The Expansive NCIS Universe: Over 1,000 Episodes, 46 Seasons, and Still Growing
With over 1,000 episodes and 46 seasons across seven shows, the NCIS franchise is one of television’s most enduring and successful sagas. In 2024, a new chapter begins with NCIS: Origins, a prequel that takes viewers back to the early days, before the events of the other series.
For fans eager to dive into the NCIS universe, watching the original NCIS before its spin-offs can enhance the experience, especially during crossover episodes. However, it’s not a requirement, as the shows are structured to be enjoyed independently.
The NCIS franchise shows no signs of slowing down. The flagship series, NCIS, remains on the air as of this writing, with no clear end in sight. This longevity has solidified the NCIS universe as a fixture on television, where iconic characters like Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo, and Ziva David continue to captivate audiences.
While CBS recently canceled NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, and NCIS: Hawai’i, four NCIS series are still active for the 2024-2025 TV season. Across its seven shows (excluding JAG), the franchise has amassed a staggering number of episodes, making a full series watch-through an ambitious but rewarding endeavor. Despite the length, following the chronological order is straightforward, with NCIS: Origins set to mix things up a bit by taking place before the original series.
Although the NCIS universe technically began with JAG, that 1990s legal drama isn’t considered part of the franchise. Instead, NCIS spun off from JAG through a backdoor pilot aired during JAG’s eighth season in April 2003. This two-hour event introduced viewers to Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his team, including Tony (Michael Weatherly), Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), Thomas Morrow (Alan Dale), and Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum). Just five months later, NCIS premiered and has been a hit ever since. The series has since spawned spin-offs like NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai’i, NCIS: Sydney, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, and now, NCIS: Origins.
For the most part, the chronological order of the NCIS series aligns with their release order. However, with NCIS: Origins premiering in fall 2024, the timeline shifts slightly. This new series, set in 1991, serves as a prequel focusing on a young Gibbs during his early career as a special agent at the Camp Pendleton branch of the Naval Investigative Service (NIS). Austin Stowell will portray the younger Gibbs, with Mark Harmon expected to narrate.
Thus, the chronological order of the NCIS franchise now stands as follows:
- NCIS: Origins
- NCIS
- NCIS: Los Angeles
- NCIS: New Orleans
- NCIS: Hawai’i
- NCIS: Sydney
- NCIS: Tony & Ziva
Over its 40+ seasons and 1,000+ episodes, the NCIS shows have featured numerous crossover events, with more likely to come, especially with the upcoming NCIS: Tony & Ziva. These crossovers are easily coordinated, given that most of the shows air on CBS (except for NCIS: Sydney and NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which stream on Paramount+). Notable crossover episodes include:
- JAG Season 8, Episodes 20-21 (“Ice Queen” and “Meltdown”) – NCIS backdoor pilot
- NCIS Season 6, Episodes 22-23 (“Legend Part I & II”) – NCIS: Los Angeles backdoor pilot
- NCIS Season 7, Episode 7 (“Endgame”) and NCIS: Los Angeles Season 1, Episode 7 (“Pushback”)
- NCIS Season 11, Episodes 18-19 (“Crescent City Part I & II”) – NCIS: New Orleans backdoor pilot
- NCIS Season 13, Episode 12 (“Sister City Part I”) and NCIS: New Orleans Season 2, Episode 12 (“Sister City Part II”)
- NCIS Season 14, Episode 15 (“Pandora’s Box Part I”) and NCIS: New Orleans Season 3, Episode 14 (“Pandora’s Box Part II”)
- NCIS Season 19, Episode 17 (“Starting Over”) and NCIS: Hawai’i Season 1, Episode 18 (“T’N’T”)
- NCIS Season 20, Episode 1 (“A Family Matter”) and NCIS: Hawai’i Season 2, Episode 1 (“Prisoners’ Dilemma”)
- NCIS Season 20, Episode 10 (“Too Many Cooks”), NCIS: Hawai’i Season 2, Episode 10 (“Deep Fake”), and NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14, Episode 10 (“A Long Time Coming”)
- NCIS Season 21, Episode 7 (“A Thousand Yards”) – the 1,000th episode featuring characters from NCIS: Hawai’i and NCIS: Los Angeles
While NCIS is technically a spin-off of JAG, it’s not necessary to watch JAG to understand the NCIS franchise. Viewing JAG Season 8, Episodes 20 and 21, which serve as the NCIS backdoor pilot, can provide context, but the remaining 225 episodes of JAG are not essential. Characters from JAG occasionally appear in NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles, but those unfamiliar with them won’t find it difficult to follow along.
With new series like NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Tony & Ziva on the horizon, the NCIS universe continues to expand, offering fans plenty of episodes to watch and more stories to come.
