Although NCIS: Sydney is the fourth spinoff to spawn from the flagship show that launched in 2003 (and itself spun out of JAG), naturally there’s one big thing that separates it from the rest: it’s the first of these shows to take place outside of the United States. As such, one could argue that the Australia-based show will feel more standalone compared to the others. However, don’t go thinking that Sydney won’t nod at other corners of the NCIS universe.
With just a few weeks left to go until NCIS: Sydney’s premiere on CBS stateside, showrunner Morgan O’Neill chatted with TV Line about this entry on the 2023 TV schedule, including how it will connect with the other NCIS shows. When the outlet asked if there would be any “nods,” O’Neill answered:
Look, there are a couple of little Easter eggs there. I won’t spoil them, but they’re definitely there. One of the things that I think audiences love about this show is the fact that it feels like a universe, not individual shows. And while they each have their own DNA, I think that’s what was really clever about the way CBS Studios developed this franchise is they didn’t go out to make the same show twice. If you look at the original show, the mothership, it’s very different from L.A.…
There’s a fine line to be walked when it comes to building shared universes, especially on television. For a procedural continuity like NCIS, while it is important that each show feel unique in various ways, they still need to feel like they’re all taking place within the same world rather than feeling drastically different from one another. Additionally, although O’Neil said that these don’t feel like “individual shows,” it’s nonetheless important that each NCIS series can stand out on its own, i.e. a viewer can easily follow along with one show without any issues, as opposed to feeling like it’s also required that they watch all the other shows.
So as far as NCIS: Sydney is concerned, while no major characters from any of the other shows will be visiting the Land Down Under anytime soon, there will be those handful of Easter eggs in these first few episodes to remind viewers that this is just one corner of a larger fictional world. Morgan O’Neill also talked about how important it was that Sydney feel authentic to its title location, as opposed to the resemblance being in name only:
Each show gets a different tonality, a different vibe, a different pace, a different rhythm, a different color palette, a different sensibility. I feel like what CBS Studios did really cleverly was they realized that they needed to expand the audience and to expand the universe, but not just replicate it. So when they came to us, I kind of sat down and watched about 950 episodes of NCIS [programs] in the space of a few weeks to get myself up to speed — I feel like I have a PhD in NCIS! — and what I realized was that they were looking to capture the authenticity of a place. So I went back to [CBS Studios chief] David Stapf and his crew and said, ‘In order for this to be successful, I think it really has to capture that authentic rhythm, that authentic cultural sensibility of Australia — the colors, the flavor. We should lean into it.’ And they said, ‘That’s music to our ears. Go for it.’
The NCIS: Sydney cast includes Olivia Swann, Todd Lasance, Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee Hazel and William McInnes, with the premise revolving around a team of NCIS agents and Australian Federal Police officers working together as a multi-national task force. Although the fifth NCIS show in total, it will be one of only three on the air, the others being the main NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i. NCIS: Los Angeles concluded earlier this year after 14 seasons, and NCIS: New Orleans’ seven-season run ended in 2021.
NCIS: Sydney premieres Tuesday, November 14 on CBS, and episodes will be available to stream afterwards with a Paramount+ subscription. Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more news concerning this latest spinoff, including if any especially interesting NCIS Easter eggs are thrown in.
