NCIS: Sydney is an Australian military action television series which was released on 10 November 2023 on Paramount+ Australia and is set to premiere on Network 10 in mid-2024.[2][3][4] The series is the first spin-off for the NCIS franchise outside the United States and features Australian actors and producers.[5] In March 2024, the series was renewed for a second season by Paramount+ Australia and CBS.[6][7][8]
NCIS: Sydney | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Morgan O'Neill |
Based on | |
Directed by |
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Starring |
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Theme music composer |
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Opening theme | "NCIS Theme" |
Ending theme | "NCIS Theme" |
Composer | Roger Mason[1] |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer |
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Cinematography |
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Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Production company | Endemol Shine Australia |
Original release | |
Network | |
Release | 10 November 2023 present | –
Related | |
NCIS: Sydney is a spin-off of NCIS and its franchise, which follows a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigating crimes. The series is set in Sydney, Australia.[5] It follows a joint task force that involves NCIS agents and Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers working together on investigations involving American military and navy personnel.[9]
Although the show is set in Sydney, the closest real-life NCIS field office in Australia is actually located in Perth, which is 3,290 km (2,040 mi) away.[10]
On 16 February 2022, it was reported that a spin-off set in Sydney, Australia, was in the works. NCIS: Los Angeles producer Shane Brennan was attached to the project.[5]
The series was created by Morgan O'Neill. It was executive produced by O'Neill, Sara Richardson, and Sue Seeary and produced by Michele Bennett.[3] It began filming in May 2023.[12]
On 20 March 2024, NCIS Sydney was renewed for a second season.[6][7]
No. | Title [13] | Directed by [14] | Written by [14] | Original release date | Prod. code | Aus. viewers (millions) |
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1 | "Gone Fission" | Shawn Seet | Morgan O'Neill | 10 November 2023 | 101 | 0.310[15] |
During an AUKUS ceremony at Sydney Harbor, a US Navy sailor dies of radiation poisoning, resulting in USS Ronald Reagan NCIS Special Agents Michelle Mackey and DeShawn Jackson partnering up with their Australian Federal Police counterparts, Sergeant Jim Dempsey and Constable Evie Cooper, with assistance from AFP scientist Bluebird Gleeson and Roy Penrose, a Forensic Pathologist with the AFP, to investigate. During their investigation, the team question a peace activist, who is cleared of wrongdoing. They also find another dead US naval officer who was killed by a mysterious woman. While attempting to enter a nuclear-powered US submarine, they are attacked by a group of deep cover infiltrators, who were seeking to steal classified intelligence from the US Navy. Following a firefight, the surviving infiltrators are killed when their boat explodes in a remote-detonated explosion. Following the incident, a joint NCIS/AFP task force is created to facilitate cooperation between the US and Australian officers. | ||||||
2 | "Snakes in the Grass" | Shawn Seet | Written by : Michael Miller & Morgan O'Neill Story by : Stuart Page | 17 November 2023 | 102 | N/A |
The team investigate when a Navy compliance officer is found dead in a waterhole, leading them to begin uncovering the origin of the rare, deadly taipan which is uncommon to the area. During their investigation, Jackson and Cooper discover the taipan was part of a group of animals stolen from a pet shop. Mackey and Dempsey investigate the US Navy depot in Sydney and uncover an animal smuggling operation involving staff members and a corrupt US Navy officer. Jackson also discovers that the Navy compliance officer had infiltrated the smuggling ring but had been killed by his associates after learning he was a mole. Jackson and Cooper discover that the pet shop owner is part of the smuggling operation and are captured by her criminal associates. They are rescued by Mackey and Dempsey. Gleeson also adopts a rescued bird as her pet. | ||||||
3 | "Brothers in Arms" | David Caesar | Andrew Anastasios | 24 November 2023 | 103 | N/A |
When a shark spits out an arm that's wearing US Navy equipment, the team investigate a trio of former Navy divers, who have established a diving instruction business in Sydney. Penrose and Gleeson discover that the arm belonged to a former SEAL PFC Coleman, who was a business partner of the former Navy divers. During the investigation, Gleeson discovers that an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) was present in the location where Coleman perished. The team discovers that the divers stole the UUV's data chip and that drugs were planted in their store to blackmail them into returning the stolen chip. One of the divers confesses to killing the murder victim while the team use the other two to lead them to the buyer seeking to reclaim the drone footage. The buyer is quickly detained by Department of Defense Attache Colonel Rankin, who blocks the group's investigation. After Gleeson learns that the drugs planted in the divers' store originated from a ceased DEA bust, Mackey blackmails Rankin into letting the remaining divers go in return for not leaking evidence suggesting that the Central Intelligence Agency was spying on the Royal Australian Navy. Dempsey and the others formally initiate Gleeson as a full member of the team. | ||||||
4 | "Ghosted" | Kriv Stenders | Tamara Asmar | 1 December 2023 | 104 | N/A |
When a US Petty Officer is found dead in the Rocks area, a historic and haunted area of Sydney, the team investigate with a decades-old Navy Cross medal giving them a motive for the death and sending them on a race to catch a killer. | ||||||
5 | "Doggieccino Day Afternoon" | David Caesar | Michael Miller | 8 December 2023 | 105 | N/A |
When Roy and his dog are trapped in a hostage situation at the local dog cafe, the team race to save him and end the siege peacefully. | ||||||
6 | "Extraction" | Catherine Millar | James Cripps & Clare Sladden | 15 December 2023 | 106 | N/A |
While on a crowded bus in Bondi, a man wearing a US Navy jacket dies of a cocaine overdose. The resulting investigation sends Evie looking back into her past as an undercover narcotics officer with the AFP. | ||||||
7 | "Bunker Down" | Kriv Stenders | Kim Ho & James Cripps | 22 December 2023 | 107 | N/A |
Just before the agents of the NCIS team were scheduled to attend a glitzy AI tech launch event in a secret underground bunker, a researcher with the US Navy is found dead. Jim and DeShawn investigate the murder, while Mackey, Evie, and Bluebird go to the bunker. The event is sabotaged, trapping the guests—including the killer—with just two hours' worth of oxygen. Mackey, Evie, and Bluebird search for a way out of the bunker while Jim, DeShawn, and Rosie race to find them. | ||||||
8 | "Blonde Ambition" | Catherine Millar | Morgan O'Neill | 29 December 2023 | 108 | N/A |
When Jim's young son is abducted by an international assassin who wants to exchange him for a criminal in their custody, the NCIS: Sydney team race to save the young boy and stop the trading of one criminal from going ahead. |
In New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the series was also available to stream from 10 November 2023, on TVNZ+ and Paramount+ respectively.[16][17] It is distributed internationally[vague] by Paramount Global Content Distribution and is available for streaming on Paramount+ in selected territories internationally.[11][18]
In the United States, the series premiered on the franchise's parent network CBS on 14 November 2023 as part of 2023 Hollywood labor disputes replacement programming.[19] In Canada, the series premiered on Global and was simulcast alongside the CBS broadcast, also premiering on 14 November 2023.[20]