories,” North, who serves as a writer and co-showrunner with Steven D. Binder, told TV Insider.

The upcoming season only has 10 episodes due to last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To make the most of their condensed timeline, NCIS’ writers made each episode “a stand-alone story with smaller character arcs.”

Season 21 also sees the show celebrate the 1,000th episode of the franchise as a whole.

“It’s going to be huge to try and embrace the entire NCIS universe,” North teased. “One of our most beloved characters will be in grave danger.”